EMAIL: jbrickley@programmer.net NAME: Jeffry J. Brickley TOPIC: Nature COPYRIGHT: I SUBMIT TO THE STANDARD RAYTRACING COMPETITION COPYRIGHT. TITLE: Reclaiming the Desert. COUNTRY: USA WEBPAGE: www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/3210 RENDERER USED: POV 3.04 TOOLS USED: FreeView to convert to JPG my own lightning include file (non-public version, yet) my own desert include file Chris Colefax's Lens Effects include file Crossroads 3D format converter (for windmill only) RENDER TIME: 34 minutes 22 seconds HARDWARE USED: Pentium II 233 IMAGE DESCRIPTION: I have always admired lightning photos and and started trying to make an include file that would generate lightning bolts. I was well on my way when the competitions for night came up and got this idea. But due to work related problems never got this started until the subject of nature came up. I figured I'd better get it in this time because three subjects related to this would be impossible. The Windmill is the only non-natural object and nature is well on it's way of removing it.... DESCRIPTION OF HOW THIS IMAGE WAS CREATED: The lightning is generated by a series of gradually narrowing cones (almost cylinders) connected together. The turns and twists are all randomized with branches created recursively in the include file. The yucca plants were created by revolving a series of half-cones (hollowed) to make the leaves of a yucca. Randomly the leaves are removed so as not to give too much symmetry to the plant (yuccas are ~95% symmetrical). They are randomly spaced and tilted to provide a more natural appearance to the scene (this species of yucca is rarely perfectly vertical) based on the area surrounding my place of employment. The ground is made by a height-map and smoothed with a khaki color and added turbulence to make it look like blown sand. No photo textures are used anywhere in this scene, everything is generated within POV. The model of the Windmill, was however, taken from www.3dcafe.com and converted with Crossroads. Lights are generated with fade distances to show the light fading away from the lightning strike. The final addition is a lens effect from Chris Colefax's Lens effects include file.