Alan Holding wrote:
> 
> Heightfield is a bit dodgy even though it's 5000x5000 (don't look to closely
> at the foreground!), but I don't think the sky is too bad for my first
> attempt at a 'realistic' one.
> 

Looks good IMO, especially the lighting.  

Concerning the terrain, you might try a seperate heightfield with higher
resolution for the foreground.

> 
> Looking at this makes we want to get me hands dirty with slope dependent
> textures.  The documentation I've read is a bit scary though, so do any of
> you considerate people out there know of any not-too-hard tutorials that a
> dim bulb such as myself could understand?
> 

A simple slope dependent texture is not that difficult, for example just
'slope y' would be worth trying.  

Christoph

-- 
Christoph Hormann <chr### [at] gmxde>
IsoWood include, radiosity tutorial, TransSkin and other 
things on: http://www.schunter.etc.tu-bs.de/~chris/

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Great sky, great atmosphere!
The sun really comes out nice.

Perhaps a normal could help on the foreground.

Remco

Alan Holding wrote:
> 
> Heightfield is a bit dodgy even though it's 5000x5000 (don't look to closely
> at the foreground!), but I don't think the sky is too bad for my first
> attempt at a 'realistic' one.
> 
> Threw the robot in there to give it a bit of scale.  (He's the only complex
> model I've got!)
> 
> Looking at this makes we want to get me hands dirty with slope dependent
> textures.  The documentation I've read is a bit scary though, so do any of
> you considerate people out there know of any not-too-hard tutorials that a
> dim bulb such as myself could understand?
> 
> Many thanks,
> Alan.
> 
>  [Image]

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I've posted a copy of the commented source, sans robot, to
povray.binaries.scene-files, if anyone wants to have a look.

Thanks for the compliments!  8O>

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Alan Holding wrote:

> Heightfield is a bit dodgy even though it's 5000x5000 (don't look to closely
> at the foreground!)

> Looking at this makes we want to get me hands dirty with slope dependent
> textures.

If you're delving into MegaPOV, why not go ahead and make the landscape an
isosurface? Render time will be a lot longer, but it will look a lot better
because it has no resolution problem.

--
David Fontaine  <dav### [at] faricynet>  ICQ 55354965
My raytracing gallery:  http://davidf.faricy.net/

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David Fontaine wrote:
> 
> If you're delving into MegaPOV, why not go ahead and make the landscape an
> isosurface? Render time will be a lot longer, but it will look a lot better
> because it has no resolution problem.
> 

That's not really true, because you have to specify an accuracy.  The low
values needed for a good foreground would lead to extremely slow rendering
near the horizon.  Splitting up the terrain into several parts is often a
good idea even with isosurfaces.  

Christoph

-- 
Christoph Hormann <chr### [at] gmxde>
IsoWood include, radiosity tutorial, TransSkin and other 
things on: http://www.schunter.etc.tu-bs.de/~chris/

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Christoph Hormann wrote:

> That's not really true, because you have to specify an accuracy.  The low
> values needed for a good foreground would lead to extremely slow rendering
> near the horizon.  Splitting up the terrain into several parts is often a
> good idea even with isosurfaces.

Yeah, that sounds like the best way to do it.

The grass in my Lego phalanx way back was hf in the foreground and just a
bump-normal plane in the background...

--
David Fontaine  <dav### [at] faricynet>  ICQ 55354965
My raytracing gallery:  http://davidf.faricy.net/

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Hello,

I like your file very much; the heightfield technique was heretofore unknown
to me.

I played with the colors a bit (used pigment maps with a texturemap of them,
all using slope y) and used a 15k by 15k heightfield, instead of 5k by 5k.

Just in doing so little I have a very different image now. Your file is very
versatile.

I'm going to try adding media next, perhaps snow as that appears to be where
this image is going. I've changed very little at this point. Have a look.

ian

Alan Holding <man### [at] lineonenet> wrote in message
news:3a53ef3b@news.povray.org...

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Attachments:
Download '_sunset_15k copy.jpg' (50 KB)

Preview of image '_sunset_15k copy.jpg'

ian mcdonald <ian### [at] hotmailcom> wrote in message
news:3a586b8f@news.povray.org...
> Hello,
>
> I like your file very much; the heightfield technique was heretofore
unknown
> to me.
>

I only noticed the pattern image type after deciding to read through all the
MegaPOV help file...  Uncovered other gems there, too.

> I played with the colors a bit (used pigment maps with a texturemap of
them,
> all using slope y) and used a 15k by 15k heightfield, instead of 5k by 5k.

Wish I had the RAM for that!

>
> Just in doing so little I have a very different image now. Your file is
very
> versatile.

Your sky is much better than mine, but the purple landscape looks a bit odd.

> I'm going to try adding media next, perhaps snow as that appears to be
where
> this image is going. I've changed very little at this point. Have a look.
>

Further to other people's comments in this thread, I was going to add
another heightfield in the foreground for better resolution.  I also think
adding a few rocks in the foreground would help.

Bye,
Alan.

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Alan Holding <man### [at] lineonenet> wrote in message
news:3a589f42@news.povray.org...

> Wish I had the RAM for that!

I an now using only 256mb, and that didn't allow the 50k by 50k I wanted to
make it. It didn't even allow 25k. :-(

> Your sky is much better than mine, but the purple landscape looks a bit
odd.

Purple?
It is blueish grey on my monitor, though you're probably right.

> Further to other people's comments in this thread, I was going to add
> another heightfield in the foreground for better resolution.  I also think
> adding a few rocks in the foreground would help.

Rocks would be good.

ian

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ian mcdonald <ian### [at] hotmailcom> wrote in message
news:3a58a3f3@news.povray.org...
>
> Purple?
> It is blueish grey on my monitor, though you're probably right.

Actually, my monitor's bobbins (NW England speak for not very good), so
you're right.

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