Hi All.

I needed a bundle of sticks, to put on the back of a donkey. Actually a narrower bundle is held by a human figure who is loading the donkey. I guess a single smaller narrower bundle for the human loader and a bigger stack version for the donkey's back would be in order.

Unable to find any that looked right (actually I didn't find ANY At All!) I tried creating my own using a tall grass prop.

By adding 32 grass props and changing the size in Z & X axis and parenting them to a rope knot prop I got something that at least looked like fresh cut reeds. I was so proud of my solution. I even changed rotation and size of the grass sections to make it look like the reed/grass props were folding under their own weight.

But my euphoria at having made my own unique prop was short lived. I found that to render them was inpossible.

My system kept crashing or closing P7 out. I even tried rendering in the older simpler P4 Render Engine. Didn't work.

I took out the bundle and it worked fine.

So, I am looking for a simpler, lower res, less system taxing solution. Anyone know where I can find something like this? I could add the bundles in post but I am not too thrilled about the idea of painting all those sticks in the human's hands and on the donkey's back.

can you find a stick texture and just use a primitive box ?

I don't know of a bundle of sticks.  But this $5.00 package at RDNA has twigs/sticks in it that you can clump together to make what you like. I have this and it's way too cute!

http://www.runtimedna.com/RDNA-Forest-Litter-Vol-1.html

Hi!

I doubt that will work. I would have to have them longer and narrower to bundle them together properly and to my reckoning that would get pretty render intense too for the quantity I'd need for the smaller bundle.

Tonight I am going to try the DAZ and DNA bird nests for the load on the back of the donkey. I can paint in the straps or rig something up there. Those nests have always rendered pretty easily and realistically enough without taxing overly much my old P4. SHould be ok in P7 on newer system....I hope. If it works one prop problem would be solved.

I was looking at the LoRes Donkey set at DA but the bundle of sticks is just not the same as what I needed.

I just need to address the bundle handled by the human figure now.

thanks for your response.

Quote - can you find a stick texture and just use a primitive box ?

Hi

Almost missed your comment.

I hadn't thought of that. I would have to be better at tex and transmapping than I am to make that realistic enough I think though.  :(

Can you post a link to a picture of what you are looking for?

Here is one that is an image of a sculpture in a gallery but the bundle of sticks is perfect

Attached Link: Irish cottage

     Acadia's idea is probably your best option - a simple low poly shape with displacement giving it a complex appearance.

     The thatch bundles on this cottage are octagonal tubing, with displacement.

Attached Link: low-poly trees

     This pic shows low-poly background "filler" trees with no transmapping, designed to render en masse quickly at little system burden when using P8+ IDL.  The pine sprigs are simple triangular tubes with displacement to make needles.  A less dense pattern might give a decent fuzziness to your bundle at little cost in system burden.

Gee! I opened this thread to find out why you wanted a faggot! j/k

Quote - Gee! I opened this thread to find out why you wanted a faggot! j/k

Cute.

To burn!

Quote -      If your system balked at rendering one array of reeds, I would think it likely to do the same for another model composed of umpteen individual sticks.

     Acadia's idea is probably your best option - a simple low poly shape with displacement giving it a complex appearance.

     The thatch bundles on this cottage are octagonal tubing, with displacement.

Well the system balked because I used 32 tufts of tall grass that started originally as .3ds files comprised at the minimum of 10 strands of grass.

The math of strands to render even if resized on the x & Z axis to make them look like reeds tied together I think is a bit different than something like say the DAZ or DNA Bird nest hich is comprised of sticks albeit low poly.

That is the difference here I think. Maybe if I could find low poly sticks of various realistic "Stickly shape" it might work. The key being Low poly!