Enchanted Forest - Environment - paryl - T

[leigh]

Well, there isn't much to comment on, but it's cool to see yet another entry in this challenge! This is such a popular topic!
Good luck :thumbsup:

[paryl]

Ya, I'm a fan of "release early, release often"... don't see why it can't apply to art works-in-progress too. :D

[leigh]

Yeah true, true. Well, then, "release often" - GIVE US AN UPDATE!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[paryl]

so... I've changed it quite a bit. Took out the minor updates and replaced them with the major one...

http://phillip.ryals.com/efor.jpg

[paryl]

ok.. slight changes again, and I added a small critter.

Comments? Suggestions? Pretty please?
http://phillip.ryals.com/efor2.jpg

[elekt]

I like the look of the trees, but they look to smooth to me. I would put a deeper bump map and maybe tesselate the polys before you mesh smooth. Thats just a suggestions of mine.
Because trees normally are more withered and decrepid looking.

1 more critique/suggestion:
If you are going for a futuristic very coniforous forest i would make it really green looking and vines every where, but if your going for the goth style, i would put dark lighting with lots of shadows.

PS. Hopefully i will have time to post my challenge entry up here, as it would be my first entry on this site.

[paryl]

hmm.. well, the trees are made with subdivision surface patches, so making the geometry rougher isn't as easy as it seems. But I've given them a rougher bumpmap... let me know what you think.

The addition of fog is obvious, and it's starting to look more like a forest now... granted, a recently burned forest, but a forest none-the-less. :rolleyes:

Please, let me know if anything bothers you...


http://phillip.ryals.com/efor3.jpg

[leigh]

Yeah the mist looks cool :thumbsup: Much creepier and more enchanted now...
By the way, what are you using for your grass? Is that Sasquatch?

[paryl]

Hey thanks! That means a lot from the 'texturing goddess'. :D

My problem is that I think the image is too creepy to be really 'enchanted', y'know? And I'm still planning to add in leaves, vines, et al. Guess I'll see where it takes me. :shrug:

Nope, no Sasquatch, though I'd love to try it out. I did the grass with simple dupliverts...

I'm using Blender, btw. :thumbsup: Hope that doesn't earn me any enemies. :thumbsdow

[paryl]

ok, so I was waiting on some new computer components, and now this thing renders sooo much faster. Now I'll actually be able to work on it fairly often.

Here's where I am... please(!) let me know what you think. :scream:

http://phillip.ryals.com/efor5.jpg

[leigh]

Well, the bump map on the branches looks a bit strange... It looks like it is stretching a bit too much around them. I never noticed that before... Umm what method are you using for that bump map?? It looks procedural... I also don't really think that the bump map suits the tree properly - it doesn't really looks like bark.

The grass looks cool except for the fact that you can see where each blade comes out of the ground. Ummm why not try making the grass much denser?? It also looks like the grass isn't casting any shadows :surprised

[paryl]

The bumpmap isn't procedural, but you're definitely right... it doesn't really look like bark. I'll work on that. I keep coming back to wondering whether I should scrap the branch in front all together. It's too large for the forest that it's in, and it's the one with the most noticeable texture.

I'm playing around with this idea...

http://phillip.ryals.com/efor6.jpg


Basically, this is what I was shooting for in the beginning. A large weathered statue in the middle of a forest. The statue has meaning... but I'm working on that...


And I'll work on the grass too. :) I guess I've stared at it too long to see the obvious problems.

[leigh]

Hmmm I'm sure if that is the right place for the statue to be - it's position is a little too contrived.
But it is a cool idea. Just put it on the one side or something. Or maybe you could have it lying on it's side as if it used to be on top of the hill, but fell down and rolled into the ditch at some point?
Also, it would be cool if it had weeds or vines or something growing on it :)

[paryl]

Funny you should mention... I'm working on the vines right now. :thumbsup:

It's supposed to give the feeling of being solid. Kinda like mayan or aztec ruins. They just stay there, y'know? It's deeply rooted and there's definitely more to it. I'm working on the story as I go.

Here's the render with all the elements...

http://phillip.ryals.com/efor7.jpg

I think I'll move it more behind the tree on the right, so that it's more in the shadows. And the vines are coming, of course..

And is it just me, or are the leaves a little too waxy/green?

[leigh]

Aaah no, I don't think the elaves look too waxy. A lot of leaves are actually quite waxy. What might be nice though, is a little colour variation - some of the leaves could have brown, curling edges or something...

[paryl]

I haven't had a ton of time to work on this, but I thought I'd post my latest progress...

Hope it's obvious that I've changed the grass. I think it looks better now... more like weeds. I still need to add vines, and leaves on the ground. And after some tweaking, and after this render, I realized that the leaves no longer match up with the tree limbs. d'oh! :hmm:

Please let me know what you think about the wall. I'm working on the vines that will be climbing on it, and I'll be adding more moss.

Comments and Crits, please.

http://phillip.ryals.com/efor8.jpg

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