I've been "firefighting" for days now - trying out most of the advice I got in my earlier post, but I must realize that I'm unable to make a decent fire :( (I'll just change it into water and a sphere, that would look good in the dish, wouldn't it? I could get away with that.) Anyway, any comments are welcome as I'm completely stuck.

It looks like you just need it positioned closer to the centre of the bowl rather than as it is now - near the rim of the bowl. (water & a sphere! Tsk tsk!)

Fran, When I take a wiew from top, the fire is excactly in the centre of the dish and fills it to the edge all around. But it looks like there's some fire missing in the centre. I've moved things around there a thousand times..???

just duplicate it and scale the new version inside the big one to fill it up.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=104973&Start=25&Artist=aprilgem&ByArtist=Yes

I no longer have the model I made or the software I used to make it, but if you can get someone to model you a twisted and distorted teardrop, you could make fire like in the picture I linked. Essentially, what I did was make a teardrop in Amapi (sphere and cone merged), then twisted and distorted it in Amorphium (or you can try ZBrush instead). I imported the resulting 3D "flame" model into Bryce and used the fire material. Haven't tried the metaball way, so I don't know which is better or easier, but the flame model worked great for me.

I use two to four diff types of fires in the same place. looks more real to me

Well the ones in the distance are certainly improved. Also the one in the foreground looks better in my opinion. Don't give up! Just because you can't immediately get the same results that they get on the tut on Brycetech, doesn't mean you won't ever. You just have to keep experimenting and trying. aprilgem, your fire looks great. What texture did you use? I'm guessing either Clay's or Beaumont's Fire (I think that's the name, don't have it myself, just heard of it).

put both of them there and see what you get [both at the same time]

I had Bryce 3D, so I couldn't use Clay's fire. I don't remember the name of the person who posted his DTE formula for the pre-Bryce 4 version, but Beaumont sounds familiar. Yeah, it could be him, I guess.

Like Ysyvry said, I've duplicated the fire, scaled and repositioned it. I now have 50 metaballs and and it still looks like there's a hole in the fire...??

What sort of object mapping do you have currently? You might want to try a few different ones to see how they go, for example World Space or Object Space.

jocko500, That's exactly what I did, I used Cherry Boswell's campfire plus Baument's campfire, plus various spheres and metaballs and cones with Clay's Volumetric and Menno's Volumetric fires on them. With the two camp fires pretty much in the same place, some rocks added and the sphere's and metaballs positioned around here and there. Not that mine looks any better, just... different. Maybe it's that the volumetric items need to be poisitioned carefully, to that they don't overlap too much? I think someone said something about Bryce not letting you put two volumetrics in the same place or it'll produce odd lines where they clash - maybe one volumetric cancels out the other if they are EXACTLY in the same place? Maybe that could be why there's a hole in the middle? My fire doesn't look too bad at a distance, but when you look closely there are the odd angles (from cones) and strange dotted lines (possibly where things are clashing). (sigh)

Mahray, I had random mapping. Trying out a few others now.. Fran, I still thing your fire looks great. Mine is weird at huge distance too. I use Clay's volumetric fire all over. I can't seem to find the others mentioned? I browsed around for them for a long time yesterday..

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/freestuff.ez?Topsectionid=0&Form.SortOrder=UserName&Start=37&Form.Search

Try typing "Menno" in the freestuff search. There's a campfire on this page:

I just typed "Fire" in the search here on the freestuff page. I think that link above is to the Cherry Boswell one campfire, and on the page after that (if you search under "fire" like I did) there's a nice teardrop fire - might be the one aprilgem mentioned? Oh and here's: http://claygraphics.phase2.net/volumetricfire.html clay's fires. But you've got that, haven't you?

Arrrghghhhh, can't find Menno. I think I had this problem to begin with after someone recommended it, can't remember where I got it from after that, probably some kind person around here sent it to me... or sent me a link that worked... dunno - brain the size of a pea. Sorry. I suggest you keep asking around.

Maybe look it up on Google?... you've probably already tried that. Sorry, beyond my smudging method, I can't help you. If you have an image editor with a smudge tool, you should give it a shot. It's really not all that difficult, with a bit of practice. Fran your fire looks much better than it did originally. Bet that took a while to render... Good luck!

Um, I think it took about an hour - hour and a half.

Oh. Well that's not too bad, all things considered. Now you've got me thinking. Maybe I should add blue to the middle of my fires... Might look interesting. Hunh, I could even make it entirely blue! Got to think about that.

I have plans for a blue fireball, if only I could get a green fire too... (thinking about changing some colours in the mat lab) But I also want to have a blue water sphere, but with tiny water droplets all over the surface... be nice if I could get them inside as well, but I just haven't a clue how to even begin such a thing... I can see it in my head, but....

Doplets=metaballs? Same for inside, maybe just spheres? Good luck!

Well I've got something going... a sort of variation on what I was thinking - so far it's looking good. I just wish I was better at terrains...

I know when diff metals burn like copper it will produce a green fire. I use to know the diff color of fires for diff metals and other things you add to fire. That how we get diff color firworks. If I find the diff colors of fire i let you all know. Plus if you mix water and oil the fire will be real bright but I hear you have to have a 2000 degrees heat too lol. There a lot of things that most artists do not know or use in they art about fire. Some thing to look up. I was going to but life got busy and I did not find the time to do it my self I FIND A LOT OF THE FIRE obj. somewhere lol I got them but where did I get them lol. I looked for 30 mintures so far. I keep on looking and if I find it I post it. FranOnTheEdge that looking good keep on playing with it.

oh yes when you make the fire it will not cast light you have to add a light to it

I have about 3 in mine... I think. Lights I mean. But I'm now playing with the new idea... as I'm sort of stuck with the campfire now anyway. But the new idea is doing well, now I just have to figure out how to get decent terrains... no luck yet.

Fran, sorry I just couldn't resist. Your colors are so beautiful.... Please don't eat me! =) I promise I'll never do it again! =)

Oh wow! That's teriffic!!!!! I won't eat you if you tell me how you did it. (couldn't eat you anyway - I nicked the fire idea from ek-art) ggg

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/tut.ez?Form.ViewPages=920

Glad you won't eat me! =) I would be too afraid of not tasting good! =) This is a link to my tutorial. Instead of creating a new scene with a fireball, just start at the postwork and use your scene instead. Or (as I did), cut and paste your flame (and only your flame if you can help it) onto a new layer, and do it from there. This way you avoid smudging your background. Good luck! Really I don't taste good! At least not without salt! =)

Awww shame! And there was I thinking it was something done in Bryce. I'll go take a look at the tut - always like to look at tuts. PS - I've got plenty of salt....

Oh, didn't see any blue in the tut - tsk tsk tsk! gggg

Fran, that's why I used your colors. See? I just smudged your image, and the blue ended up there because I used your colors. I also didn't increase brightness or contrast on that. Should have, probably, I just forgot. LOL!

Aha! Gotcha.