Program:
Bryce - Version .01 and Up


Scene Creation: Make a moonlit Panorama

March 2005 by: Pinhead - Paul Pappathan
User Level: Beginner
Part 2
Working with Atmosphere

I think the default sky should be changed. Seeing how's I'm the one writing this I can do whatever I want.
Within limits...I am a cruel and demanding person as well as obscenely obnoxious ; )
Let's mess with a preset sky so you can check out the neato things you can do.


On the Top Bryce Toolbar select Sky&Fog, then click the little arrow to the right.

This brings you to the Sky&Fog Preset library - not any different from the material presets in function.
Select False Dawn (I once knew a girl...nevermind, too easy to make a joke here)
Click the checkmark to load the preset into your scenareeno.


Once you have the new sky loaded everything will go dark - don't panic! It's only make believe..
Deselect Gamma Correction. It's supposed to be dark out ; )
You can find it at the drop down list under Render Options.
Lights will be added later to highlight the scene.



Cloud Control - Sky Lab


Click the little cloud to enter the Sky Lab.
You can also get there by key combo Ctrl+K or from the top menu Objects > Sky Lab.
Tip: Hold down Ctrl+Alt and double click on the Sun\Moon sphere. If you Shift+Ctrl+Alt left click in the main window it will place the moon wherever you want.

Sun & Moon
 

Star fields usually doesn't look so hot but in this case it will work because of the wide angle.
Sun/Moon Size is up to you - my intent was to make it appear on the horizon at a great distance.
Use Moon Image. Why? Because it's there and I don't see many moons that look like a searchlight.
Reduce Shadow from the heavy handed 100% default.
Azimuth controls the horizontal (left-right) position of the moon on the horizon line (in this case). A setting of 180 is dead center. Having it set slightly off center keeps me from getting a headache ; )
[ Real definition of azimuth:
The azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian ]
Altitude controls the Height. -1 is used here because the Moon is near total opposition to the Sun at 178 degrees.


Cloud Cover and da DTE
Deselect Cumulus...we don't need 'em.
Let's alter the Stratus cloud type slightly to make it match the scene better,
Clouds are editable in the DTE just like any other material.
It's much easier to change the direction and amount of noise in the DTE than by mucking around with rotation and scale in the Mat Lab. No kiddin.
Click the word Edit as shown.


Oooooooh nooooooooooooooooooooo

It's the DTE.

I'm doing this just to scare you!
On the left you can see that the stratus clouds are made up of 2 noise patterns.
The combinations possible are near infinite but are easy to control if you know what you want.
We want a 'thin' atmosphere so the moon and stars will show through.
It would also be cool to have the cloud forms appear to be zooming out from the moon slightly.
Texture Library:
Save stuff you make in the DTE just as you do in any other Preset Library.

Click the button shown above to get a more suitable preset (.brt) to use.

To DTE Presets

Hey! Lookee - more stuff!
These are the 'raw' textures that make up Bryce procedural materials.
hi stratus2 has the characteristics needed.
Click Clouds then the small thumb image for hi stratus2.
Click the checkmark at bottom right to confirm and Exit.

You will be returned to the Deep Texture Editor.


I want my DTE

HEY, what's all this junk???
This is what I did to hi stratus. If you compare it to the original you will note I opened up the 'blue' area.
(the blue area is transparent in the scene...
the letter [A] highlighted in Comp 1 and 2 means use only the Alpha value)
Check the settings of both Components 1 and 2 and compare them to the original hi stratus2.
Apply and Exit the DTE.



Finishing the Cloud Cover Settings


High thin clouds with moderate motion seem to fit this scene.
Reduce Cloud Motion Speed and Turbulence accordingly.
Cloud Cover = 5 or less
Cloud Height at maximum of 100
Frequency around 30
Amplitude (how dense\opaque the actual cloud material appears) should be low also.
Spherical Clouds makes the clouds global just like real life ; )
Fixed Cloudplane = Optional:
When you move up\in\out inside a Bryce scene, the clouds move also.
It looks like you’re getting closer or further from the clouds.
If you want to stop this from happening you can select the Fixed Cloudplane.
This prevents the cloud formation from changing as you move around the scene. Kinda...



Atmosphere


Trying to control Haze from the main work area is an exercise in futility.
Use the settings above and alter later if you want.
If Blend with Sun is selected - deSelect.

The basic settings for the Sun/Moon, Clouds and Atmosphere are done.
The color theme will be set back in the main screen
You can hit the check mark now and exit the Sky Lab...yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!..





Atmosphere


The sky color I used is near black with dark blue to show stars.
To access custom sky settings click the down arrow beneath the first box at top left.
Horizon color affects the fade from the horizon line to low clouds
Haze has a major impact, it's global.
The Sky Dome is the 'Environment color'. Think of it as a big color sphere surrounding the scene.
Sun\Moon color is self explanatory - I hope...hahahaha.

Use whatever color theme appeals to you - these are used just to illustrate the methods.

Sanity Check 2

Not bad...needs some terrains\shape to break it up.
Click here for sanity2.zip


Onto Part 3 - Pain, Terrains and Light

Pinhead - March 2005

Some more of my idiocy here. . .