well the water particles are hard to see. i didn't even know they were there
until i read this post. i'm also on a comparatively slow computer, and I
wouldn't dream of using an isosurface for the water. i'd use a height_field
generated by a pigment function similar to one that you might use for an
isosurface version.

or are the columns the isosurfaces that slow it down? are the columns
isosurfaces?

i remember reading the Renderman Companion back before i discovered pov. i
never finished it, or played with BMRT very much, but I remember one idea
they mentioned. Always use a complex shader to simulate complex geometry
when possible. I bring this up because, although it's great to have real
bumpy edges in the curvey columns, they aren't noticeable enough to be worth
an extra 12 hours of render time. especially the large base columns that are
heavily shadowed and whose edges you don't see. though even on the tall
columns, you only notice the edges on the sides that have sky showing.

it might take some skill getting a spiral texture to look that good. how
costly would a sphere_sweep be if you used one and rotated copies of it a
few times to create a column?

anyway, i like the design. i would like to see the middle part stand out
more, the nozzle. also, if it's shooting water up, it would be wet. the
texture doesn't look wet really. fresnel reflection on that might help a
little.  good luck, i hope to see updates when you complete it.

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