Well, there is nothing very secret about The Secret. I just saw these great experiments by Peter Guthrie and thought I would have a go at it.
Technically, the focus of the images is the water, which was done using a PhoenixFD Ocean texture (you can get it by installing the PhoenixFD demo) and inputing it into a VrayDisplacement modifier on a simple subdivided plane. The material is a normal water material. The only thing special about it is that it has a glossiness value of 0.8 on the highlights (not the reflection) to really catch the sun.
I used a noise map with quite a large scale as a mask to mix two different Ocean maps (using a mix map) to simulate wind variations on the sea surface, with rougher and quieter patches.
There is also a Vray Environment Fog, with roughly the same value as Peter’s (density between 250 and 750 meters, GI subdivs between 50 and 100, height 50 meters). The camera is positioned between 3 and 5 meters from the sea surface.
I used various skies from my library to light these. Visit Peter’s sky shop for a good selection of great skies to get you started.
As for the significance of these strange shapes hovering over the water, well, that’s a secret…
Carlocki: I use mainly Peter Guthrie’s skies, and a few from CGSkies. Most of these were older skies, with bits of landscape on the horizon. Both PG and CGSkies airbrush the horizon nowadays so you wouldn’t see this anymore. You can find a selection of my favorite HDRIs here.
which set of hdri do you use?
“I used a noise map with quite a large scale as a mask to mix two different Ocean maps (using a mix map) to simulate wind variations on the sea surface, with rougher and quieter patches.”
yes this make the water great can you show use the material node?
It depends, but mostly 2K. The mountains were actually visible on some of the HDRIs.
Which is the resolution of these images when you work for your blog? about fog and mountains are post prod?
color is what I love here
Hey Oliver, this is what I had in mind:
Hi Rob. That would be full black in the diffuse, full white in reflection and refraction, IOR of 1.54, a greenish aqua color in fog color with a fog multiplier of 0.02, reflection glossiness of 1 and highlight glossiness of 0.8.
That said, this is the same material I used on the transparent spheres. So the “watery” feel owes a lot to the quality of the geometry/displacement.
What do you class as ‘normal water material’? 🙂 Any tips as I have never managed to create a water material as perfect as that!
Haha … 🙂 Yes you’re right! I have to look … somewhere in my old vinyl record collection I have one.
Thanks Oliver! I’d say they have a bit of a Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells feel to them.
Looks great! I saw this ocean tests already on Peters blog – but with your additional elements the images get a mystic touch.
B.t.w …. great new website design!
Oliver