"Christoph Hormann" <chr### [at] gmxde> wrote in message 
news:drv7jv$jc0$1@chho.imagico.de...
> Note these are aspects to improve realism - you might not intend to make 
> this most realistic of course.

Well I want it fairly realistic, the composition's very artificial so I want 
to balance that with some realism.

> The Lava: it should always flow downhill - in your case it goes uphill in 
> some places.

No it doesn't! The code that places the rivers of lava can only flow 
downwards, also looking at the picture I can't see anywhere that it appears 
to move upwards. If it looks like that to you then it's probably an illusion 
of perspective: the camera is lower than the volcano so if the lava travels 
almost flat towards us it will seem to move up.

Oh, and the underwater lava travels in a completely horizontal direction, 
which isn't realistic but is fine for this image.

>  Also it is somewhat too dark for smoothly flowing lava (the dark red one 
> at the water edge would hardly flow any more).  It is reasonable to make 
> the lava as bright as the flying one at the top of the mountain.

Well I know I've seen footage of lava flowing where the surface was almost 
black, but with patches of red in it. This is the effect I was trying to 
achieve, but I don't think it's there yet.

> The mountains: Like in terragen images you have a fine structured visible 
> surface contrasting with smooth edges.  This probably is a result of using 
> bump mapping on a relatively low detail terrain.  This makes it look a bit 
> like a theatre mountain made of painted styrofoam.

You're right the shape doesn't look rocky enough, I'll try adjusting the 
material and isosurface (there's no bump mapping).

> The 'pyrotechnical effects' are great but does the dust cast shadows on 
> itself and the mountains?

Yes it does, though at the moment that's not obvious. I'll work on that when 
I get round to it.

-- 
Tek
http://evilsuperbrain.com

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