Lower to Upper Desert Wash Dirt Road Trail - Graphics

Ah. Now that looking REAL nice. The extra degree of control that this
technique affords really starts to push to reality button. There's still
something I can't quite put my finger on which says CG to me. But then
that's only because I know it's CG, if you know what I mean. Can't really
explain it. Maybe one of the erudite members can understand what I'm
fumbling for and explain how to rectify it?

Anyway, looks like you've found a new buddy in Vue. Can't wait to see what
spills out of your noodle next.

Best, H

Mark Dunakin wrote:
> Made from what I learned from Dig's tut and what I've learned since then.
> That tut was like a spring board for me, because it got me launched into
> all sorts of
> other areas in Vue and allowed me to adventure off into previously
> unchartered waters.
> Or in this case, unchartered Sand and Rocks LOL
>
> Finally got my dirt road put in and got it to work with the maps so that
> only plants and
> pebbles and such were only (or mostly) along the sides of the rutts and
> not in the rutts themselves.
>
> I'm pretty happy with this version and will leave it alone,... for now
> that is
> As I don't really have any other desert plants to put in the scene anyway.
> And it looks fine without a bunch of extra clutter anyway, IMO.
>
> Anyway, here it is, old worn and wind blown dirt road trail in a wash
> coming up from the lower desert.
>
> http://www.md-arts.com/dirt_road_desert_04.jpg
>
> Enjoy!.
> Comments welcome...........................md
>

That's crisp, Mark! Captures just what I think the desert would look
like ( having never seen one before ).

You should throw in a rusty 4WD(SUV?) chassis by the side of the road(?)
or something, it looks like a background in need of a subject, but still
good all the same.

jw.

"Mark Dunakin" <md@md-arts.com> wrote in message
news:xPPZe.158710$Ji4.115100@fed1read03...
| Finally got my dirt road put in and got it to work with the maps so that
| only plants and
| pebbles and such were only (or mostly) along the sides of the rutts and
| not in the rutts themselves.
|
Wow Mark, that really looks sharp. Doesn't look at all CG to me. I compared it
to the desert panorama that you posted up sometime back, and even though there
are obvious differences, it still looks extremely realistic.

I like the idea of putting a rusted out chassis in there, not because it needs
it, just seems like a cool idea.

I thought that on your lizard pictures where nobody understood the scale, it
might have been cool to have one of those old beer can pull tabs half buried in
the dirt, just so there's a visual cue that provides a scale.

I know the notion of junk in the wilds is a bad one, but the other day, I was
out exploring the local geology and I ran into a budweiser bottle that someone
had recently tossed off the roadside ... I cursed and muttered and picked it up
to be trashed later. About 50 feet away, I found an old rusty steel shasta root
beer can (the 40 year old kind where you had to punch holes in it to get the
soda out). I decided to leave the shasta can where it was just because it seemed
like it had become part of the scene rather than just a piece of litter.

--
CWC
============================
It's not that nice guys finish last,
They have a whole different notion
where the finish line is.
============================

James Willmott wrote:

> That's crisp, Mark! Captures just what I think the desert would look
> like ( having never seen one before ).
>
> You should throw in a rusty 4WD(SUV?) chassis by the side of the
> road(?) or something, it looks like a background in need of a subject,
> but still good all the same.

Basically, yep!
That's sort of what it is, is a stage set for "something?" but I haven't
thought any
of that out yet, as I'm still having fun just "learning" this thing.
And I DO NOT want to do like I see sooooooo many other people do and
just throw
objects at the scene, in the hopes of adding something to it, but
instead just make it cluttered and ugly.
All of this desert stuff is for something I'm slowly working towards
later down the road.
I've had a project in my head for well over ten years, but had to wait
till they made softwares
that can do what I want and computers that can handle it all, while also
all being
cheap enough for a poor person like me to own.
I reaslly would like to have an old vehicle of some sort, maybe an old
style Jeep or something?
And also have it animated and come driving up and through the screen.
Right now though, I'm just happy to finally have the dirt road scene
I've been working towards creating

Anyway, thanx...and I'll think of something to add to it, some time I'm
sure.............md

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MD arts
Mark Dunakin
md@md-arts.com
http://www.md-arts.com

Hobbit #37 wrote:

>Ah. Now that looking REAL nice. The extra degree of control that this
>technique affords really starts to push to reality button. There's still
>something I can't quite put my finger on which says CG to me. But then
>that's only because I know it's CG, if you know what I mean. Can't really
>explain it. Maybe one of the erudite members can understand what I'm
>fumbling for and explain how to rectify it?
>
>
Beleave me, I know EXACTLY what you mean.
And I too have been battling trying to put my fingure on exactly what is
making it not quite real,
when I know I'm sooo close to being there already.
Today I might try messing with the whole atmosphere and like that,
as I think that's what might be the problems?
And really, I might even give my hand a try at adding in wind blowing sand?
This may or may not help it, but would be fun to try

>Anyway, looks like you've found a new buddy in Vue. Can't wait to see what
>spills out of your noodle next.
>
>
Yep and thanx.
I'm going to be putting another tutorial together pretty soon,as I found
another area that needs addressing and that would be helpfull for others.
And thast's how I added in the dirt road and all.
And I may do a tut on the Material Editor and layers?
I'll see................md

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MD arts
Mark Dunakin
md@md-arts.com
http://www.md-arts.com

CWCunningham wrote:

>"Mark Dunakin" <md@md-arts.com> wrote in message
>news:xPPZe.158710$Ji4.115100@fed1read03...
>| Finally got my dirt road put in and got it to work with the maps so that
>| only plants and
>| pebbles and such were only (or mostly) along the sides of the rutts and
>| not in the rutts themselves.
>|
>Wow Mark, that really looks sharp. Doesn't look at all CG to me. I compared it
>to the desert panorama that you posted up sometime back, and even though there
>are obvious differences, it still looks extremely realistic.
>
>I like the idea of putting a rusted out chassis in there, not because it needs
>it, just seems like a cool idea.
>
>I thought that on your lizard pictures where nobody understood the scale, it
>might have been cool to have one of those old beer can pull tabs half buried in
>the dirt, just so there's a visual cue that provides a scale.
>
>I know the notion of junk in the wilds is a bad one, but the other day, I was
>out exploring the local geology and I ran into a budweiser bottle that someone
>had recently tossed off the roadside ... I cursed and muttered and picked it up
>to be trashed later. About 50 feet away, I found an old rusty steel shasta root
>beer can (the 40 year old kind where you had to punch holes in it to get the
>soda out). I decided to leave the shasta can where it was just because it seemed
>like it had become part of the scene rather than just a piece of litter.
>
>
Yeah, you are completely right about the junk in the desert bit, as I'm
always cleaning up the place when I go out there,
cuz I hate treash ruining our awesome deserts, but I also completely
agree with the part about the old shasta can.
For some reason, certain things end up working for the desert, but
deffinately not MOST.
Like bed springs NEVER work, as in old mattresses.
Those types of things just slumb the place all up.
But!, I can see adding a broken old partly sun melted piece of an old
Coke bottle for the lizard,
as that's something that is sort of cool when you find those really old
and discolored bottle parts.
Actually though, not that I've been working in Vue, my lizard scene
seems way out of date to me LOL
Sounds weird probably, but it's true.
The problem with that lizard scene was I couldn't make it have all the
things it needed
to look more real and I was forced to only have the camera in basically
one place.
Now that I'm understanding more about creating terrains, I think I could
completely
redo that lizard scene and make it come off more understandable and
realistic.
And I can create some of the terrain stuff in Vue and then import them
into LW and
vice versa, so I should be able to get something much, much better for
that tired old scene.

..................................md
P.S. I've ran across those old shasta cans myself as well as old Olympia
cans.
All of which required using a can opener LOL

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md@md-arts.com
http://www.md-arts.com

Mark Dunakin wrote:

> Actually though, not that I've been working in Vue, my lizard scene
> seems way out of date to me LOL
> Sounds weird probably, but it's true.

That's supposed to read, "-now- that I've been working in Vue".

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It looks fantastic! Now, to get nit picky... I think I know one thing
that is making it look a bit CG. The lighting is very even. When I go
out to a real desert, some parts are very bright, and tend to hurt your
eyes, and seem washed out. It seems like it would be hard to calibrate
a real camera to be able to capture so much detail in the sky, the
directly lit sand, and also in the shadows simultaneously.

That's my take on it, anyhow. Feel free to disagree. Like I said, it
looks great.

No, no, no, those are great suggestions!
And I do realize that lighting is always key, but sometimes elussive to
achieve.
I'm working at it though.
I DO know that it must have something to do with the same or similar
things you are refering to or
looking at, as I feel the top left seems to detrack the eyes away from
the scene too much.
That's why I was maybe thinking of a slight bit of haze or something to
offset that a little bit?
It's soooo close to being just right, that it's killing me LOL
This is an area I'll have to work on, obviously.
And I have to admit, I spent soooo much time with the terrain that I
didn't pay that much
attention to the sky, which I am leaning towards blame for this area of
the lighting issues,
as everything else with the lighting seems to be right on exact.
I have real fotos that I was comparing this to, and it's practically the
same.
The desert sky really is lightly spread out like that at those high
altitudes most of the time,
but they also almost always have that bit `o haze that sort of washes
things out in a distance, even a little distance.
Thanx again and I'll let you all know if and when I figure something out?
if anyone works in Vue and has some examples or whatever to show me on this,
that would match what my own scene is like, then feel free to show me?

thanx again too................md


wrosecrans wrote:

>It looks fantastic! Now, to get nit picky... I think I know one thing
>that is making it look a bit CG. The lighting is very even. When I go
>out to a real desert, some parts are very bright, and tend to hurt your
>eyes, and seem washed out. It seems like it would be hard to calibrate
>a real camera to be able to capture so much detail in the sky, the
>directly lit sand, and also in the shadows simultaneously.
>
>That's my take on it, anyhow. Feel free to disagree. Like I said, it
>looks great.
>
>
>

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