Hi there, okay, This would be my first attempt at snow on a tree (also my first foray into the tree lab). This is not quite there yet, but I wanted input. There are two trees, both exactly the same except for the second tree has a different material on it. I was trying to take advantage of the properties of Bryce's antialaising to achieve the snow effect...a different perspective on snow, but one I think might work. Also I couldn't find trees that I wanted to use, see sketches, so I might try modeling them myself (what's one more software to learn, anyway). I printed the original thread to use as reference for each of the ways to do snow on trees. Any suggestions, comments, etc....

These are the sketches I mentioned...anybody knows of trees that look like this let me know :>

Zhann, search under "Virtual Forest" in free stuff for a premade conifer. it's fuller than this picture though. Also It says it's for Poser but I think you can get it into obj form if it's not already and load it into Bryce. Also do a websearch (google) for Xfrog - a 30 day free trial you can download. There are a bunch of other tree utilities. some were discussed here in Bryce Forum on a previous thread. It looks like there is a lot more to this snow on trees idea than meets the eye. good luck with it, -TJ

No kidding... =)

Zhann, I think I've seen the right-hand sort of tree (looking at the screen) in mountainous areas where there is less water ( I live on the west coast). About your snow...I'm not sure whether you are after frosty trees or trees with big blobs of snow stuck to the branches. For big blobs of snow, couldn't you just do a highly smoothed terrain or symmetrical lattice, copy it umpteen times and stick it on all the branches? Thanks for sharing your experiments with us, I hadn't thought about snowing trees before. Lin

Zhann, Also if you're interested, Planit3d has a tutorial on leaves on their front page. It's a maple leaf shape, but it looks reminicent of a post that agent smith wrote a while back, and goes on to describe how to make the entire tree. wrong type of tree, no snow etc but you might find it useful later on. If you need the URL i'll look it up later on. - TJ

Thanks, bikermouse, will do...Haven't gotten into lattices and terrians as such, isstrout, going for quick and simple with the right effect and short render time...hmmm...is that a wish list or what...=)

Zhann,
Here's the url to planit3d. the tut is just below "Dear Diary" on the right.

• TJ

Thanks bikermouse, but it's planet3d...=p, I'll go check right now...

no, click the link in the post above (in brown) planet3d is another site.

I apologize, I thought it was a typo, got it!

Zhann, Yeah, I make a lot of those - not this time though. Hope you like the tutorial. While you're there, check the site's freestuff for plants and the like. - TJ

Tutorial was great, downloaded it and the zip file goes with it. And I did download some stuff for use later. Most of the plants I already had from plant3d, but I got some textures and models...

Is this the site?
I was on poser forum and saw this link so I picked it up.
sorry if it is a duplicate.

Yup, that's it, did you check it out?...

Not yet. Is it any good?

Well, it's okay, picked up some plants I thought I might use later, and they're free. I think plant studio (the software they offer) might come in handy, or just to have fun with, then again it may prove to be something special, haven't install it yet. I've got so much stuff on my machine now, especially Bryce and Vue, it's starting to sprout!...

Zhann, Think I'll save the ebot and link to it tomorrow. I want to get my PC "C" code executable version of the .bum green color inverter that MartinC was working on for the MAC running windows this morning.(I usually code in dos and convert to windows later.) Maybe if I can get it running and Martin gives me the o.k. and if there is any interest for it, I can get it up for freestuff soon. "Jack of All trades - master of none." - where'd I hear that before. thanks for the info. I'll check it out, - TJ

The tree type your looking for is pine. Nice snow.

Greetings, believe the version of pine is known as the lodge pole pine, or possibly the western white pine. If you are still looking for a low poly evergreen - i found this, knew i had one somewhere. I am not it's creator, but no read me, so i don't know who did... maybe someone will recognize it, had it for a very long time. It's 413K unzipped and 280K zipped. If you want it IM me an email address.

Made a scene with the above file, all modifications done within bryce, duplicating limbs & leaves, changing directions, placement scale, etc....

I really like the look, is there a way to soften the "snow" a bit, any insights let me know...I've been working on getting the look but don't have anything that's worthy of a post yet...Hewsan, the grasses are so real! with clumps of snow in them and everything!...

By softening the snow... do you mean lessening the quanities that are on the limbs, or - the apparent textures on both ground and trees?

The hard edge on the snow on the trees, the snow on the ground almost looks like new powder, kinda soft, snow on the trees looks...hmmmm...stiff, now that I think about it they would be good for middle to middle distance trees...

Holy molely... just burnt the banana bread!

Hmmmm the bread still smells good over here though. Though the same texture settings that i used on the ground, is also used on the leaf/branch versions of the snow covered trees.... the big difference is in the lighting. I love lights... I love lots of lights... Actually there are quite a few low powered omni's and spots scattered throughout the terrain, down near the ground, with a few that are the default white, but most are tinted with light blue or an amber, depending on if i wanted to warm up or cool down an area. Was to intent on just getting the effect of snow on the tree to do the same there as well - and it does make a noticable difference. Intend to finish this up with something in the center to add a bit more focus, but haven't decided what that's to be. Will work more on lighting the branches then. As to the clumps of snow around & in the plants. There are six terrains used in the image, overlapping each other, worked on and tweaked, to enable me to get the effect here.. and quite a number of rocks, some duped in place, textured different and offset... Easier to do then to explain. Nothing done was of a very difficult nature, just been doing it for awhile. Any particular part you be interested in, let me know and i'll try to remember what i did - memory ain't what it should be.... best, hewsan

Okay, will do. How about a snowman in the middle, no wait, a 8point buck and mate, no wait, a lit christmas tree, that way you can use all kinds of lights and in different colors too! =>

Hmmmm, maybe... Me thinks you have some doubts about the lights having much of an affect.... If you look at the sky, without using the additional lights, everything would have been dark and muddy. Their are a pair of omnis used for each of the trees, to light them as well.... Use to be serious hobbyist in photography, painting with light, is what you do there... and it carried over to this i guess. best, hewsan

Was not a criticism, and I know the lights have an effect, in my abstracts in Bryce, I have to be very careful on how they're lit so things look the way I want them to. But, I once saw a huge Spruce out in the middle of a field with nothing nearby, but some elk, totally covered in colored christmas lights, the sky was partly cloudy and the moon made everything look blue but for that warm spot of the tree, it was an awesome sight...later found out the farmer used a gas generator to light the tree... Zhann

Regret the probable tone of my post as well... jeeesh, you see i have this problem, when i am doing, i don't think, if that makes sense, get sort of into the zen of it.... and when someone asks "how did i... or how do you do...." i really wish to be helpful, and then find that i have usually left out some important steps, or find myself wondering if what i wished to communicate was understood.... and so i overstate at times what i think is important. Think i am going to make some bread as well, but think cranberry nut bread would taste good. Late in the morning & i'm a vampire - to many years of night shifts.... best to you, and hope you understand.... hewsan

hewsan, Very Nice. close to the real thing. I noticed that the plant in the left foreground appears softer than the rest. Agent Smith said something about blurring an object in the foreground on another thread so perhaps some sort of softening effect is in order here. what do you think about it? As to lights, I've noticed that changing the light can dramatically change the way a scene looks, but I have yet to control the effect sufficiently. Zhann, There's a moral in that story somewhere. - TJ

Bikermouse, it doesn't show to well, but the blurring in the lower left plant... is actually where the snow in the terrain did a turn and partially covers it. I should of had the plant out a bit more, but didn't notice it till the render was done...and it's still a wip, but wanted to post to show what the low poly tree could become (and of course a bit of vanity.....) Don't know the poly counts in the scene, but if the original file wasn't so small, it would still be rendering now. best, hewsan

uuuuuummmmmmm, cranberry nut bread, I'll be right over, bikermouse join me?

Zhann, be right there. hewsan, I meant to relate that I liked the effect of the softening, and that it looks like the effect could be used to your advantage. If you could duplicate it intentionally, it would be a good tool to use to give a frosty look to the rest of the plants. good render, - TJ