TITLE: Finis Terra
NAME: Thomas de Groot
COUNTRY: Netherlands
EMAIL: t.degroot@inter.nl.net
WEBPAGE: none
TOPIC: Future
COPYRIGHT: I SUBMIT TO THE STANDARD RAYTRACING COMPETITION COPYRIGHT.
JPGFILE: tdgfutur.jpg
RENDERER USED: 
    POV-Ray 3.5

TOOLS USED: 
    Moray 3.5

RENDER TIME: 
    3.5 hours

HARDWARE USED: 
    Compaq Presario 7000T- Pentium III


IMAGE DESCRIPTION: 

The place is Earth. The time is some seven billion years into the future.
Internally, the Sun has exhausted its hydrogen and is in the process of
switching to helium combustion. Externally, it is inflating to become a Red
Giant. Flares tear through the cooler outer reaches of our star. Already
Mercury, possibly Venus, have been engulfed. The Earth will follow soon, in a
couple of million years.
Is life still present on this hot, parched planet? Water is long gone. The
atmosphere is thinner than Mars' today. I do not know what the shape there
is... I know, however, that mankind has disappeared long, long ago.
The Sun would be much to brilliant to be watched with naked eyes. Imagine the
scene to be seen through a dark filter.


DESCRIPTION OF HOW THIS IMAGE WAS CREATED: 

The scene was entirely composed in Moray 3.5. The different heightfields used
were made with Leveller 2.3. The strange shape was made with a macro by Micha
Reiser. Media and Radiosity are responsible for the atmosphere. In particular,
the Glow macro by Xemi Jendrix. A little lens flare accounts for the Sun's
flare.