I'm trying to achieve this effect:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_faking

Of course, in POV-Ray you don't need to fake it since you can create 
cameras of any scale and dimensions.

But I'm not happy with the visual results. It simply does not look as 
nice as the photos in the Wikipedia article.

See attachment.


Mike

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On 2/13/2018 3:41 AM, Mike Horvath wrote:
> I'm trying to achieve this effect:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_faking
> 
> Of course, in POV-Ray you don't need to fake it since you can create 
> cameras of any scale and dimensions.
> 
> But I'm not happy with the visual results. It simply does not look as 
> nice as the photos in the Wikipedia article.
> 
> See attachment.
> 
> 
> Mike


Possible issues are:

1) the camera angle is too wide, and I should use a "zoom lens" instead

2) the camera angle WRT the ground plane is too shallow, and I should 
make the camera point downward at a steeper angle

3) increase blur samples


Mike

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On 13/02/2018 08:47, Mike Horvath wrote:
> On 2/13/2018 3:41 AM, Mike Horvath wrote:
>> I'm trying to achieve this effect:
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_faking
>>
>> Of course, in POV-Ray you don't need to fake it since you can create 
>> cameras of any scale and dimensions.
>>
>> But I'm not happy with the visual results. It simply does not look as 
>> nice as the photos in the Wikipedia article.
>>
>> See attachment.
>>
>>
>> Mike
> 
> 
> Possible issues are:
> 
> 1) the camera angle is too wide, and I should use a "zoom lens" instead
> 
> 2) the camera angle WRT the ground plane is too shallow, and I should 
> make the camera point downward at a steeper angle
> 
> 3) increase blur samples
> 
> 

The article you mentioned mentions "tilt-shift".
Dr John posted macros for this.

Just a thought.

-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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Mike Horvath <mik### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> I'm trying to achieve this effect:
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_faking
>
> Of course, in POV-Ray you don't need to fake it since you can create
> cameras of any scale and dimensions.
>
> But I'm not happy with the visual results. It simply does not look as
> nice as the photos in the Wikipedia article.
>
> See attachment.
>
>
> Mike

First I think you cannot "miniaturise" miniatures. Your buildings look like
miniatures themselves, due to their simple csg-construction. A second effect
comes from the checkered planes. Mirror your city at the borders to avoid them
and to have a little effect of the focal blur you use, which is lost to the eye
in the checkered planes completely.

Best regards
Michael

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On 02/13/2018 03:47 AM, Mike Horvath wrote:

> 
> Possible issues are:
> 
> 1) the camera angle is too wide, and I should use a "zoom lens" instead

You could try a pinhole camera.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_camera_model
I don't know if this is POVable, but that's what's typically used in 
model railroading, tiny tiny aperature, long exposures.

Hmm, I guess that's the opposite effect of what you're looking for. :)
They are trying to make models look realistic.



-- 
dik
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dick balaska <dic### [at] buckosoftcom> wrote:

> You could try a pinhole camera.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_camera_model
> I don't know if this is POVable, but that's what's typically used in
> model railroading, tiny tiny aperature, long exposures.

Actually, POV-Ray's cameras are already 'ideal' pinhole cameras (AFAIU.) The
image distortions they produce aren't quite like those of a real lens, but
rather... different.
>
> Hmm, I guess that's the opposite effect of what you're looking for. :)
> They are trying to make models look realistic.

Yep, I agree.

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Mike Horvath <mik### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> I'm trying to achieve this effect:
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_faking
>
> Of course, in POV-Ray you don't need to fake it since you can create
> cameras of any scale and dimensions.
>
> But I'm not happy with the visual results. It simply does not look as
> nice as the photos in the Wikipedia article.
>

The Wikipedia photo was, I believe, created with a post-processing blur effect
on an already-taken 2D photo. The article says,
"A common technique for making an image of a full-size scene resemble an image
of a miniature model is to have the image progressively blurred from the center
to the top or bottom" (of the image.) In other words, it's a simple 'linear'
effect-- the same amount of blurring on both sides of that centerline.

For a REAL camera lens (one that can show obvious depth-of-field effects, like a
good DSLR lens), the relative amount of blur on either side of the 'in-focus'
plane may not be linear-- that is, producing more blurring over a given distance
between camera and in-focus object than between that in-focus object and an
*equal* distance behind it. For a real lens, there is a settable focus distance
called the 'hyperfocal distance', that tries to keep as much of the scene as
possible in focus. My understanding of that (and from old camera tests of my
own) is that such a distance is not 'halfway between zero distance and infinity'
but something closer to the camera. In other words, the final blurring across
the depth of the scene is not a simple 'linear' one in relation to the in-focus
plane.

I actually haven't tried setting up such an experiment in POV-Ray, to see
whether or not its focal_blur effect is 'linear' the way I describe it. It has
been on my to-do list for quite awhile ;-) The result probably has some bearing
on your question.

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On 2/13/2018 6:08 PM, Kenneth wrote:
> Mike Horvath <mik### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>> I'm trying to achieve this effect:
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_faking
>>
>> Of course, in POV-Ray you don't need to fake it since you can create
>> cameras of any scale and dimensions.
>>
>> But I'm not happy with the visual results. It simply does not look as
>> nice as the photos in the Wikipedia article.
>>
> 
> The Wikipedia photo was, I believe, created with a post-processing blur effect
> on an already-taken 2D photo. The article says,
> "A common technique for making an image of a full-size scene resemble an image
> of a miniature model is to have the image progressively blurred from the center
> to the top or bottom" (of the image.) In other words, it's a simple 'linear'
> effect-- the same amount of blurring on both sides of that centerline.
> 
> For a REAL camera lens (one that can show obvious depth-of-field effects, like a
> good DSLR lens), the relative amount of blur on either side of the 'in-focus'
> plane may not be linear-- that is, producing more blurring over a given distance
> between camera and in-focus object than between that in-focus object and an
> *equal* distance behind it. For a real lens, there is a settable focus distance
> called the 'hyperfocal distance', that tries to keep as much of the scene as
> possible in focus. My understanding of that (and from old camera tests of my
> own) is that such a distance is not 'halfway between zero distance and infinity'
> but something closer to the camera. In other words, the final blurring across
> the depth of the scene is not a simple 'linear' one in relation to the in-focus
> plane.
> 
> I actually haven't tried setting up such an experiment in POV-Ray, to see
> whether or not its focal_blur effect is 'linear' the way I describe it. It has
> been on my to-do list for quite awhile ;-) The result probably has some bearing
> on your question.
> 
> 
> 
> 


The amount of blurring using a real lens might equal `atan(distance from 
camera)`, adjusted so that the crisp zone intersects the focal point.

I should try to see if I get better results using Photoshop for the 
blurring instead of POV-Ray. But I have some tall objects in my scene, 
which will mess up the Photoshop technique.


Mike

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