SceneScapes X5 - Paved In Stone.

Welcome to SceneScapes. This is a modular construction set for building custom architecture for outdoor scenes. This is an ongoing and evolving range that we will be adding more to yet, amongst all the other content we make.

To install, copy the Runtime folder from the zip archive and copy it to your Poser folder that already contains a Runtime folder. Once you have unpacked SceneScapes, your new props will be located here:
Runtime:Libraries:P5rops:MortemVetus:SceneScapes:Elevation:

Please note, if you bought any of the SceneScapes packs up to and including X5 - Paved In Stone, the props will be in different folders, for which we apologise, but SceneScapes came into being before we became Mortem Vetus and indeed before we even got together. X6 - Castle Creatot does have the correct library structure. With this re-packing for Renderosity, we've taken the time to update all the libraries to properly place them where all further packs will go.

Ok, so let's get started. The very first thing we need to do is set our Poser units to 'Meters'. Please refer to Chapter 1 to recap on doing this. We will be continuing with the scene from the last chapter and we'll be using that scene all the way through this guide up to X5. Again, we'll be using PoserPro2014.

Once our units are set, we can start bringing some props in. Like The Vault and The Bell Tower, these are presented as figures. Unlike those however, there is no defining start point, so we'll just take the first one from that folder, then run through them all to illustrate how they fit into the SceneScapes way of things.


Image 6.1: Loading props

As we've discussed in previous chapters, it's a good idea to create a parent base. We'll use the Path-End1  as our parent and we'll attach all further pieces to this one.

The primary  purpose of this pack was to expand the SceneScapes flooring options. Until the point, the only floors in SceneScapes were the Even/Uneven Flagstones pieces from the first pack.  In image 6.1 above, we can see our first loaded piece, and as we can see straight away, this is rather different to the existing flagstones sections. The pieces in this pack fall into two broad groups, Path and PathLGE. The Path pieces do not go the full width of the object, whereas the PathLGE pieces go from edge to edge. Except for one piece each, all the included pieces have varying stones missing. There are a couple of types that Path has, and PathLGE doesn't as we'll see.

Each of the included types has 4 options. So in the image above, we can see the Path-End pieces, 1 to 4. As the name suggests, these type pieces are best used for ends of paths, though they don't have to be as we'll see. For our next piece, we'll look a bit further down the folder, and we're going to load Path3 next. Again, these work on the basis of 3 metre squares. This time, we'll want to bring the new piece towards the camera instead of away from it. If we'd chosen one of the complete stones pieces, we could have started by going back, but we want to try and demonstrate  that these props can be used in more or less any configuration. As with the older flagstones sections, these will all move 3 metres at a time, so to bring the new piece forward, we want to enter 3 in the zTran dial, which results in image 6.2 below.


Image 6.2: Path sections

We can see that the new piece is much more filled in than the Path-End1 piece, with fewer stones missing. There are two Path and PathLGE pieces that have no stones missing, just different arrangements of stones. The idea was to create as much difference in the pieces as possible, to create interest and avoid obvious repetition.

Now, for all that Path-End1 is supposed to be and end, it doesn't have to be. Next up, we've loaded Path-End2 and moved it away 3 metres, as shown in image 6.3 below. Instead of two ends, we now have what appears to be a section of path with quite a few stones missing, and by using different pieces in this way, we can achieve a lot of differing configurations.

Next we've removed our starting piece and replaced it with Path-XRoad1. This gives us the opportunity to go side to side with our path. Note, the Path-TEE sections work the same, but only have one branch rather than two. In image 6.3 below, we've added a path piece to each side, and positioned/ rotated them accordingly, and we can see we have a crossroads. We could have used Path-Ends for the branches, there are few restrictions for arranging the pieces, which means greater freedom to create something interesting and non-repetative.


Image 6.3: Crossroads

In image 6.4 below, we've replaced all our existing props with PathLGE pieces, creating a crossraods from the wider pieces. In the centre, we used one of the PathLGE pieces that has no missing stones and then we added a mixture of PathLGE and PathLGE-Ends. Because the large sections go all the way to the edges, we can effetively use them in any orientation, whereas the narrower pieces are constrained a little by their width of stones.


Image 6.4: Larger Crossroads

As we've seen the pieces can be arranged in many ways with only a few limitations. To make everything even more versatile, there are various ways we can customise this all further. For starters, we can remove the stones in altogether, as shown in image 6.5 below. Each of these props has two bodyparts, a base (the dirt) and the paving stones. By turning off the visibility of the stones, we're left with just a patch of dirt.


Image 6.5: Turning body parts off

In addition we can also change the surfaces of both the dirt and the stones with the included MAT poses. In image 6.6 below, we've changed both the dirt and the stoneson the right hand piece. Make sure to use consistent materials throughout for the best results. The first MAT option for each part resets them to the default loading materials.


Image 6.6: MAT poses changing materials

Finally, we've opened one of our previous saves and filled in some paths as shown in image6.7 below.


Image 6.7: Adding to existing scene.

We're going to leave this scene as a new pz3 this time, and use it for the next chapters of the User Guide. We'd suggest using just a few pieces to begin with, to get used to how it all slots together.
We hope you enjoy using this pack and as always, we look forward to seeing what you render with it.

Best wishes and happy rendering,
Andrew and Tracey
(MortemVetus)