Fighting Addiction

[AndyWelder]

"Fighting Addiction?" you may wonder. What has addiction to do with Terragen? Well, in my case a lot: 9 weeks ago I did quit smoking after 45 years. Never was a heavy smoker, just 10-12 cigarettes or so a day, but the impact stopping had was tremendous. The first days I was reduced to a wreck that could think of nothing but a smoke, there was no room for anything else (and that included spouse, kids and TG also) Also the following weeks I was merely surviving, burying myself in the routine of work and on-line games and there was no energy left to come up with anything creative and I slept for 10-12 hours a day. I started up TG a couple of times but was just sitting there, doodling a bit, waiting for a spark. Yesterday was the turning point: While working on a new play-list in Spotify called "Mijn platenkast maar dan digitaal" ("My record cabinet but now digital") I was listening to the album "Yessongs" and that brought up images of gnarled rock formations and some ideas on how to create them in Terragen2 and suddenly I had the urge to fire up TG and start working on that.
What you see is the result of that session yesterday evening and a render last night.

And you have to admit "Fighting Addiction" is a catchy tittle, isn't it? And isn't TG2 addictive too?

Any suggestions on how to improve this one are welcome because I still lack a feeling for detail.

[Dune]

I hope you keep of the ciggies! Better be hooked to TG, much healthier. Good luck with that fight, it won't be easy indeed.

Regarding the render; it's great already. Very nice formations. The lighting may be improved I guess, as it's a little 'dull'. More contrast is needed somehow. I would also decrease the cloud in front in thickness and greyness, and maybe add a gnarled rock in front, close up, like you're sitting on an outcrop watching the other two. Gives more depth. And I would not centralize the two outcrops, but put them on one side of a wider vista (maybe ration 2:1 or even 3:1), so that you look deeper into the terrain. 
Good to see you have your spark back!

[ratfugel]

Nice work Andy.  Keep up the good work.
rat.

[Mahnmut]

Keep going like that!
brave effoert, good image!
I can only second Dunes advice concerning contrast and the cloud in the foreground. Maybe a little more reflectivity on the rocks, perhaps only in vertical streaks like water running down?
The trees on top look to me as if they wuold have been blown away, maybe they get more stable if they clump together? just wondering.
my best Wishes to you!
Jan

[Jo Kariboo]

Very nice structures of rocks ! 

[Oshyan]

Just want to say congrats on kicking the habit! I like the image already, Dune's advice is good for further improvement, for sure.

- Oshyan

[TerrMite]

Great rock and I like how you have populated the terrain with trees.
Good job scrapping the cancer sticks. You're going to miss the nicotine for a time but you gain so much more. Better health, no smell, not always thinking "do I have cigarettes and a lighter with me" and you save money. I did also quit some time ago but took the easy way, I used nicotine patches which helped a lot.
Cheers

[schmeerlap]

Nice rock stack, Andy.
I don't know what the tax on fags is like in Holland, but here (UK) even at 10 a day, you'd be able to upgrade/renew your computer on a yearly basis for the outlay. Makes you think, don't it.
Regards
John

[Hannes]

Congratulations! And "Yessongs" is of course the perfect inspiration. If you have watched Avatar you may have noticed the large arcs on the planet. They were surely inspired by Roger Dean's fantastic artwork but he never got credits for the design.

[inkydigit]

A great job on all counts Andy!
I too gave up in Nov last year... no turning back for me... difficult but well worth it, as John says...
The image is looking really good, a great place to explore!
Yessongs and Roger Dean, that takes me back...


tot ziens!


)

[Dune]

Yessongs and Roger Dean, that takes me back...

Makes you realize how fast life goes....

[choronr]

Good going Andy, good to hear you've got them out of your habit/ I gave them up 47 years ago; but, took up the pipe instead. Any getter? I don't know; but, don't inhale anymore.

Your image is a very good start. Looking forward to your progress.

[AndyWelder]

Thank you all for the good advice.
Still not my usual self  but I'm sure I'll get there, someday. What matters is the spark came back. It took me a while to start reworking this one , blame it on the lack of concentration caused by that little voice telling "Now is the right time to take a smoke! Just do it, you'll feel better!"

The light: I think I found what was causing that dullness. There were some of those low clouds filtering the sunlight so another seed did correct that.
Putting the camera on an outcrop...  Absolutely right, why didn't I think of that!
Not 100% happy with the composition but unable to find out what exactly is going on there except that it's a bit wobbly.

Vegetation distribution on the terrain features is very tricky, probably because they are made of negative crater shaders. I tried every trick I know to get control over the vegetation objects on top of these but nothing worked.... But thinking of it there must be such harsh conditions for trees on top of these features only very few trees would survive so the vegetation would be sparse anyway.

And John aka Schmeerlap: With the current prices for tobacco I could upgrade my system twice a year! 3 pouches of tobacco and the required cigarette papers in two weeks is over €20,- so that would be €750,- per year 

[Dune]

Great update. Now you need some direct light on the front trees (they're a bit evenly lit), and add some more grasses (and flowers) to the frontal outcrop.

[ratfugel]

Why don't you add a bit of illumination somewhere below the big dark rock thingy.  Not too much or it will not look right, would give it a bit of balance probably,  because the rocks on the right are fairly bright anyway.
rat.