Other cities than Athkatla and BG...

[Miloch]

It depends on monitor settings, but yes, I can make it a bit lighter than it is now.

Aye, some programs and monitors have different calibration settings than others. If you go into your control panel for video card calibration, you can adjust the settings sometimes - other times specific programs will let you do it in the programs preferences settings.

 

Incidentally, you might try jcompton's occlusion mapper for making the wallgroups. Especially for multi-polygon objects like trees it might make it easier (haven't tried it yet myself though).

[lroumen]

Constructive Criticism mode ON!

 

I think what you are all noticing but not voicing is that the ground looks strange because it is too repetitive (both bricks and grass/mud). You use a square or something as a base and then tile it. Could you try to enhance the size of that square or after rendering modify small bits of it? For instance, the dark cobbles are what struck me as unnatural. Why not just fade a few of them too make it look a little bit more random when you finalise the picture (as in after the final rendering) or add a slight (focal) blur in some areas of the map during rendering? The picture/area will look even more epic than it is now.

[Valiant]

Constructive Criticism mode ON!

 

I think what you are all noticing but not voicing is that the ground looks strange because it is too repetitive (both bricks and grass/mud). You use a square or something as a base and then tile it. Could you try to enhance the size of that square or after rendering modify small bits of it? For instance, the dark cobbles are what struck me as unnatural. Why not just fade a few of them too make it look a little bit more random when you finalise the picture (as in after the final rendering) or add a slight (focal) blur in some areas of the map during rendering? The picture/area will look even more epic than it is now.

You know, everything you wrote is true, I agree. Personally I do not like the repetitive textures. But consider that the original texture is cutted from Athkatla Bridge district, as it is the only original area that has a relative big part of ground free of objects (buildings, all the stuff around...). So this means I´m pretty limited with sources. Next step is to make the texture seamless, and this can be done only in graphical editors like PSP or PS, and they work in similar way (mathematically cut out some parts of the texture and paste it to correct places...). So the result is - every texture, no matter how big is, will repeat itself.

Even if it´s not from BG.

 

There are two ways how to solve it - either use procedural texture (the one that is mathematically counted during rendering) or use the same texture twice, but in combination with mixmap. But I assure you, there will be some kind of repeticionism all the way. And rendering procedural texture would take hours (!!!!)...

 

I´ll try to play with mixmap, but I´m not quite sure with the result...

 

After all - how much from the ground is really visible in all renders? If you don´t make a plaza, not very much due to all grounded stuff (buidings, barrels, lamps, "street mess", etc...).

 

Guys, also try sometimes to look on it from my point of view. Although the constructive criticism is fine with me.

[Valiant]

Ok, folks, here´s the new teaser... Ground texture is mixed, so it won´t be so repetitive (well it is, but mixed with itself and moved a bit, so it looks like it´s not repetitive...)

 

 

Of course, image quality is decreased with JPG conversion and with resizing on rajce.net (place where I store my pictures).

[Dakk]

You're gooood man, keep up the great work!

[Valiant]

Thanks

[Lava]

Yep, it looks great!

[Daulmakan]

Awesome.

[begolf00]

Wow looks amazing. I think some people over at spell hold would go crazy over this.

 

The only other time i've seen area art this good was when big poppa was modeling but sadly he's not doing any more area modeling that I know of.

 

Keep up the good work. I do a bit of modeling in blender but this is way beyond me. I cant texture worth crap.

[lroumen]

So the result is - every texture, no matter how big is, will repeat itself.

Even if it´s not from BG.

Very true.

In my experience, the larger the tileset basis the easier it becomes to blotch out the tiling problems. It seems easier to put a doodad on top of the edges where the tilesets start to seem repetative. That seems to be what the Bioware employees have done in general. Just take repetative grass and put a blotch of flowers and mud/rubble on top of it (most BG1 maps). For your map that would be some rubble or mud or a box right on top of the cobblestones that are most noticingly repetative I guess (the darker cobblestones).

 

Guys, also try sometimes to look on it from my point of view. Although the constructive criticism is fine with me.

Rendering the cover of my PhD booklet took me ~48 hours after removing repetitive parts and blurring/mixing certain spots and blotches. And still people were nagging . This is why I gave constructive criticism rather than just awe. You can take it to heart or discard it easily, and maybe it helped or you did not notice...

 

The mixing that you did in the recent picture is perfect. It is at the point where the repetativeness is not very noticable and thus not disturbing. The groundtile is also less 'busy' or 'crowding' than the cobblestones.

Again, grand work.

[Valiant]

It seems easier to put a doodad on top of the edges where the tilesets start to seem repetative. That seems to be what the Bioware employees have done in general. Just take repetative grass and put a blotch of flowers and mud/rubble on top of it (most BG1 maps).

Exactly what I´m trying to do, too...

 

The mixing that you did in the recent picture is perfect. It is at the point where the repetativeness is not very noticable and thus not disturbing. The groundtile is also less 'busy' or 'crowding' than the cobblestones.

Again, grand work.

Thanks. I just tried and it worked...

And finished the lower part of the Market District. Won´t post here, otherwise no surprises would left for you as players...

[Amgot]

Your work looks absolutely great. I haven't read the whole thread but for which project/mod are you doing this?

[Valiant]

Your work looks absolutely great. I haven't read the whole thread but for which project/mod are you doing this?

It is not made for some particular project. Just for fun and for new fresh air in BG2 modding...

[Valiant]

City changes, but the fools within are always the same...

 

 

Again, not a full resolution due to rajce.net size limitations (automatic resizing) and JPG conversion...

[lroumen]

You are a Dabus

 

 

(if you don't get the reference, check the quote in my signature)