I've been toying with this monstrosity for years, and was finally motivated by one of our own to put the structure into a scene. I plan on adding several groups of monks or acolytes or bastards or assassins (you decide) walking into and out of the castle with torches, or something, but what do you think of the textures? What about the castle itself? Any ideas...?

i'm all for bastards, myself. and yeah, textures are fine, i think you just need a better quality render :)

The castle's kool! Textures are fine but what are those purple coloured jewel like things around the towers? Not sure if they look the part. Everything else looks great. Stained glass windows aren't the norm for castles but they look good here.

I'd like to see the castle on a large outcropping of rock surrounded by water, with the people getting off boats going up carved rock stairs to get to the castle, but that's just me....textures look okay, lighting needs to be more dramatic, perhaps a moonlit scene?

and bastards. lots of bastards =)

Definetly some good effects like fog and more lightning deviation !!! :) Looking good so far ! :)

fantastic looking structure, although i'm not so sure about having EVERY window lit at the same time... i wouldn't fancy footing the candle bill!

I really like how it looks more like a fairy-tale illustration than a render. I'd be tempted to make the viewpoint even more extreme, and have the camera maybe looking upwards at a hawk or eagle or ridiculous makeshift flying machine in the sky above the castle. That way the castle would look like it was just incidental to the focal-point in the sky, and you could have a suggestion of all sorts of activity in and around the castle, but not have it the point of the picture. Just my 2 cents' worth.

LOL @ Drac. 8) Man... I LOVE that castle!!!! It is AWESOME!!! The architectural design is fantastic! I think some foggy atmosphere would add a lot to this. Low lying fog in my opinion. Possibly as Zhann said a Moonlit scene might do well here. The textures are good to my eye. This is a cool start to what I think will turn out to be an awesome image. What about a dragon? Perched on the castle... soaring above it... guarding the castle? Just thinking out loud. Cool work so far Shadowdragonlord. I will surely be watching the progress of this one... I am quite partial to castles. I love them. Wade

Gotta go with the Bastards. I feel bastards are underused in these kind of setups. ;-)

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
[Former 3DS Max forum coordinator]<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.renderosity.com/homepage.php">Homepage</a> ||
<a href="http://www.renderosity.com/mod/sitemail/">SiteMail</a> ||
<a href="http://excalibur.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/browse.php?user_id=70375">
Gallery</a> || <a href="http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/index.php?username=bandolin">
Freestuff</a>
<p><em>Caution: just a hobbyist</em></p>

Looks like Terry Pratchett's 'Unseen University'.....!

yeah..most castles are at a high point, or otherwise commanding-but-inaccessible outcropping or island..like the modeling, tho..;)

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=194918&Start=50&Artist=shadowdragonlord&ByArtist=Yes

Bastards it is... We'll save the assassins for another scene! Aye, Zhann, I really would like to put this castle on a cliffside, but have been having a hell of a time making it work. I'll get back with another WIP for the landscape section in a bit... Swade, great idea about DRAGONS! How could I forget those guys? Gillbrooks, the purple gems don't fit this color scheme, it's true. I've already changed them to an orange-red wavy glass, darker, so that it looks more realistic and less ambient. Thanks for all the responses, you've all really given me some great ideas to think about. I'm off to click some more, see what happens... Oh yeah, the link goes to an older render, a few years back when I was new here at 'Rosity. Hopefully there's SOME progress over all this time...!

Hey SDL, I like where this is going!