Turtles

[Mike Bailey]

Yes, tortoise is correct. I was a bit torn on the title, I was tempted to name it " A couple of old guys".

[Burpee]

Daz tortoise? Great render with them. They look fantastic.

[Mike Bailey]

Daz tortoise?

Yes I think so, first time I've used it.

[Burpee]

I can't begin to tell you how much stuff I have from them and have never used. I've got gigabytes of files I have yet to unzip and install. I must admit that your tortoises look so good I'm actually tempted to try and find them, lol.

[ascerbic]

the sun in the bitmap is right behind the animals but the shadow isnt coming straight at us - i think your light source is in wrong place, or it is much too close to the flipperless salad eating land turtlethings

[Mike Bailey]

the sun in the bitmap is right behind the animals but the shadow isnt coming straight at us - i think your light source is in wrong place,

Hmmm, the renderer uses a procedural atmosphere, the sun (light source) is where you see it.
Low on the horizon and slightly to the right.
There are 2 additional point lights illuminating the forward side of the figures, shadows are turned off.
No bitmaps were used.

[steve.ledger]

I have to agree - the shadows are exactly where I'd expect them to be.

Cool troll mask Mike -

[Burpee]

I use the same procedure for creating my 3D scenes. I use point lights (no shadows and colored) forward of the objects to lighten them enough when the sun is behind. Otherwise they'd just be silhouettes.

It used to bother me that maybe the lighting wasn't completely correct but I changed my mind after reading an article by a famous painter who said that the lighting should highlight your subject no matter where the natural light is coming from. He pointed to a few of the great master's works, pointing out how the light was not realistic but it made the image interesting and the subject 'pop'. It helps to recede the unimportant parts of the image so it appears less cluttered.

[raynerj1]

The other light sources just need to be brighter than the sun and for the subject to be lit and not a silhouette. A good example is a bikini clad model against a fabulous sunset. I would add an example, but it is too cold for my model to want to stand ouside in a coat much less a bikini.

[Burpee]

Lol, not good for bikinis in the snow.