Testing the exterior environment.... I built a new terrain model to give a little more landscape around the castle. This is a view looking back across the lake, towards the sunset.

Looks fantastic, Will.

Absolutely gorgeous Will. I had just finished calibrating my monitor with Spyder 2 Pro and this is the first image that I viewed. Outstanding.

Al

Looks terrific, very nice composition.

Do you have plans for more variation in the landscape coloring? or more detail in the castle walls? I love the rich fantasy green - but it is tending to overpower the castle. I'm guessing that you or someone else intends to add more relief vegetation in the area surrounding the castle?

yes, I'm going to add some vegetation. plus, I think I'm missing the drawbridge (separate action?)....

This "Oz" seems to be a very magical place. If that shot was in a movie at the theaters even 5 years ago, we'd have us a hit.

looks great Will.

My only comment would be that the windows seem very dark, like there isnt any glass. Maybe the reflection could be cranked up on them and the transparency toned down untill there where close shots?

I always thought of OZ in relation to Kansas and the midwest, which makes me think of fields of golden wheat as far as the eye can see. Now thats obviously an interpretation, but that might solve some of what Nancy's seeing in the green.

Maybe something more like this (a compromise between Ireland and Mongolia perhaps)

Click to view attachment

Awesome stuff man, this is the best since of scale shot I've seen for this movie.

I started a matte painting for the tin castle reveal ( I forget what # this is...). This will be a background LAYER, where the camera moves past a foreground set of trees and grass (maybe a vine covered stump with a rusty axe head in it....)

I'm still working on this--I haven't retouched the mountains yet, and I haven't added trees and rocks in the foreground. In the distance you can make out the farms and villages of the Winkie kingdom.

I have to say - looks gorgeous - and I love the lush fantasy green. The reflections in the castle seem to be more balanced now. Very lovely, and definitely stunning.

Niiiiiice! I like the larger shot as well.. you can see the grass textures really well. What are you using for the landscape generation?

C

Terrain was created with the terrain wizard and a grayscale map from a digital elevation map of White Sulpher Springs, WA.
Here it is with some trees around the castle:

That's most excellent! I love it!
Awesome job Will!

That's "perty" Will

Stunning. That's all.

Edit: Didn't the roofs of the towers used to have tiles? I think it would break up the smoothness of the castle abit.
Edit1: The sky seems too real. It doesn't blend with the magical world to me.

That looks nice. Good lighting.

The foreground trees seem too tall and large though. I understand that they are really foreground trees but because we lack the stereo 3D vision and a good sense of depth, they make the castle look small in comparison. But the trees at the feet of the hill seem rather large too. A camera trolley will probably correct that impression somewhat though.

About the drawbridge, if you look at 1_02_03, you should see how to get the drawbridge in place, I think there is a drawbridge model to position and then an action file.

Yeah, I agree. It's hard to judge the size. The windows of the castle are quite large so that's off putting too. The trees could naturally be huge, but we're not used to seeing huge trees. A solution would be to put in something that everyone knows the size of....I assume woot will be in the shot somewhere.

you have to keep in mind that this is a background. There is a foreground model of hill,trees, stump that the camera moves through.