Terragen 3 Wishlist - Ghosts of TGD Past, Present, and Future.

[sirio]

3) rendering cropped areas at full render resolution. This would be excellent to allow very flexible creation of sub-images to compose VERY large final images (outside TG).

There isn't an option in the GUI, but this can be done if you run Terragen with the -cropoutput command line option. From the command line documentation (in the docs folder on Windows or the Documentation folder on the Mac):

-cropoutput
Crop the output image(s) to the dimensions of the rendered region (defined by "crop region" and/or -tilex, -tiley), i.e. do not pad to the full image dimensions.

This works for automated renders from the command line and it also works for any render you do from the GUI if the program was started with that command line switch. If you create a batch file or shortcut that runs Terragen with the -cropoutput argument then all your renders will be saved like this. The Render View still displays the full width and height though.

On Windows, create new Batch file (a text file with the filename extension .bat), and edit it with the following:

Code Select Expand


.\tgd.exe -cropoutput


Put the .bat in the same folder as tgd.exe.

Matt

Thanks Matt. If that could be made possible within UI in future releases I'm sure non-IT users (but maybe excellent artists!) would appreciate it
Sirio

[PabloMack]

Yes, your assumptions about how things work are correct. We have improvements planned for the curve editing.

I had to edit my previous post because the Lightwave tightening parameter varies from -1 to +1 (and not from 0 to 1).

I think that even the way the Lightwave editor works could be improved. It seems that the tightening parameter mostly seems to affect how the curve exits the key. This makes it difficult to control entry into the key when the previous key has linear selected. If the control for any key were symmetrical about the key then it would be ideal. Linear would cause the smoothing of the curve to enter the key from either side under the control of the adjacent key. Linear would only relax the requirement that a line has to be smooth while passing through the key. So in linear mode, there would be a "corner" and a sudden change in direction is allowed. Then TCB would force smoothness through the key. A tightening parameter of -1 would make all curve correction happen before the key. A value of +1 would make it all happen after the key. A value of 0 would even out the correction so that it is symmetrical about the key on both sides of it. In all cases, though, the curve would be smooth. The only places where the animation line has sudden direction changes is at linear keys.

Another mode that I use quite often in Lightwave is the "Stepped" key attribute. This makes it possible to place an object out of view and suddenly make it appear at a new place with no interpolation in between. Sometimes there is a need to change an object's animation parameter instantly. Of course this mode would only affect the animated parameter during and after the key but not before. This would be a nice feature to have in TG as well. It is generally much easier to place an object out of frame until it is needed than it is to control its visibility. You could place a tree below the ground, for example, and then suddenly put it in place. Of course, if you want it to fade in, you have more work to do. Also, it takes some thinking to understand how the curve should behave between keys with different modes. The behavior of the curve between a stepped follow by linear is different from a stepped preceded by a linear and does not exhibit symmetrical behavior, for example.

[mogn]

My most wanted feature is a square and a crystalline noise.

What do you mean by Square noise, something like one of these?

[TheBadger]

Hi mogn,

That screen grab of your network and results interests me a great deal.
Would you be interested in posting a clip, number one. And number 2, would you be able to make those cubic forms much more rectangular, and perhaps increase the amount of variation between the rectangles?

[mhaze]

Hi Mogn, yes something like that but more random and organic. It would also need to be 3d so that it showed in the y direction. It would need to be smoother at the edges perhaps, like the SSS shader, with a radius or bevel option

[mogn]

Hi mogn,

That screen grab of your network and results interests me a great deal.
Would you be interested in posting a clip, number one. And number 2, would you be able to make those cubic forms much more rectangular, and perhaps increase the amount of variation between the rectangles?

Well after some thoughs (not easy considering my age) I came out with this:

[Dune]

Well, that's pretty nice, mogn. One might split up the colors and lead them to several directions if necessary. Bit of warp perhaps. Nice to experiment with this. Thanks!

[mhaze]

Thanks, it's very close to perfect but we still have continuous vertical and horizontal lines. No time to play at the moment so I'll have to leave further dev to others.

[TheBadger]

Thank you! Really interesting.

[mogn]

Hi Mogn, yes something like that but more random and organic. It would also need to be 3d so that it showed in the y direction. It would need to be smoother at the edges perhaps, like the SSS shader, with a radius or bevel option

The bevel mask is calculated from the unit size of the X and Z axes, and a bevel width (0..1).
The nodes can be found inside the Beveloutput node.

[mhaze]

Thank you mogn,  I assume I could get a more random effect by mixing noises when my render is finished I shall play

[TheBadger]

Oh man thats complex! 

[Kadri]

Oh man thats complex! 

Nah it is easy for him! This was his first toy when he was 1 years or so i heard but it could be earlier i think


[attachimg=1]

[mhaze]

Sadly this is close but black ares have bevels too which means there are a lot of "Walls floating around! but it's possible to get some interesting patterns.  Just not the sharp square edged flaky rock I'm trying for! Sorry mogn and thanks again for trying.

[Tangled-Universe]

Hi Mick and Planetside,

Voronoi noise using Manhattan distance function is more squarish and perhaps what you're looking for I think.
Although other variations certainly qualify as well or are may be even better!

Since TG's texturing stuff is inspired by the book "Texturing & Modeling, A Procedural Approach" I'd like to refer to the chapter "Cellular Texturing" starting at page 135.
Especially page 138 explains how to get interesting voronoi patterns using more simple bases of the voronoi function.
Currently the voronoi function in TG uses 2 base functions (F2-F1, and derivatives of that).
However, if you also introduce F3 and F4 bases to the function stuff can get very interesting.
On page 139 there are 20 variations of voronoi shown (utilizing more base functions), some of them are very appealing and would offer great texturing and displacement possibilities!

We now have a voronoi fractal appeared which still uses the same blue node voronoi pattern (F2-F1), but then utilizes different scales and amplitudes of that pattern to create a fractal, instead.
So we have something now with the voronoi flavour in the PF, but it's not quite there, yet.
So a more complex voronoi function seems to be desired!?
Anyway, the info/hints are in the book and on the net there are even practical coding examples available.

Mick (Mhaze), this is what you're looking for I think?
Just file an official request for it and maybe they will consider it?
Generally speaking these lengthy topics aren't considered as official request topics, but rather general discussion.
They are not being ignored, but filing an official request helps Planetside sieve the countless different wishes from the list.
These are difficult topics for them to go through since it's basically about a lot of drooling people sharing their TG feature fantasies lol
Perhaps if others and you also request for it some things perhaps may start moving, finally, since this isn't the first time it is being discussed and requested
So with some combined positive effort we may be able to give it a bump up on the priority list

Cheers,
Martin