Setting the scene... again.

To make the final animation easier to edit I wanted the background to be editable as well. So I made it all in CG 3D.

Here is a quick rundown of the stages of building it...

The Models...

I only need geometry for the trees and the grass, and the tree will be an image mapped onto a simple plane.

The Materials...

Again, very simple. A slight fractal bump on the ground, some bump on the tree and, obviously, a clipping/alpha map to make it tree shaped.

Oh, and a specular map on the floor will catch the highlights from the sun, but you don't notice that in an image without any specular highlights.

The Mood...

3 Lights:

Sun light behind

A second sunlight from the front, only for the trees which otherwise receive no light from the sun at the back.

Sky light... In this case a simple spot light from the front with an image of clouds that will be animated in the final animation along with the sky in the back.

The Textures...

To add colour and realism to the scene.

Animation test...

I'll post a link to the actual animation on a later date when it's more polished.