Well, I finally finished it. Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. When I lived but a hundred miles away, the wife and I would go to Yellowstone about every three weeks or so just to unwind. I miss it terribly. I started the terrace out in Photoshop, but it really came into its own in the terrain editor. Everything else is pretty standard Bryce. The trees were all rendered in their own Bryce files and imported as 2Ds. Then I added the steam and did a bit of cloning here and there in Photoshop, but on the whole I resisted the siren song of postwork. Thanks for looking!

Beautifully done! The only thing that is bothering me a little, is that some of the trees (which I suspect are the 2D planes) appear a little flat. Have you got them running just the diffuse and ambience or did you click their alphas into the values as well? (Mostly, I mean those largish trees left/middle, but there are a few others.) They need more contrast, and I think playing with the alpha channels would give you that.

Yes... Nice indeed. I would concur with Ricky about the flat trees in the left middle of the image. Playing with the alpha channels might help a bit. Nice work.

To make 2d trees look more 3d make a copy rotate, make another copy and rotate that, so it looks like the above...you get a little better look to them...

BTW, the terracing looks terrific now, definitely has it's own character....

huge improvement in the terracing since the last image you posted. you've done a great job with it :o)

I found that if I rendered the trees with true ambience I got a more saturated image, and the leaves seemed more defined as well to apply to a plane. FGreat image though.

Just down the hill, outside the park, at the Gardner River is a hot spring that is 'in' the river. People have built a loose rock wall divider between the hot water and the swift freezing river. Awesome place, lounge in the hot spot and float to the river to cool! Seeing your work reminded me of that place. A testament to the fidelity of your work. It really looks that way! Well Done!

Thanks, all. I've left the image as is for the challenge not because I discount the value of your comments, but because I've neglected other projects for too long and just decided I have to be done with this one! But I will definitely apply your advice to future works. Perry, I've driven by that swimming hole many a time! Thanks for reminding me of it --and I'm glad the image evoked it for you!

Geology field camp 88, wall to wall people:)). Thanks for the mem mor ee! I can hear Bob Hope now. Gnite all.

ajtooley, I like the overall look to it. when you pass a "fog" layer over trees and stuff it's going to make the textures look a little flat - but that steam is about how I remember hot creek looking - Very Good! PerryMcK, Gee second half of summer field we had to go to Mountain Pass; first half was June Lake (I would have hoped never to see another pelitic hornfels in my life except that the area was so interesting.) I was gonna say some guys have all the luck, but thinking back on it June Lake wasn't so bad. - TJ