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Blue Balls
Comments: 6
poodlepips

26.04.2024, 18:28

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With added clouds...

With added clouds...
Description:	This scene, http://www.bryce5.com/details.php?image_id=4349&mode=search With volumetric clouds applied above and below. Render time 2 hours. Just to let you know, I've recorded about an hours worth of video that will eventually get loaded up on Vimeo - "DAZ soon" timetable - that goes into considerable detail on making these volumetric clouds. Above and below take slightly different approaches, both are covered.
Added by:	davidbrinnen
Keywords:	davidbrinnen, volumetric, material, clouds, landscape, mountains
Date:	02.21.2011 17:09
Hits:	4008
Downloads:	83
Rating:	5.00 (6 Vote(s))
File size:	261.7 KB

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c-ram
Member

Join Date: 04.29.2010
Comments: 76

Another interesting Machu Picchu point of view. The sea clouds look very realistic and i wonder how you've done to make it? I've already try to bring a sea scene with one of your cloudscape but never been satisfied with the result.

I also like the mountains texture because at this altitude it looks like a very dense jungle forest.

Nicely put together! 5 on 5 David.

02.21.2011 19:05

davidbrinnen
Admin

Join Date: 01.03.2004
Comments: 2224

Thank you c-ram, much appreciated. I hope the video helps. The volumetric materials are indeed very difficult to incorporate into a scene, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that even once the material is made it can take another two or three hours to get the sky/lighting compatible.

02.22.2011 11:18

Horo
Admin

Join Date: 05.26.2004
Comments: 4721

This sea of fog looks strikingly natural as I have acknowledged elsewhere already. Of course this is a 5/5. I reckon this was accomplished by changing the cloud cut from below to above.

02.22.2011 20:47

slepalex
Member

Join Date: 10.15.2010
Comments: 881

Great scene! Clouds descended to Earth.

02.22.2011 21:02

davidbrinnen
Admin

Join Date: 01.03.2004
Comments: 2224

@Horo, for a fast and dirty method of setting this up, select the infinite slab and flip the y axis. Magically undercut clouds become overcut ones. As it happens, you are quite right though, I did it by flipping the filters.

Thanks Slepalex!

02.22.2011 21:39

rashadcarter1
Admin

Join Date: 06.04.2006
Comments: 2610

Splendid work here David! Full marks. Yes, working with Object Space mapping a certain amount of cutting is possible. Physically, the over-cut clouds are more in keeping with nature even when observed from beneath. Truly excellent work here, gotta say how much I love this.

02.24.2011 20:36

davidbrinnen
Admin

Join Date: 01.03.2004
Comments: 2224

Thank you Rashad. Aye, well, thing about the clouds is that because of the overhead of using volumetric materials, it is not practical to model them exactly and let the light do all the work. Hence the fiddle of using the ambient channel to light them up inside. I mean, I agree with the sentiment, it would be nice to make the clouds "correctly" - but Bryce is going to have to be able to run a lot faster indeed before that is going to be an everyday solution.

If, for example, I strip out the ambient in this, what is left is a sea of tire smoke, entirely black except for highlight where the light catches the raised edges. Like foam cresting on dark waves. There is just no light penetration - and for the reason that if it is enabled, the render grinds to a halt. Hence the endless cheating.

02.28.2011 19:21

rashadcarter1
Admin

Join Date: 06.04.2006
Comments: 2610

Oh yes, I agree ambient is the ONLY way to light Bryce clouds. But I was talking about the undercutting not the lighting. Sorry if I was misleading.

02.28.2011 20:18

davidbrinnen
Admin

Join Date: 01.03.2004
Comments: 2224

Yes. I think the lack of clarity is on my part. The reason for using undercutting (usually) instead of over cutting (which may seem more structurally correct) is that the undercutting lets me give the impression of different cloud thicknessess by exposing different layers of ambient colour. If I over cut a cloud viewed from underneath, the base would remain flat (which is predominantly true in real life) but would also seem quite featureless. Which would not look correct. Since the underside of a cloud, when viewed from below is lit via the light passing into it from above. If you see what I mean? Everything is topsy turvy because of not being able to let the light pass through the cloud to achieve lighting effects.

02.28.2011 20:33

rashadcarter1
Admin

Join Date: 06.04.2006
Comments: 2610

Agreed. I will add that the underside of a cloud is also illuminated a great deal by "Earthglow," the light that is bounced off the Earth surface back up into space. Ambience cannot fully account for that but it is the best option we have so far. We do not often render the undersides of objects so I think we tend to overlook this upward glow aspect of lighting sometimes in Bryce, often concerning ourselves only with light that falls down upon us and not much attention is paid to energy bounced back upward. But clouds are indeed viewed from below, so it matters a bit here. This is where IBL alone for me is lacking where TA is more accurate because it accounts for this significant upward light influence. I was looking at some images of Earth from Outer Space and it occurred to me just how much light really is bouncing upward.

02.28.2011 20:53

Horo
Admin

Join Date: 05.26.2004
Comments: 4721

I'm not going into a TA argument on clouds, I'm not the expert here. Just for the sake of completeness, IBlight also shines from below if the scene is setup accordingly and a suitable HDRI is used and appropriately rotated and turned.

02.28.2011 20:59

davidbrinnen
Admin

Join Date: 01.03.2004
Comments: 2224

Very interesting - indeed Rashad, I had not even begun to consider the possibility of light bouncing back from the earth. I suppose I've been too lost in faking it. I have under lit the cloud before, to create sunset effects. But that is the extent.

Horo, I do not believe any kind of practical TA argument can be made for clouds. At present, even with immense computing power, the render time is singularly prohibitive. The concept is sound, but the practicalities in Bryce are too remote at present. Maybe with faster computers it will become an interesting option.

02.28.2011 21:05

rashadcarter1
Admin

Join Date: 06.04.2006
Comments: 2610

Yes, Horo, IBL can account for the upward light when the user remembers to account for it. My scheme is to disable shadow casting from the ground plane as a default.

As far as TA and clouds there is no discussion to be had. I personally have never seen a cloud lit with TA because it takes so long to render, TA is out of the question entirely

03.01.2011 00:39

MrSilus
Member

Join Date: 04.04.2011
Comments: 9

This is one of my favorites from your portfolio David! very nicely done! As usual, your clouds look fantastic :)

5 stars!

04.06.2011 10:30

davidbrinnen
Admin

Join Date: 01.03.2004
Comments: 2224

Thank you indeed MrSilus, your comments are of course most welcome - and still would be even if they were more critical.

04.13.2011 10:20

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