A Preset Approach to Figuring Out TG3

Started by bobbystahr, May 23, 2014, 07:26:29 PM

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bobbystahr

Hi All, Noobies in particular.
Having seen quite a few requests on how this or that is done on a basic level I'd like to present The Preset Approach.
The attached render and .tgd (foldered up in the zip file) are composed entirely of the Presets available at planetside's downloads, the models (veg) also available there, and a grass and a fern plant I think from Walli...lost the readmes if they had 'em.
Also I used the canyon terrain from the Cliff dl in file sharing here. I gave it negative displacement to make it a Lake.

To easily use the .tgc files with my .tgd the place to put the Preset package is:
Documents\0TG3_presets and tgds
and extract this zip to:
Documents\0TG2Dirs\Presets and Freebies Project
for the XFROG  files I put them here:
Documents\0TG2Dirs\VEGXFROG5SpeciesTerragen2\Xfrog\BL02_Betula_lenta_Sweet_Birch
You will have to repath that.

1. My approach involved breaking up the terrain into 3 levels and as such each has a Surface layer to start with a red yellow or blue Test colour enabled. At this point I name them, I use the colour I've assigned to that layer as the name.

2. Next I attach a Distribution shader to the Mask input of each Surface layer and adjust them till colours appear where I want them to on the terrain. As I create Distribution shaders I name the thusly so the appear at the top of the Assign stack and you can easily find them:
! red Distribution shader...

3. Then I go into each Surface layer and Break connection with the Distribution shaders of each.
Alternately you could just go into the Nodes and unhook and delete the Surface layers leaving the Distribution shaders still alive floating there.

4. Next, making sure both the Tab and Nodes are focused on Shaders ( I do this as it makes everything happen at once for me) so you can see the clips insert themselves, I insert a few clip files and allow TG3 to connect for me.  File>Insert Clip File..navigate to where you extracted the Presets and select (one at a time obviously).

5. I also added a Cloud clip when I was focused on the Atmosphere Tab and Node area.

6. I also added a lake but you may not want to.

7. Next I start assigning the previously created Distribution shaders by clicking the + next to the Mask on the Surface layer selected, selecting Asign Shader and selecting the Distribution shader you want to use of the 3 you've created...they will need adjusting as they have Altitude and/or Slope settings internally; you can adjust them the same as the distribution shader to restrict them to that specific area.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Do not resist the urge to tweak the presets...that's how you learn what they do.
Test Render.
Render.

I have added to the zip, canyon.ter from the Cliff in File Sharing, and grass 5.tgo and fern02.tgo which were given to the community for free by the very generous Walli. The Sweet Birch is from the XFROG free pack.
As they were free i figured it was O K to add them to the project folder so you just have to unzip one thing to one place and then double clicking the .tgd will open it in TG3 if you've put the Presets where I indicated.
I have also included a 2nd Camera; Camera 01 for a different view.
too large to upload here so good old send space. I'll keep this active by dl ing it once a week.

Check this out and explore all the Tabs...then start fresh and do your own.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6ncp11
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

archonforest

Thx for the initiative ;)
I will chk this out for sure!
Dell T5500 with Dual Hexa Xeon CPU 3Ghz, 32Gb ram, GTX 1080
Amiga 1200 8Mb ram, 8Gb ssd

oldm4n


bobbystahr

If the link runs out just post here and I'll see that and refresh the package....just dawned on me that the net is forever and free shares ain't, heh heh heh...no problem, just have to push a button.
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

RedSquare



bobbystahr

#6
Quote from: RedSquare on October 25, 2014, 04:44:13 PM
He is dead, dead,dead.   :(

Heh heh heh...been so long since anyone hit on this (5+ months) I have to re upload it. Will post the link here when it's done. Have to find all the parts and re-assemble this as I seem to have deleted the original folder from lack of interest and need for space.
Thanks for the interest.

O K   here it is

https://www.sendspace.com/file/khmk7m
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

RedSquare

 :) Thank you very much.  :D  Done and done.

Roy

bobbystahr

Quote from: RedSquare on October 27, 2014, 04:30:59 PM
:) Thank you very much.  :D  Done and done.

Roy

nice to be useful instead of 'asking' for a change...you're most welcome
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

Erwin0265

Interesting idea; I will have to have a play of this.
BTW; you mention presets available at the Planetside website. Where? I have never seen any presets.............................
PLMK
Thanks for the time you have put into creating this for us less TG3 knowledgeable.................... :D
OK, who farted?

bobbystahr

#10
Quote from: Erwin0265 on December 03, 2014, 05:04:11 PM
Interesting idea; I will have to have a play of this.
BTW; you mention presets available at the Planetside website. Where? I have never seen any presets.............................
PLMK
Thanks for the time you have put into creating this for us less TG3 knowledgeable.................... :D

Scroll to the bottom the linked page,lots of stuff there, the free XFROG models and 10 Silva veg models as well...

http://planetside.co.uk/products/download-tg3
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

bobbystahr

Quote from: bobbystahr on December 03, 2014, 08:48:42 PM
Quote from: Erwin0265 on December 03, 2014, 05:04:11 PM
Interesting idea; I will have to have a play of this.
BTW; you mention presets available at the Planetside website. Where? I have never seen any presets.............................
PLMK
Thanks for the time you have put into creating this for us less TG3 knowledgeable.................... :D

Scroll to the bottom the linked page,lots of stuff there, the free XFROG models and 10 Silva veg models as well...

http://planetside.co.uk/products/download-tg3


Hiya...they've fixed the page and all the previous freebies including the presets zip are at the very bottom of the page.

http://www.planetside.co.uk/products/download-terragen-3

something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

rajm

Thanks for the addition of a reply making this thread more visible! Your zip link to sendspace has gone again - could you put it up please?

bobbystahr

#13
Well that was put up before my cpu melt down and I lost the original but here is another version with only the default grass clump...lots of free stuff available on the XFROG site under samples if you need trees as well as the PS site where the presets live.
I start with the Default P F terrain (untweaked in this case but I always at least change flavours) and break it up with Surface layers either with the adjustments within the Surface layer or an added Distribution shader in the 'Mask by shader' using the preview colour to see where it's going. I neglected to do this in the file but just select a different test colour (Enable test colour) for each layer; I go garish/contrasty so things show well.
Basically the presets used by me in this which include the Atmosphere ( only the Altocumulus chain was the clip, I just ran the default atmo through it and the Altocumulus to the Planet atomosphere plug) have been tweaked a fair bit but they are a good start point.
When you insert a .tgc I find the best option is to use the 'add option' because that way you can move the sometimes weighty network that comprises it off to the left or right and just connect it's output to the layer you want.
I hope the way I have this set up retains it's 'shape' in the node panel so you can see the method.
NOTE: Fake Stones applied as a Child to a Surface layer with a texture on it will retain their own texture if Smoothing is applied on the parent Surface layer
I included 2 pops as the 'grass clump' is a procedural and the Grand Fir is in the XFROG  5 species freebies. You will just have to redirect that to where you have it in you computer. You will notice in the Render view this opens to that there is a straggler Fir tree in the middle...this is the focus of the Ground View camera where I scaled the Fakestones and grass clump from. The fir comes in at real world scale so it's a handy object to use for me.
I also replaced the procedural textures on the FSs with 3 image maps and if you inspect that you'll be able to see what needs reconnecting (the Colour adjusts to where the image maps are) for the grey stone textures to appear. To get maps to show on the FSs you have to unclick the 'Apply colour' and 'Colour variation' on each FS instance. I have included the 3 maps and if you extract the .zip using folders(?) you should be able to run this as is just by re-pathing the fir trees.

Here'as the new link

https://www.sendspace.com/file/6k3m2r

EDIT
a couple of sample renders, with no trees render camera and a Ground view 2nd camera plus a detail of the texture detailed.
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

bobbystahr

well 4 dl's so far...any queries feel free to ask here.
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist