I'm using brycetech's lightning models in an image. Does anyone have any insight into getting the bolts to look more real without postpro work? I've searched many tutorials around the net and feel like I'm running into a wall with the DTE. Fuzzy makes the bolts disappear and every other setting seems to make the bolts too abrupt in the image. Thanks in advance.

How about set the material option to light instead of fuzzy then duplicate it and enlarge and use the green lit material in the presets on the enlarged one, changes the colors to hat you want.

Unfortuantely, as the green light material is "fuzzy" the object disappears. The objects are so thin that the fuzzyness overlaps and removes the object from view. Thanks though.

Give me a URL where you got the model or e-mail me and I'll see if I can come up with something. aldaron@charter.net

Attached Link: http://users.i10net.com/eeiken/g012.html

This site has some great pics of lightning bolts to use. Here's one. I used it in trying to get brycetech's lighning to look somwhat realistic.

Here's a quick result. Warning! my method adds a lot of render time. 1. make lightning obect a volume material, adjust color to what's desired. 2. duplicate and change to light object, set color 3. duplicate again and change to sphere. material green lit in complex effects preset. set colors to desired. Reduce size and duplicate so that you can follow the line of the lightning creating the glowing fuzz effect.

Here are a couple of pics I have done with lightning .. No post work and all but I think they came out pretty well .. Let me know if I can lend any pointers. It is basically a picture with an alpha channel, one or more lights by the source and the ambient turned up pretty high. http://ghostofmacbeth.digitalartsites.com/Thor2.html http://ghostofmacbeth.digitalartsites.com/Lightning.html

to Aldaron: Thank you very much. I'll give this a try. I see by your posted pic that it will take a good bit of patience to get the spheres placed right.

I'd like to thank everyone again. I managed to find a good Photoshop tut that I can use an object mask on the lightning to get very nice results. Aldaron's method did work, but I believe this new method will work better. Only means I have to render twice. http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/smiley/1350/lightningtut.html Thanks again, and I'll post a WIP soon.