The next iteration on the Lost Guy.

Added some focal blur and implemented first steps for the paths. The 
texture on the path needs works (just plain brown so far), and maybe 
I'll place stones there instead of keeping it bare.

Focal Blur adds a lot to the feel of the image. When used heavily, 
scenes often look like miniatures, and in this case gives it all a model 
feeling, like a small set up scenery. I kinda like it, as it heads in 
the direction of "this image is just a description, a model, to explain 
reality's chaos".

The wooden signs in this context feel much like "should look like wood, 
but feels a little artificial" and is fitting IMHO.

All in all, the image kinda got a fun and cheery spin to it, which I 
didn't expect, but like.

My friend Eva also mentioned that the guy needs work, his shoulders look 
dislocated and the proportions aren't right. Funny how you can look at 
things forever and someone else has to tell you the obvious. :-)

Anyways, just wanted to share.

Oh, and to keep the rendertimes low, the sky is now pre-rendered and 
then just mapped onto a quad in the background. Focal blurring media 
takes ages...

Regards,
Tim

-- 
aka "Tim Nikias"
Homepage: <http://www.nolights.de>

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Download 'lostguy_14.jpg' (76 KB)

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Hi Tim, I really like this new version! The focal blur adds a lot to my eye,
and I  like that it looks like a scale model.

Some alternative ideas (not suggestions for improvement though, the image is
already very good): now that the scene looks like a miniature, perhaps
changing the sign posts so they look more like a pin would really emphasis
the actual scale of the image you want to convey. One other idea is to
extend the road in a ring all around the hill, with an extra path heading
off towards the top left corner. At the moment the little man looks like he
has many things to chose between, but only two actual paths to he can go
down.

Very nice image though.

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Death is in the same direction as Life, but opposite Enemies?
Work is opposite Stress and Despair?
Peace and War are in the same direction?
Abortion and Kids are kinda in the same direction?
The Friends/Love/Solitude post I'd turn Solitude a bit clockwise and 
Friends counterclockwise.

Have related concepts point in similar directions!

-- 
Tim Cook
http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-empyrean

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12
GFA dpu- s: a?-- C++(++++) U P? L E--- W++(+++)>$
N++ o? K- w(+) O? M-(--) V? PS+(+++) PE(--) Y(--)
PGP-(--) t* 5++>+++++ X+ R* tv+ b++(+++) DI
D++(---) G(++) e*>++ h+ !r--- !y--
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

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Tim,
Was it Yogi Berra who said:
"If you come to a fork in the road, take it!"
and
"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because 
you might not get there."
and someone else who said
"If I were going there I wouldn't start from here."
DLM

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"Tim Cook" <z99### [at] bellsouthnet> schreef in bericht 
news:46ba9f68$1@news.povray.org...
> Death is in the same direction as Life, but opposite Enemies?
> Work is opposite Stress and Despair?
> Peace and War are in the same direction?
> Abortion and Kids are kinda in the same direction?
> The Friends/Love/Solitude post I'd turn Solitude a bit clockwise and 
> Friends counterclockwise.
>

<grin>
Those are the contradictions of Life....  ;-)
Imho, they are as true as if their directions were reversed...

Thomas

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Thomas de Groot wrote:
> "Tim Cook" <z99### [at] bellsouthnet> schreef in bericht 
> news:46ba9f68$1@news.povray.org...
>> Death is in the same direction as Life, but opposite Enemies?
>> Work is opposite Stress and Despair?
>> Peace and War are in the same direction?
>> Abortion and Kids are kinda in the same direction?
>> The Friends/Love/Solitude post I'd turn Solitude a bit clockwise and 
>> Friends counterclockwise.
>>
> 
> <grin>
> Those are the contradictions of Life....  ;-)
> Imho, they are as true as if their directions were reversed...

The signs and their directions are randomly generated, not hand-placed. 
As for similiar things showing into similiar directions: you're assuming 
that once you choose a path, the outcome is what you asked for.

People opting for kids may need an abortion, depending on the 
circumstances, work doesn't have to be full of stress if you enjoy it, etc.

Basically, the idea is that you make choices again and again, not just 
once and go for it, and some outcomes are awfully close to each other 
once you've chosen a certain direction. Think of it as the risks. ;-)

Regards,
Tim

-- 
aka "Tim Nikias"
Homepage: <http://www.nolights.de>

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scam wrote:
> Hi Tim, I really like this new version! The focal blur adds a lot to my eye,
> and I  like that it looks like a scale model.
> 
> Some alternative ideas (not suggestions for improvement though, the image is
> already very good): now that the scene looks like a miniature, perhaps
> changing the sign posts so they look more like a pin would really emphasis
> the actual scale of the image you want to convey. One other idea is to
> extend the road in a ring all around the hill, with an extra path heading
> off towards the top left corner. At the moment the little man looks like he
> has many things to chose between, but only two actual paths to he can go
> down.

I was already thinking about some more paths, it really does look like 
he's got lots of directions but only two choices. I don't think I need 
as many paths as directions, often there are only a couple of possible 
things to do, even if you aim for different outcomes.

As for using pins: that'd be *really* tiny. I do enjoy the model feel, 
but don't want to create an actual measurement for the scene. It just 
feels more abstract and less real as an image, which I find attractive 
on this image.

> Very nice image though.

Thanks. :-)



-- 
aka "Tim Nikias"
Homepage: <http://www.nolights.de>

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dlm wrote:
> Tim,
> Was it Yogi Berra who said:
> "If you come to a fork in the road, take it!"
> and
> "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because 
> you might not get there."
> and someone else who said
> "If I were going there I wouldn't start from here."
> DLM

Interesting sentences... Especially the last one, that one's good! ;-)

Regards,
Tim

-- 
aka "Tim Nikias"
Homepage: <http://www.nolights.de>

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> > "Tim Cook" <z99### [at] bellsouthnet> schreef in bericht
> > news:46ba9f68$1@news.povray.org...
> >> Death is in the same direction as Life, but opposite Enemies?
>
Tim Nikias <JUS### [at] gmxnetWARE> wrote:
> Basically, the idea is that you make choices again and again, not just
> once and go for it, and some outcomes are awfully close to each other
> once you've chosen a certain direction. Think of it as the risks. ;-)

Death and life are actually a good example.  Choose death, and you end up
dead. Choose life again and again, and you end up dead; it just takes
longer.

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Tim Cook wrote:
> 
> Have related concepts point in similar directions!
> 

Or all concepts pointing in the same direction ???

Looking good, Mr. Nikias. I noticed that the unnatural grass under the
more natural sky gives the impression that the guy is walking on
someone's model town (Beetlejuice movie intro comes to mind). The effect
adds another dimension to the pic for me.

Still a BIT shy of complete visual cohesion between the elements, which
I think the concept deserves. ..... Looking closely, only the dirt path
is lacking. Here's what I see:

Grass, signs, figure: Miniatures
Sky: realish (works with the "trapped in a construct" interpretation)
Path: CG

 -Shay

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