See post in PBAU: Isosurface Rocks, using a single iso; could use a bit of help

Don't worry, the output will get way better in every way before I release the
macro pack for the rocks and bricks/floors.

Changing the container object to be some blobs might do it, otherwise I'll need
to work on some mesh based perturbation macro...which I don't want to do, so I
hope other methods will work. ;-)

Ian

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Attachments:
Download 'rocktest.png' (804 KB)

Preview of image 'rocktest.png'

I'm going to use this thread to post previews of the "rock" types both the
IsoBlock and IsoRock macros can produce, there is some overlap between them so I
will likely merge them and make the block vs rock style merely be an input
parameter. Another function of this is the ability to produce IsoTerrain fairly
easily.

The goal of this macro is to make comprehensive types of quality Isosurface
terrain, rocks, blocks and such more easily accessible and usable, so folks can
get on with the bulk of their scene instead of having to implement this stuff
from scratch, and to make life easier for new folks.

I will include images of WIP with the other macros and the textures which come
with them.

Hopefully, if I do my job correctly, folks will find this stuff useful enough to
do something interesting with it.

This is part of a macro set I have been working on off and on since probably
2012, though the actual coding time is quite trivial. The set is geared toward
natural elements and effects, and I actually have a much of the "bulk" parts of
the coding done already, mostly tune-ups and feature additions are what is
happening now.

Here are the kinds of things it all makes:
- Volumetric clouds [it is very good at very angry skies along with the fluffier
types]
- Effective Volumetric fog, where the density is nice and there is local
variation which is easily visible, like real turbulent fog
- Updated Snow | Ice | Icicle
- Updated Corrosion
- Updated Moss [better moss object, more types modeled after the real thing]
- IsoRocks
- IsoBlocks
- IsoTerrain
- Cellular Automata based light seeking growing vine, adapted from some really
old code I can't recall who wrote...maybe I can find out but it is ancient. I
may extend this into the Moss macro.
- Water; this is primarily textures and IsoTerrain settings.

I might look into turing it into an insert menu addin, as I think it would be
nice to have these kinds of scene elements ready to roll...maybe drive more
folks to Pov if it can easily do Bryce/Vue sorts of things without the new user
having to get too down and dirty.

An idea for the future I have been toying with:
I may look at frankensteining some of the old tree macros out there into a sort
of Povray xFrog, taking the best characters of each into a new and hopefully
greater whole...shrubbery [Ni!], scrub brush, trees, etc.. would be the goal
initially, but it will not be started until after the primary pack is done.

I am thinking a combination of L-Systems and spline based generation, including
CA based growth [not promising animation].


*****If anyone is interested in working on any of this with me, please let me
know.******

Here is a rock of type [1,2] which would be useful for solidified lava flows, or
other non-rock things, sitting on a subdued IsoTerrain.

Ian

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Preview of image 'isoblocktest type [1,2].png'

Type [0,1].

Note all these are scaled up to see the details, usually, for blocks, you
wouldn't make them like this, but for terrain elements you might.

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Preview of image 'isoblocktest type [0,1].png'

Type [2,3]

I will leave the rest for an image where I loop through the currently available
options in various combinations.

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Preview of image 'isoblocktest type [2,3].png'

"[GDS|Entropy]" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> Type [0,1].
>
> Note all these are scaled up to see the details, usually, for blocks, you
> wouldn't make them like this, but for terrain elements you might.

Those wavy dark features look suspiciously like isosurface artifacts.  Are you
sure your max_gradient is high enough?

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"Cousin Ricky" <rickysttATyahooDOTcom> wrote:
> "[GDS|Entropy]" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> > Type [0,1].
> >
> > Note all these are scaled up to see the details, usually, for blocks, you
> > wouldn't make them like this, but for terrain elements you might.
>
> Those wavy dark features look suspiciously like isosurface artifacts.  Are you
> sure your max_gradient is high enough?

Oh it certainly isn't. :)
I will need to play with that value a bit.

Thanks!
Ian

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Here is an "angry" media sky output from the Sky macro.

I will post the other settings as I get them where I want them to be.

Ian

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Preview of image 'clouds 2017.png'

"[GDS|Entropy]" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> Here is an "angry" media sky output from the Sky macro.

Cecil B. DeMille worthy!

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"Cousin Ricky" <rickysttATyahooDOTcom> wrote:
> "[GDS|Entropy]" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> > Here is an "angry" media sky output from the Sky macro.
>
> Cecil B. DeMille worthy!

Thank you. :)

My goal is to build a fairly comprehensive "Environmentals" macro set that is
both simple to use and nice looking. Given that they are designed to work
together it should take a LOT of the work out of creating natural scenes, and
hopefully inspire some scenes.

The Rocks macro is coming close to completion, for version 1 at least, and the
Terrain macro is close behind it. Next in the set is the Skies and Fogs.

The Fog is being a little weird, because Media without a container is only
visible when looking at the plane below it, and it vanishes above the horizon.
?! Weeeird. Very counterintuitive.

Any idea why this is, and how to fix it? Is the only choice to bound the media?
I am guessing that this is because it is not reasonable to calculate media for
an infinite space, but I could be wrong.

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Download 'mediafogtest.png' (248 KB)

Preview of image 'mediafogtest.png'

> "Cousin Ricky" <rickysttATyahooDOTcom> wrote:
>> "[GDS|Entropy]" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
>>> Here is an "angry" media sky output from the Sky macro.
>>
>> Cecil B. DeMille worthy!
>
> Thank you. :)
>
> My goal is to build a fairly comprehensive "Environmentals" macro set that is
> both simple to use and nice looking. Given that they are designed to work
> together it should take a LOT of the work out of creating natural scenes, and
> hopefully inspire some scenes.
>
> The Rocks macro is coming close to completion, for version 1 at least, and the
> Terrain macro is close behind it. Next in the set is the Skies and Fogs.
>
> The Fog is being a little weird, because Media without a container is only
> visible when looking at the plane below it, and it vanishes above the horizon.
> ?! Weeeird. Very counterintuitive.
>
> Any idea why this is, and how to fix it? Is the only choice to bound the media?
> I am guessing that this is because it is not reasonable to calculate media for
> an infinite space, but I could be wrong.
>

You are correct on this point. Media sampling can only be computed 
between two deffined points. When you reatch the background, the far 
point is undefined, making the computation impossible.

Solution : Place a background plane behond the scene. Make it no_image, 
no_shadow, no_refection and no_radiosity.


Alain

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