Are you talkin' to me?

[Hannes]

Inspired by this thread:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,22718.0.html
I started to build a set of six different sand grains. I used edited versions of my own (fake-) subsurface scattering shader in my materials thread and placed the population on a small hill, which is actually a very very small Mt. St. Helens .ter file.
The insect models are from http://www.cadnav.com/
I had to edit them a lot and worked on the textures as well. The whole image is almost real world scale, maybe double the size, but not more, which makes working quite uncomfortable in this case, because there is some kind of camera clipping in the viewport. I can't see things that are very close to the camera. Maybe I missed something, but I can't remember a workaround for that.

[DocCharly65]

Mt. St. Helens .ter file? cool! 

Could you increase the radius of the "platform" so that the legs of the bee touch the the ground a bit mor accurate? Then I'd see it as perfect.

But anyway good work!

[KlausK]

Hi Hannes, this looks nice.

Clipping:
Have you tried the [ ] keys?
These are the keyboard shortcuts for far and near clipping.

Cheers, Klaus

[Hannes]

Thanks, guys!!
Nils, you're definitely right. I somehow thought, wasps would stand on their legs like this. I'm working on it atm.

Klaus, yes, I just found this way to move the clipping plane, but it doesn't seem to work ... 
I'm using the german keyboard layout. The [] keys are Alt Gr 8 and 9, right? Even if I switch to english, there's no effect.

[KlausK]

Hannes, with all the english programs I am working with I have only english layout keyboards in use...but
I think you are klicking the ROUND brackets (AltGr 8+9). Try the keys next to the letter P.
You need the SQUARE brackets for this. AltGr u-Umlaut and the ! key with AltGr.
Hope that helps.
On the other hand if you are working in such a small scale (just a few millimeters actually) perhaps
clipping can`t go down this far?

Cheers, Klaus

ps: this is a swiss-german keyboard layout where the square brackets are next to "P"
I don`t know if that differs from a german-german keyboard layout...

[archonforest]

Great stuff!!! 

[Hannes]

Didn't work...
Below you see a part of the german keyboard layout. I tried all keys together with Alt Gr. No effect at all.
The square brackets are on the 8 and 9 keys. I can write them together with Alt Gr, but in TG nothing happens...

Nonetheless I adjusted Mt. St. Helens, and placed the insects newly, which is a pain in the ass at the moment, but finally I got it.
Rendering at the moment. Will take 3 and a half hours.

[KlausK]

This IS different from the swiss-german keyboard layout. I had no idea 
Perhaps you can try to assign another keyboard  shortcut for clip distance to get rid of the AltGr?
Maybe that helps?
Cheers, Klaus

[Hannes]

Finally I found the solution! I found FrankB's advice here:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,8802.msg94665.html#msg94665
So I checked it and found that I had to press "ß" on my keyboard to decrease the clipping plane distance. It's working now. Thanks anyway, Klaus!!!!

[KlausK]

Good, you got it working!
And, this letter is not even to be found on the swiss-german keyboard layout.
I`ll store the solution in my database of useful tricks`n tips.
Cheers, Klaus

[luvsmuzik]

Love it!
Hannes, please look!

http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,22729.msg229488.html#msg229488

[Hannes]

Cool!!!! 

[Kadri]

Looks nice Hannes.

[Dune]

I just knew you would try to get these sand grains nailed, and you got really far. Good stuff, Hannes!

[Hannes]

Thanks!
Here is the updated version.