Recent WIP for community.
Proxies are way to go times not too bad, avg 13 min @ 864x486, stored GI, high AI settings, on a Dual Core - Dual CPU, 2Gb, rack blade.
looks good, gotta love all those trees. 
I like the fog, is it volume or in the materials?
very nice job, I like it!!
Can u talk about your vray parameters/lighting 
Very Nice mate 8) Some nice trees you’ve got there! 
JOW - Trees!
:lol: Thanks Justin!!!
If anyone needs any custom trees modeled or Xfrogs tweaked JOW is your MAN!!!
Thanks again for your help with those!
that’s a nice piece of work you have there.
cool
Settings
Fog is created in post using the ZBuffer map and few AE effects, simple but effective. Lighting is also simple: just a single colored Max direct light and environment color pushed towards blue, trying to create a morning look.
Thanx!
Thanks man, glad to help
men this trees looks great!!!, opacity? or just mash with color?
nice job.
Looks really nice mate!!
Well done.
really nice stuff
great warmth from the image, great work
Tom
Mesh Trees
Tomer - Trees are Xfrogs that were converted to all geometry, opacity leaves kill render times 
i know that, that’s why i am asking, because your trees look awesome
so you use different color on the leaves?
can you share with me one tree?
my mail is tomer@3dvision.co.il
thx,
ps
i saw your post in evermotion also,good work.
by.
Re: Settings
I spoke with a friend who has AE and he was unfamiliar with AE using ZBuffer map. I was wondering if you had to save the animation out as a different file type and was wondering what other effects you used in AE.
(I don’t own AE but am curious and would consider getting it if it made a difference)
thanks.
mh
ZDepth
ZBuffer or actually ZDepth map is rendered out of Max through Vray Render Elements. It’s basically a B&W depth map; what’s close is white and further away is black. Then just load into AE and use as it as a mask to display effects put on for fog etc. Does this make sense?
Re: ZDepth
yep…so, if i may be so bold, what were the effects you used? How did they change the original and why AE and not Combustion?
mh
Mainly just desaturation and added some whiteness. Basically use AE just like Photoshop, except it’s for animations not stills. Don’t have or know Combustion so AE it is!
Very nice! Great outdoor-morning feeling.
Your tree-approach sounds very interesting. But if a tree model uses leafs with alpha-maps, how can you “convert” them to non-alpha then? Or do you simple just kill the alpha, so that every leaf get the shape of a plane?
I’m not exactly sold on the Z-Depth treatment. It seems more like a soft focus for some reason and it makes it look like a miniature. I think it may be the fact the the atmospheric should be more in world Z instead of camera Z. Otherwise, it looks cool. Trees and ground are well done. The rooftops may be a bit bright and the water too blue and perfect.