Here's an early version of the patio. The background consisted of trees created for earlier autumn scenes. The mountains were a granite based height_field.
Back to the original trees :-(. The regular coast wasn't very realistic. I experimented with various height_fields. The table and chairs were from the Resort Laerton project.
Work continued on the mountain. Again, a lot of trial and error was involved to get the right shape and texture.
Unsatisified with the distant trees, I tried various other models - none of them were satisfactory to me. I was also trying to work out what kind of flooring to use. I alternated between a rich wood texture, ceramic tiles and stone.
Eventually, I settled on a more pleasing height field for the shore. Originally, the height_field started in front of the camera. It was always a challenge to make sure that the height_field's entire edge started below the water. Later, I realized that it would be easier to place the patio in the middle of the height_field. After lots of trial and error, I found an acceptable combination of height_field and position to generate a pretty lake. Work started on a mountain as well.
Here's a closeup of the shore and the mountain. The mountain texture used a lot of turbulence to scatter the snow.
