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25 Nov 2024 07:28:14 EST (-0500)
  Modelling realistic caves and rocks (Message 1 to 10 of 10)  
From: Thomas Strathmann
Subject: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 7 Jun 1999 08:38:07
Message: <375BBD08.8E49E3EE@geocities.com>
Hello,

I am currently working an a project where it is necessary to modell and
render realistic looking caves and landscapes. It is sort of similiar
to the task of designing the graphics for the games Myst and Riven.
Can anyone help me, please ?
Thanx in advance

Thomas


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From: Mick Hazelgrove
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 7 Jun 1999 14:33:51
Message: <375c108f@netplex.aussie.org>
Create a height field , turn it upside down, put the two halves together and
voila a cave!

Mick

Thomas Strathmann <exc### [at] geocitiescom> wrote in message
news:375BBD08.8E49E3EE@geocities.com...
> Hello,
>
> I am currently working an a project where it is necessary to modell and
> render realistic looking caves and landscapes. It is sort of similiar
> to the task of designing the graphics for the games Myst and Riven.
> Can anyone help me, please ?
> Thanx in advance
>
> Thomas


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From: Alex Magidow
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 7 Jun 1999 17:18:04
Message: <375D8870.9459F587@mninter.net>
Rocktools(currently, AFAIK, only for linux and SGI)
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mstock/pages/rocktools.html
POV RockGen(almost all platforms, methinks):
http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pigeon/pub/PovPage/RockGen/RockGen.html
Leveller for Windows:
http://207.149.188.155/products/leveller/index.htm

The first two utilities are free, but leveller is some $30-$40.
You may want to remember that the makers of myst and riven had a fairly
large budget, and professional tools.
Thomas Strathmann wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I am currently working an a project where it is necessary to modell and
> render realistic looking caves and landscapes. It is sort of similiar
> to the task of designing the graphics for the games Myst and Riven.
> Can anyone help me, please ?
> Thanx in advance
>
> Thomas



--
You Know You've Been Raytracing Too Long When:
 You think you can do better than reality.


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From: Mick Hazelgrove
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 7 Jun 1999 17:42:10
Message: <375c3cb2@netplex.aussie.org>
> You may want to remember that the makers of myst and riven had a fairly
> large budget, and professional tools.

Is this a challenge?


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From: Alex Magidow
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 7 Jun 1999 20:38:27
Message: <375DB76B.49940325@mninter.net>
No, I was just making a note, and a bit of a caveat. If you want to produce
images similar in quality to the ones that they have, you probably should be
prepared for massive rendering times, vast use of disk space by meshes and
very high learning curves. One might also assume that you are something of a
beginner, as your question was directed at making landscapes as well as
caves, and most experienced raytracers have a least a passing familiarity
with heightfields that your message did not convey. If this assumption is
innaccurate, then I am sorry for what must appear to be a supercillious
attitude.


Mick Hazelgrove wrote:

> > You may want to remember that the makers of myst and riven had a fairly
> > large budget, and professional tools.
>
> Is this a challenge?



--
You Know You've Been Raytracing Too Long When:
 You think you can do better than reality.


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From: Thomas Strathmann
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 8 Jun 1999 08:31:25
Message: <375D0CF5.8ACF276A@geocities.com>
> No, I was just making a note, and a bit of a caveat. If you want to produce
> images similar in quality to the ones that they have, you probably should be
> prepared for massive rendering times, vast use of disk space by meshes and
> very high learning curves. One might also assume that you are something of a
> beginner, as your question was directed at making landscapes as well as
> caves, and most experienced raytracers have a least a passing familiarity
> with heightfields that your message did not convey. If this assumption is
> innaccurate, then I am sorry for what must appear to be a supercillious
> attitude.

I neither want to make images similiar to the ones in Myst and Riven in
qualatiy nor want I make large models. And I also have a basic
understanding
of things like heightfields and how to use them. I just wondered how to 
modell them another way.


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From: Ken
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 8 Jun 1999 09:03:21
Message: <375D119B.57FA58CB@pacbell.net>
Thomas Strathmann wrote:
> 
> > No, I was just making a note, and a bit of a caveat. If you want to produce
> > images similar in quality to the ones that they have, you probably should be
> > prepared for massive rendering times, vast use of disk space by meshes and
> > very high learning curves. One might also assume that you are something of a
> > beginner, as your question was directed at making landscapes as well as
> > caves, and most experienced raytracers have a least a passing familiarity
> > with heightfields that your message did not convey. If this assumption is
> > innaccurate, then I am sorry for what must appear to be a supercillious
> > attitude.
> 
> I neither want to make images similiar to the ones in Myst and Riven in
> qualatiy nor want I make large models. And I also have a basic
> understanding
> of things like heightfields and how to use them. I just wondered how to
> modell them another way.

See my links page for HF modelling programs. They vary from freeware to
low cost shareware and offer many powerfull features.

http://home.pacbell.net/tylereng/links.htm

-- 
Ken Tyler

mailto://tylereng@pacbell.net


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From: Jon A  Cruz
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 8 Jun 1999 12:31:21
Message: <375D4553.A741AE1D@geocities.com>
Alex Magidow wrote:

> Rocktools(currently, AFAIK, only for linux and SGI)
> http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mstock/pages/rocktools.html
> POV RockGen(almost all platforms, methinks):
> http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pigeon/pub/PovPage/RockGen/RockGen.html
> Leveller for Windows:
> http://207.149.188.155/products/leveller/index.htm
>
> The first two utilities are free, but leveller is some $30-$40.
> You may want to remember that the makers of myst and riven had a fairly
> large budget, and professional tools.

But...
In an article I read on them recently regarding doing a movie, the one thing
mentioned was how they concentrate on "garage shop" kind of stuff, and avoid
the high-end super power user packages, hardware, etc.

Of course, their garage is probably _much_ nicer than mine, but nowhere neat
ILM.


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From: Mark Wagner
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 9 Jun 1999 00:57:47
Message: <375df44b@news.povray.org>
Mick Hazelgrove wrote in message <375c108f@netplex.aussie.org>...
>Create a height field , turn it upside down, put the two halves together
and
>voila a cave!


Another method is to make a blob object and subtract it from a box or
hightfield or something to make a cave.


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From: Alex Magidow
Subject: Re: Modelling realistic caves and rocks
Date: 9 Jun 1999 07:57:04
Message: <375FA7FA.172C1EBB@mninter.net>
and then subtract further height fields from that difference to create rough
walls.

Mark Wagner wrote:

> Mick Hazelgrove wrote in message <375c108f@netplex.aussie.org>...
> >Create a height field , turn it upside down, put the two halves together
> and
> >voila a cave!
>
> Another method is to make a blob object and subtract it from a box or
> hightfield or something to make a cave.



--
You Know You've Been Raytracing Too Long When:
 You leave your estate to the POV team.


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