The horse ain't dead yet.

[TheBadger]

Hey,
Wanted to make yet another request.

Been working in TG  pretty steady lately. Trying to think on ways to make anything I do easier for my self. So yeah this is a feature request, but this time not so much a wish item as something I guess would be doable in TG.

As I have been working it came to me that there is not really any one thing in TG that is too hard to do (never mind functions, lets ignore that here). What makes TG really really difficult and somewhat tiring to work with is trying to do several things and make them play well in combination. That is, building long complex node trees that accomplish what you set out to do.

One of the big changes I made in the way I work lately is to work in small parts in individual scenes (TGDs) and then bring them together in a final TGD via TGCs, once the individual parts are done. IT has helped me a lot to not become overwhelmed or frustrated with the complexities of big ideas and huge node trees. I spend more time finishing a scene now rather than starting one, which is a relative distinction, but a step forward for me. Yeah I am a slow bloomer 

Another thing I committed my self to doing was to use as few nodes as possible (as much as I can figgure out) for any terrain feature I try to build. Nothing new about that for TGers I guess, but for me it has really forced me to think about efficiency in my work time, rather than wish items like magic buttons .

So as I have tried to squeeze every last bit of use out of any one node (using one node to do multiple things with, or through). I found that my node chains get smaller and less complex while doing as much if not more than I was achieving before. This in turn makes it much easier for me to explain to my self how to do something, and why something I have already done is or is not working the way I want. Yes I talk to my self when using 3D software, mostly curse words.

Anyway here it is. As I have been working this out for my self I found that just one thing would make how I have been trying to compartmentalize all the techniques and methods of using Terragen, and make my node trees simple, efficient, faster (in terms of construction) and even, 'elegant' (if I dare say). And that is redundant inputs in (primarily but perhaps not only) the all powerful Power Fractal.

3 mask inputs for the PF would be ideal, each with its own controls in the parameters. But just 2 (one more than now) would be great! And I have to underline this, it would really help a lot for all that I have mentioned in this thread.

I have managed to get a number of things through the one input, but it becomes increasingly difficult after two (requires more nodes). And in particular, when you have to invert the mask or change some setting for the mask in the PF for one of the masks but not others, it gets a little tricky. But even so, I end up with fewer nodes and a cleaner work space.

I know that in some ways its just perception. Since I am doing pretty much all the same work. And that, that there are fewer nodes, or just a more orderly tree, in part just makes me feel like it is easier, or more simple.
But it is also functionally better in terms of controling the PF more directly. Plugging the effects directly into the PF is easier to work with than building branches above and below the PF. It makes things easier to toggle on and off, remove and replace. And I can't state this enough, using fewer nodes to do the same work just makes things better. And obviously it would be a whole lot easier to use multiple clips on one node.

So there you go. Thats my ask. one or two more mask inputs in the power fractal.

You more clever TGers may know of some other nodes that could use more inputs. Or why I am just wrong. And I would like to hear arguments in either case. But just from working I am sure that additional inputs would be great for me.

Lastly, I also wanted to ask why this could not be implemented if it can't be (or there is no time to do it). I know that there is not much that PS has not heard or thought of them selves. But They are also really good about responding to these kinds of threads (which is really a good thing; open door polices are best!) But this is not a request for a super complex feature that has to be built from scratch. Its already here, just want it tripled, so that PFs will be trice as nice

Yeah I could go on an on. And probably will... But Ill stop for now. You are probably bored and want the time it took to read this back. But its too late.

Thanks for reading.

[Hetzen]

Glad its all coming together for you. Here's a little trick that might help with masks. It has its pitfalls, but it does clean a lot of space.

Right click on the maximise button on you node window and click "Open in new window" This will make another view of your network. Drop a Null shader in there, call it "00MASKS" then right click on it to open the "internal network". If you put your SSSs and image maps in here, then go back to your first network window, you can access them by right clicking on say a PF mask input, then choose Assign Shader, which will bring up a list of all the nodes in your scene. But right at the top will be a sub group called "00Masks" Hover on that and you can access everything within that.

What will happen, is instead of a line connecting the nodes, a little down arrow will appear.

What is good about this, is you can easily add, subtract or multiply anything that lives in "00MASKS" to connect to your PF. It seriously helps with populations, you can even loop the output of your compute terrain to a null shader input inside "00MASKS", and use the assign shader method to connect it to your pop nodes.

It's quite cool. Anyway, just throwing it out there.

[yossam]

Thank you Hetzen............learned something today. 

[bobbystahr]

What will happen, is instead of a line connecting the nodes, a little down arrow will appear.

What is good about this, is you can easily add, subtract or multiply anything that lives in "00MASKS" to connect to your PF. It seriously helps with populations, you can even loop the output of your compute terrain to a null shader input inside "00MASKS", and use the assign shader method to connect it to your pop nodes.

It's quite cool. Anyway, just throwing it out there.

Wow...an A level tip. Always wondered about the mechanics of this but never did locate a doc on the how to....this should go in the WIKI it's so important. Thanks for 'splainin' this man, it's really appreciated.
What I  do now is title all my masks, distribution shaders and paint shaders with an ! in front of the title and it brings anything titled thusly to the top of the right click list. Similar but your method eliminates those confusing lines.

[Dune]

Yes, I do that also. Though when it's not as complicated, it's easier to see the lines than not see them. Mainly because of the following (probably one of the pitfalls Jon mentioned); it's easy to see there's an 'incoming node'. The only problem is that it's sometimes hard to find where the arrow is going to. Hovering or rightclicking doesn't tell you, like hovering over an incoming node does. I'd like that as an extra feature.

[Hetzen]

Yes you are right Ulco. One of the major flaws with this method, is being able to save clip files or copying and pasting into another scene. All the links will break due to TG having to run its renaming method. So it should only be used in your master scene.