Chris Harrison wrote:

> How could I create realistic, randomly shaped rocks (needed to be looked
> at when close-up), which look like anything from small boulders and
> space dust, to asteroids and planetoids. I would like to create a
> ringed-planet scene (like the one in the intro to Star Trek Voyager)
> with something above the rings which would reflect on to them. But as I
> said, I need a close up - so I can't use spheres and get away with it ;)
> Does anyone have any ideas?

<OFF_TOPIC>

That scene in Voyager is, (pardon the scientific terminology) absolute and
bloody nonsense.

Look at the size of the rocks. Look at the size of Voyager. This is ok.

Now, look at the size of the entire ring, and the size of Voyager. The rings
are what? Maybe 4-5x width of Voyager?

This either means that Voyager is bloody enormous, or this is a bloody tiny
planet. Jupiter's rings are 22,000 km wide. Call me crazy, but I don't think
that Voyager is thousands of kilometers long....

Also, while the rings are ice, I imagine that the random surfaces would
result in reflections too blurred to ever make out anything.

</OFF_TOPIC>

Anyhoo... take a look at
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/postgrad/thomasc1/render/maps.htm for lots of
planetary POV stuff... Wonderful site...

Simon
http://home.istar.ca/~sdevet

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