Reformation

I'm shifting the tone of this project.  The last image was just too cool to ignore.  I've got to focus on real-looking scenes, and the second-to-last image that I posted just didn't come near the last one in terms of believability.  I think emphasizing the gas is critical, and the beam just isn't working out.

Here's my current attempt to change the direction of the project:

I added a postprocess kernel to the tracer that (finally) performs tonemapping.  The tonemapping is quite nice; I used the filmic (global) tonemapping operator given in the Uncharted 2 lighting presentation.  It works really well! I also added a bloom filter to give the sun a "brighter" feel, as well as to hide those jaggies.  I'd say everything is looking much more polished.

Next step is to play with asteroids and see if they're going to fit into this new composition.  I really hope so, as I don't want all of my old work to go to waste (I mean...you already can't see the beautiful ship detail/metal BRDF...)