Welcome to the Big Picture Thread for 2024. Any image that is 2000 px or more in at least 1 direction is welcome here. Just don't go over 3000 px in at least one direction. Also make sure the image is not over the memory size limit. Keep your images for this thread PG, as kids can and do view these threads. There is no challenge theme for The Big Picture Thread. Because of the pixel size, extra detail is more visible, and that is the reason for this thread.


Above all, have fun making your Big Pictures!
Cheers!


To get this started, here is my first for this thread.



The Butterfly Investigation


The Butterfly Nebula is a particularly beautiful nebula, appearing to have butterfly wings. The truth is that the nebula is the remnant of a very powerful supernova, that affected several cvilizations in its area; pretty much destroying those within its great reach. The investigation is focused on the nature of the supernova. It seems that the destruction might have been deliberate. No less than 8 species were all but wiped out by it. There are ancient city ruins on each world that was affected. The surviving members of each species were set back in their technologies and cultures. One species did not suffer their fate, and indeed were just outside of the affected area. This species has profited from the event. Thus it is thought that they orchestrated the supernova. The truth is likely to be much more complex.

Wonderful creation to start us off Agent... I will try and participate more in this thread this New Year. :)

A very quick and simple large space-themed render ..

Awesome Render, SimonJM! Love the detail in the big ship, and the asteroid looks great. Well done!

Quote from: Agent0013 on January 01, 2024, 12:51:52 PM
Awesome Render, SimonJM! Love the detail in the big ship, and the asteroid looks great. Well done!

The asteroid is part of the HDRI, which is both handy and annoyinh: annoying in that it is tricky to get things hiding 'behind' such things!

Quote from: SimonJM on January 01, 2024, 01:16:39 PM
The asteroid is part of the HDRI, which is both handy and annoyinh: annoying in that it is tricky to get things hiding 'behind' such things!

ooo I like that HDRI... which one is it???  also.. FYI... seems to me I bought something a while back that lets you hide parts of an HDRI... not used it yet... I'll have to look for it.  Well done artwork Simon :)  Happy New Year!

Quote from: Llola Lane on January 01, 2024, 02:29:31 PM
ooo I like that HDRI... which one is it???  also.. FYI... seems to me I bought something a while back that lets you hide parts of an HDRI... not used it yet... I'll have to look for it.  Well done artwork Simon :)  Happy New Year!

It's this product
And yes, there is a product you can get, but you can do it yourself (in a similar way you can make shdow catchers for Iray)

Quote from: SimonJM on January 01, 2024, 04:02:58 PM
It's this product
And yes, there is a product you can get, but you can do it yourself (in a similar way you can make shdow catchers for Iray)

oh I have that product... but not used it yet... I bought sooooooooo much stuff the last few months I really need to start creating artwork with it.  (note... I don't know how to make shadow catchers for Iray... don't even know what that is)  I guess I need to find that product and start creating with it too... lol.  busy busy with the New Year... that's what I'm gonna be ;)

I understand that problem with HDRIs, SimonJM. I don't have any good space based HDRIs but I do have a Space Skydome, problem with it is similar as you can see a seam where the image was stitched together, and that makes a big part of it of no use.


I have a suggestion for you if you want to try hiding something behind the asteroid in your HDRI. Get a 3d model of an asteroid to put in your scene to cover up the image version, so it is not visible in the render, then place whatever you want to have behind it in the position you want. I assume that part of what you would be hiding will be peeking out from behind the asteroid a little; otherwise, your object would not need to be in the scene at all, if it is totally hidden. You could say there's something hidden, but not actually have it there. If it is peeking out a little , then you would want it in the scene. Since your is an HDRI the Image Based Lighting will make the 3D asteroid lit on the same side as the Image version. That's how HDRIs that are worth having work. I see that yours is, because your ships are also lit on the same side as the image asteroid.

And from that same HDRI set ...