A new world

[Blacknova]

Been playing with fractal terrains, exporting to a 3D package to make the sphere and then dumping it all into GIMP to produce the final image.

This is my first attempt at a world in space, called Exeter, later named Nirvana, home of the Wolverines in my Alterate Clans, which can be found here http://ourbattletech.com/building-a-story-alternate-clans-part-i .

The view is looking back across the planet towrds the Kerensky Cluster.

[Dragon Cat]

This reminds me of what I envisioned my AU Clan Nova Cat's Homeworld - New Barcella to look like cool.

[Snake Eyes]

 :o That is way cool.

[Blacknova]

The Star Adder holding of the moon of the gas giant Krakau, in the Paxon system.

Not completly happy with this one, but it was a quick and dirty attempt a a two world image.

The imperfaction on the moons right side is not an error, but a 1000km wide crater

[Blacknova]

And a cold world, orbiting a dim star

If you want to see the world layed out flat, go here http://ourbattletech.com/forum/index.php/topic,750.msg9761.html#new and open the pdf in post #18

[Demon55]

Beautiful.  Nice to see something other than mechs for a change. 

[verybad]

Depending on what your 3d program is, try adding a highly transparent, high specualrity, low gloss sphere arround some of those planets, Should give them a rim lit atmosphere that will add much to the composition.

[Blacknova]

Thanks for the suggestion I will try it later on when I get some spare time to make a couple more.

[worktroll]

I love the images, but something was bothering me ... and I just worked it out. The light angles. The way you've shown them, the lighting angles look like they come from a small light source at or around the same distance as the planets. In reality, the planet might be thousands or tens of thousands of km away - but the sun is going to be tens of millions of km away. So all you'd really see would be a lit rim of the planet.

Hopefully the crude image below will give some idea of what I mean. You'll only see a gibbous planet (as in the second example) if the sun is "over the observer's shoulder".

They're still gorgeous, but the exoplanetologist-wannabe in me can't help but pick at the details  #P

W.

[Blacknova]

I understand completly and knew I was flying in the face of physics from the get go.  I am very new to 3d and artistry in general.  I am playing with the light source stuff at the moment and learning on the fly.

The next one had the light source set at the sun in GIMP, but the 3d engine had it elsewhere.  I might just drop the suns altogether, but they do look nice.  The balance of realism and glitz.  Getting the 3D light source right is sending me round the twist, then there is getting the planets perspective right as well...

I can imagine the amount of time you could spend playing with Fractal Terrains, you would get nothing done, ever!

[Blacknova]

Inglesmond, it green seas and Sulphur laden clouds.  I have kept the suns were they were out of sheer artistic licence, despite the impossibility of the scene.

These are all being created for the Shattered Dawn AU project here http://ourbattletech.com/forum/index.php/topic,726.0.html

As always, if you want the pdf of the world laid out flat without clouds, go here http://ourbattletech.com/forum/index.php/topic,750.msg9817.html#new

[Blacknova]

Here is Aflier, world of water and mist.

For more detail and the flat map, as always, available here http://ourbattletech.com/forum/index.php/topic,750.msg9817.html#new