Nicolas Alvarez <nic### [at] gmailisthebestcom> wrote:
> My mom says those eggs look *very* realistic, and I'd agree :)
>
> I also agree with nemesis, the wood needs some work.

Thanks!  I was pretty pleased with how the eggs came out.

I think perhaps the issue I'm having with the wood is that (and why I'm getting
different opinions about it) is that while its pretty close to the real spoon
it was modeled after (IMO), perhaps the texture's brighter than seems realistic
in a rendered image.  The original is a very light unfinished wood.

The texture is actually from the excellent wood pigments included with ISOWood,
(though the spoon is a mesh, not an isosurface.)  Specifically it uses pigment
P_IW_03 with color map CM_IW_Pine_03.

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Stephen <mcavoysATaolDOTcom@> wrote:
> I agree with you about the wood. After reducing the image gamma the grain looked
> good. My nit pick about the grout is that it is too clean and flat.
>
> An excellent image I like the focal blur and the way it is asymmetrical in the
> image. The viewpoint is a bit off putting after a couple of minutes looking at
> it. I felt that I was going to fall into the picture.

Thanks much, I wish I knew how exactly that focal effect occurred.  Focal blur
is actually off in this image, though I did play around with it.

I agree about the grout, part of the issue is probably due to not getting the
finish I wanted for the grout part of the texture.  Its actually the same
finish as the rest of the tile.  I'm going to try to add some more noise into
the normals as well.

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"sooperFoX" <bon### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> Well, it certainly is a nice texture - in fact, I like all the textures you have
> used. Especially the egg at the top-left of the image - I think you got that one
> just right!
>
> Some people mentioned problems with the wood texture. I believe the texture is
> fine, but this image gives me the distinct impression that you have turned on
> radiosity at the last minute - without setting the ambient component of the
> texures' finish to 0.
>
> That would also explain why the grout looks a bit red close to the edges of the
> tiles - it looks like they are actually emitting a small amount of light.
>
> If you switch between using radiosity and not using it, declare a variable at
> the top of your scene (e.g. #declare use_rad = 1;) and then inside each of your
> textures turn off the ambient if you are using radiosity:
> finish {
>   ...
>   #if (use_rad) ambient 0 #else ambient 0.3 /* whatever it was */ #end
> }
>
> You can even turn it off by default, with:
> #if (use_rad)
> #default { finish { ambient 0 } }
> #end
>
> ....but note that if you do specify an ambient value in a texture it will
> override the default.

Thanks, and thanks for the advice.  I actually do have radiosity setup in the
scene file in a similar manner, though its not being used for this render.
With radiosity it doesn't look much different actually, but I preferred it off
in this case.  The tile issue is probably due to that color thinning effect I
was trying for.

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"EagleSun" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> Maybe it's a plastic spoon trying to simulate the look of wood...
>
> Nice render though!

Heh, thanks.  I wonder if this is one of those cases where accurate reproduction
doesn't necessarily make things look convincing (but I'm probably just
flattering myself) =)

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"bluetree" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> I think the grout is quite big, shouldn't the tiles being a little closer?
> Is the color leaking or is it glue for the tiles? :-)
> The wood looks okay. But the eggs!!!! WOW. I like them. Getting hungry.

Hadn't thought about it, but now that you mention it, the grout's rather wide.
Thanks, I was pretty happy with how the eggs came out.

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William Tracy <wtr### [at] calpolyedu> wrote:
> I honestly don't see anything to criticize in this image. If you're
> going for photorealism, then the grout needs work, but it looks nice and
> artistic as it is.
>
> The wood texture sure looks like something I've seen in my mom's
> kitchen. :-) I see no problem.

Thanks much.  The divergence of viewpoints on this wood texture is very
interesting.

Hopefully I can improve the grout (and incorporate the other suggestions) in the
next version.

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On Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:20:25 EST, "Blue Herring" <bhe### [at] tinfoilcatcom>
wrote:

>Thanks much, I wish I knew how exactly that focal effect occurred.  Focal blur
>is actually off in this image, though I did play around with it.

Oh! How interesting are you sure it was off? Because it looks good. :)

>I agree about the grout, part of the issue is probably due to not getting the
>finish I wanted for the grout part of the texture.  Its actually the same
>finish as the rest of the tile.  I'm going to try to add some more noise into
>the normals as well.

May I suggest adding a small amount of randomness to the placement of the tiles?
I don't actually mean randomness but maybe make the tiles lie slightly off the
true, as if they were laid by hand not a machine.
I saw the leaking that Alain mentioned and I think that you should leave it as
it is. That's what tiles look like. It is the shape of the spoon that I don't
like but I don't bake only cook. So I would use a more pointed spoon or a
spatula :)
Also shouldn't the level of grouting be higher to make it easier to clean? The
tiles seem a bit proud. 
Again an excellent image.


Regards
	Stephen

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"Blue Herring" <bhe### [at] tinfoilcatcom> wrote:
> "nemesis" <nam### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> > beautiful.  the wood seems kinda awkward, though...
>
> Thanks!  Awkward in what way, may I ask?  To bright?

no, it's just at the top:  the grooves in the texture don't quite follow the
concave (or is it convex?) section of the spoon.  It feels a bit distressing, I
fear...  OTOH, it's a shape carved out of wood so it should look right like
that...

ah, forget it! Maybe I should take a closer look at my cooking spoons when I get
home... ;)

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nemesis nous apporta ses lumieres en ce 2008/01/14 09:20:
> "Blue Herring" <bhe### [at] tinfoilcatcom> wrote:
>> "nemesis" <nam### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
>>> beautiful.  the wood seems kinda awkward, though...
>> Thanks!  Awkward in what way, may I ask?  To bright?
> 
> no, it's just at the top:  the grooves in the texture don't quite follow the
> concave (or is it convex?) section of the spoon.  It feels a bit distressing, I
> fear...  OTOH, it's a shape carved out of wood so it should look right like
> that...
> 
> ah, forget it! Maybe I should take a closer look at my cooking spoons when I get
> home... ;)
> 
> 
Wooden spoons are always carved from a single piece of wood, almost never 
polished. When new, they are usualy prety rough.

-- 
Alain
-------------------------------------------------
If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

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Unfortunately, I don't have a wooden spoon here
but it may be that the grain runs too perfectly
parallel to the direction of the handle, try
rotating it a few degrees.

Great image otherwise. Tile and Bowl texture may be a
little too sterile, especially compared to the cool egg.

You could litter some flour over everything, in my
experience very realistic, also, you have a chance
to get cookies instead of just scrambled egg ;)

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