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A Place to lay my head...
- Thread starter eclark1894
- Start date
eclark1894
Visionary
A little tired. Time to kick back, relax and reach for a beer.
eclark1894
Visionary
You were probably wondering what happened to me and the house? I was giving you constant updates and then suddenly... nothing. Well, real life poked it's ugly little head in and said hi. Guy at work quit/was fired, and as often happens the rest of us have to compensate. Anyway, I'll adjust, but ... hey look, an update. I asked Lisa B. if she had anything in her botanicals that I could use to accentuate the house. She does , but I was looking for something more suited to the front of the house. When i couldn't find anything exactly like I wanted... I made my own. Check out the trees in the planter box on the front stoop. My first plants, too. I think they look cool for a second attempt. (The first attempt was a little poly heavy and there was no way I could texture all those leaves individually. Fortunately, I learned from that mistake and started over. Duplicated and textured the base leaves and went from there. Plus, this time the polygon count is at least 5 times less than the first attempt. I need to find a brick texture for the front of the house, and I still have to clean up the mesh on that front door.
eclark1894
Visionary
Really? I think they're perfect. How much taller were you thinking? Plus, the trees can be scaled, I suppose.
eclark1894
Visionary
No, I was going by the size of the door. Hmm, with Dawn in the scene I might need to make that front door a little bigger. Do you still want the trees taller?
eclark1894
Visionary
Painted the house.
Seriously, though this house has a lot of issues that I have to clean up, plus i really need to find a cleaner brick texture.
Seriously, though this house has a lot of issues that I have to clean up, plus i really need to find a cleaner brick texture.
The trees do look just a tad bit on the small side to me also. But it's not the height. It's the circumference of the trunk. With that small of a trunk, the tree's top would be much smaller.
I'd suggest thickening/widening the trunk a bit. The height looks fine to me. It's the thickness of the trunk that seems to be too narrow/thin for supporting that tree top.
I'd suggest thickening/widening the trunk a bit. The height looks fine to me. It's the thickness of the trunk that seems to be too narrow/thin for supporting that tree top.
Ohhhh, maybe that's what's throwing it off for me, though I was thinking of it being almost just under her hands or a drop lower. Seliah's right Earl, the thickness of the trunk, or lack there of, is making it look a bit off. If you fix that, then maybe the height wouldn't be an issue.
eclark1894
Visionary
Well, alright. I was basing it off of reference photos, but okay, we'll try it.
eclark1894
Visionary
Okay, increased the trunk and leaf size and raised it to shoulder height.
I like that better. Now the proportion of leaf size to trunk size seems more realistic. The one on the right seems like it's top heavy, like it'll droop over soon. 
Why don't you set up the other one with just the thicker trunk, but leave the height the way it is. That way we can compare the two.
Why don't you set up the other one with just the thicker trunk, but leave the height the way it is. That way we can compare the two.
I'm a root beer drinker myself!
When I drank alcohol I'd only drink beer when i was really really drunk!
I like your original better than the taller, Earl. For example, these look close in size to your original Topiary. Although ... I'd go the opposite of what Miss B and Seliah, and suggest a bigger leaf ball. The one on the left (if you're knocking on the door) has a bit larger leaf ball than the other. But both seem to be 1/3 pot, 1/3 trunk, 1/3 leaf ball. But, we know I can be weird :wink:
A lot of potted topiaries appear top heavy with slim trunks like these:
While the three are different heights, the trunk seems to be pretty much the same width.
Then there are the cool twisty trunk ones
Really wicked cool
And multi trunk
By the repeated pruning of the branches to force the shape, isn't a lot of the plant's energy going toward the top rather than the trunk?
A lot of potted topiaries appear top heavy with slim trunks like these:
While the three are different heights, the trunk seems to be pretty much the same width.
Then there are the cool twisty trunk ones
Really wicked cool
And multi trunk
By the repeated pruning of the branches to force the shape, isn't a lot of the plant's energy going toward the top rather than the trunk?
Hmm... okay. I stand corrected, Satira!
I'm more familiar with wild growing plants than topiaries, I suppose.
I'm more familiar with wild growing plants than topiaries, I suppose.
Well, judging from that first photo Satira posted, that doorway is much larger in proportion to Earl's and if someone walked out of that building and stepped down those stairs, I'm pretty sure those plants would not be waist high. I do like Satira's suggestion of a fuller leaf bush.
eclark1894
Visionary
Hmm, you know, it's the same mesh. I just changed the size is all. Maybe I'll see if I can make it a morph and you can change the plant how you like.