Here’s a test for alltakens tree picture. The tree itself need to be redone and more detail in the well %| . I’ll also add some detail to the horizon
//styken
www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=175&fullsize=1
i am totally loving the big chains on the image, amke the tree look like its damn heavy (in the other direction LOL)
lookign forward to it
Alltaken
the chain doesn’t seem to hang right. Not all of the links are being pulled down by gravity and not everything is being pulled up by the floating island. Pieces of it seem to hover in dead space. That said, the modeling looks clean and the lighting is good. I like the spike/nail, although it’s a bit hard to see.
The chains and the base are great but the tree and the landscape need some work. As does the hole. Extude down at least to give the “tube” appearance. I think that will help you plan out your lighting and texturing too if you don’t have a lot of time to model the bricks.
Thanks for the replies. Here’s an update. Right chain modded to look more like it’s affected by gravity %| . Texture in well. New overall lighting modification.
Todo: TREE 
, more global lights, better well. Mod left chain.
http://www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=177&fullsize=1
While at it I added some more lights!
//styken
http://www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=178&fullsize=1
Started on the tree :-? All the leaves even makes my A64 go to its knees 
//styken
http://www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=179&fullsize=1
The chains look really good, i like the sky also.
Good work and keep it up.
Thanks for crits! Only change this time is that I scaled up the leaves a bit to look more uniform to the tree size!
//styken
http://www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=180&fullsize=1
good job on the tree! me like the leaves. 
Oooh this is very much nicer. I love the bright orange and the texture of the walls of the pit. Fantastic improvement. Your tree looks highly detailed too. Bring it out more with some lights
Ok, thanks again for comments! I added some more light to the tree.
I also did a full render which shows how badly the well needs my attention…
TODO: well and better ground texture
//styken
[small - 243k]
http://www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=185&fullsize=1
[large - 784k]
http://www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=186&fullsize=1
Here’s my last update! Changed texture on ground and added a rim of bricks around the well.
//styken
http://www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=187&fullsize=1
as i said before - nice chains. Those brick look nice, i like the leaves too.
Wow, this is definitely coming along nicely. I also like those bricks. Ground texture is also much better. Are you mapping to nor? I can’t really tell if you are. If you’re not, try it out.
The leaves look a bit flat to me. It doesn’t seem like they’re in front or behind each other; it just looks like a Billboard or Halo game texture or something. Maybe add some interior leaves? Rotate the tree?
There seems to be a problem in the right-most chain in the image. The fourth and fifth links off of the tree seem to not be hanging downwards. They seem to be floating like the tree. It might just be the view though.
Also, those things inside the pit are giving some strange sense of depth. I thought they were hooks or something attached to the rim of the well at first. Probably because of the shadow above them. You should probably change their color or something to provide more contrast between them and the wall of the well. Or you could soften the shadows, since I think that’s what threw me off.
Sorry about such a long-winded post; I’m just trying to give suggestions for improvement. Oh yes, just a question: about how long does each render take?
Thanks for the replies!
DVirus101
: about the leaves they’re actually “real” leaves put around the tree, I removed those that are not visible from the camera but otherwise they’re put equally around the tree, it migth be the local light I put on the tree that makes the leaves look flatter?
: you’re right about the chain link, look wrong!
: yes the well/pit is not so well done, I’ve sort of rushed that. I really want to do some bricks/stones on the wall instead of texture.
: the ground texture was nor mapped at start but the render times sort of exploded exponentially when the render reached the area behind the well. It might be some problems when the texture looses definition and just get blurred at distances.
: right now with ~500k vertices and ~600k faces the render time on my A64 3000 is about 5 minutes for a 50% view and OSA at 8.
and again thanks for the replies.
//styken
closing in on a final!
:Added more leaves to the back of tree that don’t receive direct light to add more depth to it.
:Changed right chain to look more real.
:Upped the nor value on well/pit texture.
:Added more detail to structure in well.
//styken
http://www.blenderman.org/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimagepopup&pid=189&fullsize=1