The specular "sunny trail" of ground & plants helped add depth to scenes before. But, now the fresnel enhancements all work together to help make things "pop". The hill below the sun highlights more with fresnel as the surface becomes more parallel to your view. The specular "sunny trail" of the ground and plants makes the part just below the sun a bit brighter. The fresnel on the asphalt helps it look shinier, while on the dirt road it helps texture details stand out. The fresnel even helps add contrast to the shadow, letting rocks stand out a bit, acting like ambient light bouncing around into shadows to highlight details.
Since the fresnel acts like a fading highlight, it also helps blend transitions between shadow and light, as seen on the hill edges. So, it acts as a faux anti-aliasing.
The specular "sunny trail" of ground & plants helped add depth to scenes before. But, now the fresnel enhancements all work together to help make things "pop". The hill below the sun highlights more with fresnel as the surface becomes more parallel to your view. The specular "sunny trail" of the ground and plants makes the part just below the sun a bit brighter. The fresnel on the asphalt helps it look shinier, while on the dirt road it helps texture details stand out. The fresnel even helps add contrast to the shadow, letting rocks stand out a bit, acting like ambient light bouncing around into shadows to highlight details.
Since the fresnel acts like a fading highlight, it also helps blend transitions between shadow and light, as seen on the hill edges. So, it acts as a faux anti-aliasing.