Show us your Rural areas

[alan_vzla]

It's a custom lot... a very good one, you can only see the transition from the lot to the terrain where the locomotive is

[Ennedi]

A sunny place to visit during cold days (at least in Europe  )



Adam

[ShultzCity]

Wow! Love the warm glow and especially the path. Love to know how you did that one 

What are the structures in the top right and bottom left of the image?

[Girafe]

Amazing picture   

the paths are your ?

[Silur]

Excellent work, Ennedi 

[Ennedi]

Wow! Love the warm glow and especially the path. Love to know how you did that one 
(...)

Well, this is one of my tips for you  .
1. To make a path I used the PEG's Ballast texture designed to use along trails and roads. It is grainy and blends very well with other ploppable stuff (Most of Chrisadams' ploppable paths have a bit "flat" texture which is good in some cases but it sometimes don't fit in rural landscapes. Most often I use his Gravel Path).
But PEG's ploppable paths and pebbles are too large, so I use to place grass along them to cover the path partially according to my needs. This way I can achieve narrow and windy nice path. I use both PEG's grass and Chrisadams' RRP Green Rye Grass depending on terrain textures.
2. Another thing is a perspective, I suggest you to think about it.
- When I'm planning a path, I always try to imagine how would it look in the real landscape. Paths and roads can greatly increase a feeling of the depth. But to achieve it we should avoid placing paths which look vertical on the picture. You did it in the picture you sent to the Picture Competition lately and paths look a bit unnatural there. It is very difficult to make a path looking good from every side, usually we should choose one or two viewing directions (we will use it later to make a picture  ) and do everything to achieve a nice look from these directions.
- You can make very nice pictures when you look down from the top of the hill (as it is showed on my picture). Terrain textures also look different in that case and they can increase the depth feeling.
The warm glow is an effect of a little postwork in Photoshop  

(...) What are the structures in the top right and bottom left of the image?

These are ploppable items from the last SFBT Mayor Mode ploppable set, mate by Mathe Man and released at the LEX in December 2008 (they are also showed in SFBT Advent Calendar). I suggest you to look at them  

Adam

[Girafe]

Thanks for explications   

[Ennedi]

Girafe, I hope you see your pines on my picture?  They are realy fantastic, thank you for releasing them!!!
(BTW I remember about our discussion about the seasonal stuff  )

Adam

[bat]

That's a beautiful place there, Ennedi!!! Great image!

[Rady]

Simply stunning 

[ShultzCity]

Thanks a million Adam 

I just want to clarify the depth issue - what you are saying is that you should always have paths going on an unnatural angle? I only ever work from the one viewpoint, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I'm going to give it a try today, I'll post a (hopefully) result later in the day on my MD.

[Ennedi]

Thanks a million Adam 

I just want to clarify the depth issue - what you are saying is that you should always have paths going on an unnatural angle? I only ever work from the one viewpoint, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I'm going to give it a try today, I'll post a (hopefully) result later in the day on my MD.

Well, I'm not a professional painter or photographer, so it is a bit hard for me to explain the use of perspective in our pictures  . Basically, if you would lead straight parallel lines from various points of your picture, all of them will meet in the point on your eye altitude at the infinite distance. I suggest you to search the Web and look for perspective tutorials for painters and graphic artists. You will get to know much more than from any of my explanations 

1. That's great to break the game grid with ploppable stuff, FAR roads, FARR rails etc., but it must be done in a thoughtful way. If you are creating a ploppable path, it is even wise to have the grid turned on. This way you know where your path actually goes.

2. You should always try to follow the terrain shape when you are making a path. Try to imagine how would it look in the real world on a plain area, on slope or in the valley. Where curves are reasonable and where they aren't? If you will remember it, your path can even emphasize the terrain shape.

3. The viewing direction is important too, slopes play a great role here.
Maybe this isn't the most apropriate place to make a (mini) tutorial, but I'll show you three of my very old pictures. After all they are rural ones 

This is a Chrisadams' path - only orthogonal and diagonal pieces. We are looking at it from the valley uphill.



The same path, but now we are looking at it from the side. I can only say: nothing special 



And now we are looking downhill and this time it looks really nice (at least I like it  ). We can even see some depth in this picture.



I hope it will help a bit 

Adam

[jmyers2043]

Hey Adam

Even I can tell the difference.     Great tip on how to take a scene and make it into something special.

Best Regards
Jim

[Floydian]

Here's a picture to put perspective... into perspective. (LOLPUN)


Ideally, when all horizontal lines, if extended, meet at one or two points, it creates the illusion of depth and 3-dimensionality.

[adroman]

A simple Rural Bridge from my MD... I brightened the picture to give it a soft, Spring morning feel too it...

[firdausabdullah]

Thanks Adam for the invaluable tips. I thinks I'm far way behind you guys in creating beautiful scenes but I guess I'm getting better. Having only had the SC4 last year, I took most of my inspirations from this wonderful website. Here is one of my rural scene picture of a waterfall viewing point, seems that the visitors are taking some snapshots with a waterfall background. It is a custom lot and the fences are from Chris Adam RRP. Appreciate your comments and suggestion.

Adrian, I have the same bridge not far away downstream  nice picture.



-firdaus-

[SeanSC4]

  I love the little overlook! Well done firdausabdullah.

[ShultzCity]

Wow! What a difference the different view made. Thanks for the clarification Adam. Floydian, that picture definitely did put it into perspective  . Despite the fact that the track in Adam's last picture is the same size, it does somehow seem to get smaller as it goes down the mountain 

[bat]

Great work on that path there, Ennedi!
Nice river and bridge picture, adroman!
Your rural shot is also beautiful and nice waterfall, firdausabdullah!

[Ennedi]

I like your picture very much, firdausabdullah! 
You have choosen a great viewing direction to look at the waterfall, the vewing point and the foam under the waterfall look fantastic! The whole picture is very good composed too 

Adam