The Bike

[DocCharly65]

Thanks Ulco 

Yes you're right, I'll work on that too, when I start the TG4 remakes of that scene.
Before it was not visible so I didn't care about in older renders.

First thing I had to do: I reduced the displacement multiplier... You should have seen it before! Looked like a tool from a SM-dungeon 

[Hannes]

All in all a great image, Nils!!
But there are a few things that could be improved imho (I hope you don't mind!):
As Ulco said the saddle is very glossy. I believe there are materials that look exactly like that, but they look cheap. If you'd use a softer, slightly blurred reflection, it would look a bit more like leather.
There's a subtle but strange brighter area on the left wall. Do you use additional lightsources? Maybe it's a shadow?
The ground looks quite overexposed. If you'd lower the main color brightness of this material, the texture map would show up again, I guess.
The tractor's position is a bit weird. It looks like a toy on the wall. You could move it a bit further away or a bit more to the right, so that it's more separated from the wall.

Something else: there's a strange line in the top left sky area of the image.

Otherwise, as I said, a fantastic image!!!!

[DocCharly65]

Thanks Hannes, some good suggestions!

The strange line is the (in the future deleted) radio tower. Unnecessary and with DOF hard to identify.
The saddle will be revised in any case.
The tractors place will be moved a little bit depending on the camera path in the animation.
The bright areas on the wall seem to be reflections of shiny parts of the bike.

I must say in animations (not pictures) overexposement is a little tool of making it more realistic. In the last 3 years I watched most films of any kind with "Terragen-anmation-eyes". A really natural and real looking scene is a bit overexposed and mostly with bleached colors.

But I will see what happens in the animation with changing light situations because of the moving camera.
Anyway thanks for the suggestions

[Hannes]

I see. you may be right concerning the overbrightness. Sometimes imperfections are the icing on the cake.

The bright areas on the wall seem to be reflections of shiny parts of the bike.

Hmmm... that would mean caustics?! Not as far as I know.

[DocCharly65]

In the past I made the experience that effects like this are usually gone in animations (perhaps because of the Render GI settings?)

[Kadri]

I like the new version.

[bobbystahr]

Still like this a lot and agree with the suggestions. Good observation on the "I must say in animations (not pictures) overexposement is a little tool of making it more realistic." situation. I'd not paid much attention to that, well rarely lately watch moving images any more(takes too much time from playing guitar unless I'm researching a project).

[Oshyan]

The horse is also rather shiny. Agree with the other suggestions too, but I also like the scene overall too. Not sure about the need (or realism) for so much DoF though?

As for the light on the wall, there could be bounced light (GI), but not caustics...

- Oshyan

[DocCharly65]

Thanks Oshyan 

The tractor will definitely move to the place where the horses are now when I start the animation.
Also I will work on the DoF. The focus is not correct so far.
And as I said I am sure that the light on the wall will dissapear in the animated scene.

I am not sure yet but I think I will add a board and / or a bike weel on the wall. Perhaps I'll also add a fence between the grass and the rapseed field to give it a clearer border.

[DocCharly65]

Some weeks later now I could fix many things:

First I changed the sun position and the light to get that nice shadowof the tree at the entrance.
The "caustics" on the walls seems to be gone after writing GI cache
The DoF is reduced to an adaequat amount I think (The challenge is that the DoF is animated too   )
The bike's saddle is less shiney and more leather like.
The bikes handles are seperated now and have got a more rubber like look.
Some more stuff like a spare wheel and a Dracena on a box
The strange line (the unidentifiable radio tower) is deleted. 
The horses unfortunately had to go but the tractor has a better place now.
Some more cottages, trees and bushes...

GI is written and I did a test of some frames:

Frame 001:
[attach=1]


Frame 201:
[attach=2]


Frame 401:
[attach=3]

Perhaps some of you recognized: We get back the Viper start from my first of the first animation experiments 

[Dune]

The combination (and surprise) is so good!

[DocCharly65]

Thanks Ulco

The good news: I'll rerender most of the Poolhouse and Bike scenes
The bad news: I'll rerender most of the Poolhouse and Bike scenes

I think it's worth it and not a too disproportionate effort with the speed of the new TG4, but it throws all my older plans initially overboard 

[Hannes]

Quite an improvement!
You'll probably hate me now, but in my opinion the seat is a bit too matt now.

[DocCharly65]

You'll probably hate me now, but in my opinion the seat is a bit too matt now.

Both: nope! 
I Don't hate you but also I like the seat as it is now. I tried many reflectivity settings and chose this one as the one I liked the most.

I hope you don't hate me either now 

[Hannes]

I hope you don't hate me either now 

I'm psychologically devastated now!