I'm working on this Bryce picture with the Millenium Dog. Any suggestions on how to improve this picture would be greatly appreciated.

Very nice! Firstly, I would say, if your using this POV, lower the dog slightly (he seems to be floating slightly on the grass(nice grass BTW)). This would be really great if you put the camera at the level of the ball and had the dog staring right at it, you could then possibly use DOF. However, if you want to keep the camera where it is, add more detail. You could take some of that stonework in the background and use it on the edge of the water, then add some nice reflections, possibly. Hope that helps, good luck.

Nice basic setup. 2 things: 1- The trees look a bit out of scale. The one the left side of the left bench seems a bit short, attempting to sit there you would bump the branches. The tree in front of the right bench is in direct line of the bench. Try making it taller, base roots slightly showing and crop half the tree with the right frame. There wil be a suggestion of the tree without competition with the bench & dog. A lighter blue sky with puffier clouds, and reduce your shadow intensity a bit. You have a lot of things casting, plus it'll lighten the water some. Looking good, Let us know when you're finished. ICM

Looks good to me. I also have two suggestions: First, the ruler-straight shoreline bothers me a bit. If you put rocks there, it might help, or else making the shoreline a bit more varied. But (correct me if I'm wrong) I assume that this is the side of a lake, and usually it at least curves. And second, if you take the "Caribbean Resort" texture that comes with Bryce and make the blue colors white, you end up with a really nice transparent water texture (and this close to shore, you would think that you could see through the water somewhat). You could then put a hi-res terrain underneath the water. You can use this with the fog effects that Bryce has to make some very nice transparent water. Keep us posted! =)

I would put a grasshopper or butterfly on top of the ball.

It's looking great. You might want to lower the haze a little; you're getting distance-fade over too short a distance. That way the bump on the tree trunks and benches will be more visible (if only a little) and add to the realism. Great pose for the dog, by the way :-)

Message edited on: 08/09/2005 03:26

Here's an update, incorporating several of your suggestions. Changes: Lighter blue sky Puffier clouds Less intense shadows Dog is lower in grass Tree on right is further right with roots showing Tree on left is taller Added tree on left Lowered haze Should ball look wetter? How?

Looks really good. You can increase the specularity on the ball material, and maybe a tiny bit of reflection. Experiment, Should be pretty quick with plop rendering. ICM

Definite improvement, the dog and ball seem to 'pop' much more now. I wouldn't worry about the ball being wet - it looks like a plastic ball so the water would just run straight off it.

My issue is always with Bryce clouds. Can't stand them. I'd use a Hi Rez pic of a real clouds on a 2D plane. But sometimes that adds too much realism. You'd have to try it and see if it fits.

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
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Bench seats......change the mat for an old-looking painted effect or old wood.......? Just my 0.02p

Very cool scene :)

Thanks, everyone. Is the ruler-straight shoreline a big problem? The water is supposed to be a manmade pond. Maybe a thin cement piece separating the grass and the water?