Lateral Displacement

[bobbystahr]

Well my road for the caddy image just will not happen so I took inspiration from the "up the patch size for smoother displacement" hint from Dune and this image evolved. Trying to get veg under the overhang was marginally successful but I go and bugger it all up with crappy water...when will I ever learn. I even used a Plane and dialed back the water's reflectivity and addded a Reflection shader but am guessing got my smallest waves too small hence the noisy water. They always look so much better lo res and smaller in my tests.  Maybe a WIP depending on my attention span in this warm not indoors weather.... so C & C welcome.

[Dune]

I would use some larger PF for the big laterals, and then some smaller less distinct laterals or even normals again to get some definition on top. And why not a heavily masked strata (small scale) shader (or 2) between those. And veggies under awnings you can use the painted shader for. Or, if you use colors of a PF for the big laterals' displacement, the inverted color (for veggies in crevices, sort of).

[Dune]

Here's a sample of different patch settings for compute normal. In this case it's not huge, but there are differences in terrain. Smoothing turned will have an effect too.

[bobbystahr]

I would use some larger PF for the big laterals, and then some smaller less distinct laterals or even normals again to get some definition on top. And why not a heavily masked strata (small scale) shader (or 2) between those. And veggies under awnings you can use the painted shader for. Or, if you use colors of a PF for the big laterals' displacement, the inverted color (for veggies in crevices, sort of).

Actually this started as a simple test using an image map set for initial colours and displacement and placing colour using the image's Alpha map though I wound up replacing the colour maps with PFs. In the main it was testing the patch size that just got carried away. But it did do a fine job of smoothing out some ugly spiking. I also enabled Smooth in the patch size. Will likely start fresh with PFs now I see how it works. Thanks again for the useful tips you keep supplying...

[luvsmuzik]

I just warmed this up a little. For me it needed a little more pink in the gray area. I also wonder what amber sun would do?