The first(or last)smattering of winter snow. Updated - At last!.

mhaze · October 10, 2012, 11:01:33 AM

Hi All

There's lots I'd like to do to this but it is taking too long to render with the odd bucket error to slow it down even more! I going to do some experiments some of which might make it back into the pic. I've included the .tga in file sharing for those who may be interested.

I'd like to make the curve between the grass and rocks smoother but I can't work out how. The method i'm using to flatten the low parts of the terrain uses a conditional which is all or nothing, any help appreciated.

TheBadger · October 10, 2012, 05:28:03 PM

I like it. I see some issues too, but overall I would say this is rather nice. I doubt I could help you figure out the tech, but Im looking forward to seeing the file. Thanks for putting it up!

Hope you keep at it.

Oshyan · October 10, 2012, 05:47:28 PM

The reason it's taking so long is the high GI settings, especially GI Surface Detail, which is really unnecessary in this scene. Turn that off and the file should be much more pleasant to work with in test and final renders.

- Oshyan

Dune · October 11, 2012, 03:17:04 AM

You have some nice ways of doing things in your tgd, mhaze, but I can't help you with the smoothing of the grass-rock transition. I would have set it up differently; basing the rock areas on a warped simple shape that excludes the river valley. With a soft edge you'd have soft edges

Raise your rocks outside the river valley and warp and do what you want, all inversely blended by that simple shape, perhaps with a color adjust here and there.
By the way, what's that simple shape doing there, just in between the line of nodes? It's no use that I can see.

mhaze · October 11, 2012, 04:27:20 AM

Cheers

Badger would be interested to know if your "issues" coincide with mine, could you expand?

Thanks Oshyan, Will look into the GI settings

Dune, It's deleting a chunk of rock in the background that was blocking the end of the valley. Interesting suggestions for using the SSS to set up the landscape, will add to my list of things to explore.

Dune · October 11, 2012, 05:08:33 AM

Here you are, mhaze, a quick setup.

mhaze · October 11, 2012, 05:14:51 AM

Cheers Dune, will play!

mhaze · October 11, 2012, 05:54:23 AM

Yep Dune, should have thought of that as I been playing with SSS so much lately $:-\$

I am stunned at the difference GI settings make! Render time is down from 5 hours to 42mins!!!!!

Dune · October 11, 2012, 07:59:32 AM

Crazy displacements also add up to render time. Carefully build it up, not to get too many 'crossing triangles'.

mhaze · October 11, 2012, 08:23:04 AM

Yes you are quite right and I try to contain myself. In this pic it was mainly the water that was slow! I Have been obsessively pursuing realistic rock for a while now and sometimes one has too go mad to get the effect you want for example look at the strata and outcrop shader settings!

TheBadger · October 11, 2012, 06:02:52 PM

QuoteBadger would be interested to know if your "issues" coincide with mine, could you expand?

Hi Mhaze.
I was referring mostly to aesthetics.

For example the terrain, most notably in the foreground but also in the cliffs, has the appearance of rubber. After reading through this thread again I understand that you have your settings very high and that makes me think that the issues are related to textures and post processing.

If you look at the rock faces in the left mid-ground and left foreground nearest the camera you can see what looks like texture stretching. Did you use an image or is all color and terrain procedural?

If all is procedural the issues are likely from post work. Probably over processing. If this is the case, if you like you can send me an original .tiff + .exr I can can send you back a .psd with all layers intact. Everyone works differently in Photoshop, and there can be some benefit in sharing files just like a .tgd.
But thats just my thoughts about it based on this thread. I have downloaded your file but not looked at it yet. So I could be completely wrong, wouldn't be the first time.

mhaze · October 12, 2012, 04:02:29 AM

Sorry image to follow have to re render it

mhaze · October 12, 2012, 04:42:50 AM

Hi Badger

I agree with you about the ground which has been modified. The rocks are procedually textured no post processing! I suspect that the texture scale is too large, it is vertically stretched, a leftover from attempting to create icicles! I will play with that some more.

Reducing GI particularly in the atmosphere has darkened the sky. Not sure I like it.