I think I have been working on this image for too long, other than the fact that
in this version I have messed up the texture inside the tree so you cannot
really see the steps (there is a spiral staircase inside the trunk) I am not too
sure what else to do with it.

As it stands I think this is a bit boring but I am not too sure what it needs to
make it more interesting so any suggestions would be welcome (am thinking of
trying a light/lamp inside the trunk. I did add a brightly coloured mushroom
outside next to the tree but it did not look great.

The tree is made out of a blob, the grass is a macro using meshes and the
dandelions are a macro using a mesh for the feathery part of the seed then a
blob for the rest.

Sean

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Attachments:
Download 'tree.png' (1366 KB)

Preview of image 'tree.png'

A garden gnome. It needs a garden gnome ;-) but that might have the same 
effect (or worse) as a mushroom. I agree that the scene needs a little 
something more to make it stand apart.

I confess I have trouble seeing the steps at all.

Otherwise, well done on the natural elements. Great work as always.

Thomas

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"s.day" <s.d### [at] uelacuk> wrote:

> As it stands I think this is a bit boring but I am not too sure what it needs to
> make it more interesting so any suggestions would be welcome (am thinking of
> trying a light/lamp inside the trunk.

> Sean


Hi Sean,

since you asked for suggestions...

- Grass is much too uniform. So you can use
-- a grass texture like Jaime Vives Piqueres described in "Bamboo" or especially
in "Grass after rain"
(http://www.ignorancia.org/en/index.php?page=grass-after-rain),
-- or use much more different plants and/or a good distribution. Here I've to
point to an old unfinished project from me (
http://news.povray.org/povray.binaries.images/thread/%3Cweb.44b62d56a7a9ea94c436b710@news.povray.org%3E/
and
http://news.povray.org/povray.binaries.images/thread/%3Cweb.44aecceb9373cf132680557b0@news.povray.org%3E/
). Even if the grass looks a bit uniform, I used this vegetation method with 8
different species (shown below) in "colored leaves" (
http://news.povray.org/povray.binaries.images/message/%3Cweb.4f6243b5985f1ee4dc4ffc880%40news.povray.org%3E/#%3Cweb.4f6
243b5985f1ee4dc4ffc880%40news.povray.org%3E
).

- Grass is also too uniform in the near of the trunk. Here plants find less
water (and light), so you need other or decaying plants.

- Water needs more stones, some long algae flowing with the water etc.

- If you want to add a light and stairs into the tree, you're adressing movies
like Avatar, Alice in wonderland, Oz or Maleficent. Here you need a darker
atmosphere (a moonlit meadow?), media fog and some glowing plants or insects to
counterpart the dark image parts.

Other than that - a fantastic WIP like always and I hope you'll publish the
code. ;-)


Norbert Kern

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Attachments:
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Preview of image 'grasses.jpg'

"s.day" <s.d### [at] uelacuk> wrote:
> I think I have been working on this image for too long, other than the fact that
> in this version I have messed up the texture

I'm right there with you.  Mine got whammied when I "tweaked" it.
("Don't touch THAT!!!  :O  )

> inside the tree so you cannot
> really see the steps (there is a spiral staircase inside the trunk) I am not too
> sure what else to do with it.

Can you "split" the stairs into vertical and horizontal surfaces?
Repeated footsteps would wear the top face of the tread yet leave most of the
vertical riser unworn.  That in itself would add a level of definition.

Possibly your little guys dropped an item or two on the way in.
Maybe a rock or a hammer.  ;)

How much have you experimented with the light?  Perhaps a warmer yellow sunlight
from a sideways direction would give it some highlight and shadow.

Maybe a toadstool or two, or a fruiting fungus on the tree.
Fallen leaves.
Little Frobozz casting the doorway cloaking spell....  :)

That's some pretty sweet plant work you've got going there and ... the tree is
_A BLOB_???(!!!)  That's one of the coolest blobs I've seen - scratch that -
"been told _is_ a blob"!  If I was asked, I would have guessed it was an
isosurface or something.  You haz mad skilz.  Mad. Skilz.

Keep up the good work, and hope you're having fun.  :)

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On 07.10.2014 7:24, s.day wrote:

> As it stands I think this is a bit boring but I am not too sure what
> it needs to make it more interesting so any suggestions would be
> welcome

I like the realism & normality of the scene. I think it is good
this way, and needs only some element that after looking carefully
for a second time you notice something is not quite right (probably
only inside the hole). It is hard to judge currently if the stair
alone does it because I can't see it well. Another possible way
would be an illusion that shows a space or passage behind the
hole that doesn't actually fit in the trunk.

I'm also a bit unsure about the brown patch left of the tree,
is it a wide part of a brook going behind the tree? Somehow the
shape / color / reflections is not quite what I expect.

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Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
> A garden gnome. It needs a garden gnome ;-) but that might have the same
> effect (or worse) as a mushroom. I agree that the scene needs a little
> something more to make it stand apart.
>
> I confess I have trouble seeing the steps at all.
>
> Otherwise, well done on the natural elements. Great work as always.
>
> Thomas

Hi Thomas,

Not sure if a gnome will make it into this scene ;-) but I do think something
with a bit of colour or at least not green is required, maybe some flowering
dandelions/wild flowers etc

Agree that if I had not said it you would not know there were any steps, they
were visible in previous renders and before running this one I added a layer
over the texture which seems to have made them near invisible. Not too worried
about that as it is an easy fix but plenty of other things to work on as well.

Sean

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"Norbert Kern" <nor### [at] t-onlinede> wrote:
> - Grass is much too uniform. So you can use

Thanks Norbert,

That's exactly what I am after, some great suggestions in here, I have seen
these images before and I did think about trying a texture similar to Jaime's
when I started on the grass macro then for some reason did not implement it (it
is a really great grass texture). Also, your vegetation scenes are always very
impressive so plenty to think about/work on here.

> like Avatar, Alice in wonderland, Oz or Maleficent. Here you need a darker
> atmosphere (a moonlit meadow?), media fog and some glowing plants or insects

Yes, I am stuck between a more fantasy type scene (not my normal) or a realistic
scene with an unexpected element in the staircase inside the tree. Not sure
which one will win yet but I will post the source code once completed.

Thanks

Sean

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"Bald Eagle" <cre### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
>
> Can you "split" the stairs into vertical and horizontal surfaces?
> Repeated footsteps would wear the top face of the tread yet leave most of the
> vertical riser unworn.  That in itself would add a level of definition.
>

Yes, I think some extra work on the stairs is essential, currently it is just a
cylinder in the middle with boxes rotated around for a spiral effect. I need to
model something with more detail then make sure it can be seen ;-)

> Possibly your little guys dropped an item or two on the way in.
> Maybe a rock or a hammer.  ;)

Yes, I want some sign of life to show something uses the stairs so a good idea

> How much have you experimented with the light?  Perhaps a warmer yellow sunlight
> from a sideways direction would give it some highlight and shadow.
>

Have tried a few things here, currently the light is HDR which I find not so
good for getting nice dark shadows so maybe some tweaking to do.

> That's some pretty sweet plant work you've got going there and ... the tree is
> _A BLOB_???(!!!)  That's one of the coolest blobs I've seen - scratch that -
> "been told _is_ a blob"!  If I was asked, I would have guessed it was an
> isosurface or something.  You haz mad skilz.  Mad. Skilz.
>
> Keep up the good work, and hope you're having fun.  :)

Thanks, I seem to have developed an obsession with blobs of late, starfish,
anemone's, ants can't get enough of the blobs. I did model the entire dandelion
as a blob at first but the memory consumption was too high when I started
replicating it so I switched to a mesh instead.

Of course it is fun even when it goes wrong otherwise I wouldn't do it...
(actually a lie as after this many years of raytracing the withdrawal symptoms
could be fatal).

Sean

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Christian Froeschlin <chr### [at] chrfrde> wrote:
> On 07.10.2014 7:24, s.day wrote:
>
> I like the realism & normality of the scene. I think it is good
> this way, and needs only some element that after looking carefully
> for a second time you notice something is not quite right (probably
> only inside the hole). It is hard to judge currently if the stair
> alone does it because I can't see it well. Another possible way
> would be an illusion that shows a space or passage behind the
> hole that doesn't actually fit in the trunk.
>
That was another idea I had but the staircase was easier and like you I was more
inclined to realism than a fantasy scene.

> I'm also a bit unsure about the brown patch left of the tree,
> is it a wide part of a brook going behind the tree? Somehow the
> shape / color / reflections is not quite what I expect.

It is meant to be a pond, I have tried a few options here it uses a material I
have used in other scenes with HDR lighing (my starfish scene) but I think the
texture of the ground beneath is the cause of the problem as even to me it is
not that clear what it is meant to be so another area for improvment.

Thanks

Sean

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On 10/07/2014 01:24 AM, s.day wrote:
> I think I have been working on this image for too long, other than the fact that
> in this version I have messed up the texture inside the tree so you cannot
> really see the steps (there is a spiral staircase inside the trunk) I am not too
> sure what else to do with it.
>
> As it stands I think this is a bit boring but I am not too sure what it needs to
> make it more interesting so any suggestions would be welcome (am thinking of
> trying a light/lamp inside the trunk. I did add a brightly coloured mushroom
> outside next to the tree but it did not look great.
>
> The tree is made out of a blob, the grass is a macro using meshes and the
> dandelions are a macro using a mesh for the feathery part of the seed then a
> blob for the rest.
>
> Sean
>
I already like this image except for the obvious issue with the trunk 
opening. Well, maybe too, more curve to a few of the dandelion stems.

If heading for a more fanciful feeling, perhaps take the ripples on the 
pond and go for a windy day where the many dandelion seeds are in 

about on their single wing. Drifting spiders on threads, dragon flies, 
mosquitoes - bugs?

Bill P.

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