Terragen 3 is FreeYou can use the Free version of Terragen 3 to enter the VR Challenge. Terragen 3 Free is available for Windows and Mac for 32 and 64 bit installations. Download here:
http://planetside.co.uk/products/download-terragen-3Beginning Documentation and TutorialsOur official documentation is here in our Wiki:
http://planetside.co.uk/wikiGeekAtPlay provides several good tutorial video collections, some available for free streaming:
http://geekatplay.com/terragen-tutorials.phpTerraLive was a live streamed demo and tutorial event for Terragen that remains relevant and valuable to this day:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,15342.0.htmlThese older introductory tutorials for Terragen 2 by Martin Huisman are also still very useful and applicable to Terragen 3:
http://cgscenery.com/basicAn older but still relevant post on render setting recommendations for beginners:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,6442.0.htmlResources, Example Files, Plant Models, Shaders, etc.We offer a sampling of free Terragen example scenes, surface shaders, plant models, and more in the Free Downloads section of our site:
http://planetside.co.uk/products/download-terragen-3(scroll to the bottom)
We also have 5 beautiful, high quality, and free Xfrog models for download here:
http://planetside.co.uk/products/xfrogplants-free-samplesThe File Sharing section of these forums has a wealth of various kinds of scene and clip files to perform a wide variety of functions. It can take some digging to find the real gems because there are a lot of posts, but there is some great content there, and all shared for free.
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/board,14.0.htmlNew World Digital Art (NWDA) offers a large selection of high quality Terragen shaders, projects, plant models, and more, including sophisticated techniques for creating procedural roads and railroads, arches, beach waves, sand, and even whole planets, plus a lot more. This content will likely be one of the most valuable quick-start resources.
http://www.store.nwdastore.com/Xfrog offers a huge variety of high quality plant models. You can download some free Xfrog objects on our website and at
Xfrog.comhttp://planetside.co.uk/products/download-terragen-3 (scroll down for free object sampler)
http://xfrog.com/category/samples.htmlYou can buy large collections of Xfrog models at a very good price in our online store:
http://planetside.co.uk/buy/buy-xfrog-plantsSilva3D also offers a good selection of affordable plant models:
http://www.silva3d.com/Luc Bianco also offers a small but very high quality selection of pre-made TGDs and effects such as cumulus clouds, rocks, etc. that can be easily modified and used in your scenes.
http://www.lucbianco.fr/store/Also don't forget to check out the Fractal Procedural Erosion shader available in a free public beta here:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,20752.0.htmlA selection of Silva3D and Xfrog objects also comes with licensed versions of Terragen 3.
Finally, any other provider of 3D models in OBJ format should be compatible with Terragen 3. That includes ArchModels, Dosch, and many more. Models from Speedtree and Plant Factory are also compatible.
(Plant Factory assets cannot be used in the VR Challenge due to licensing restrictions, but we do have license to use SpeedTree models.)Advanced TechniquesThose of you with a lot of experience in other shader-based apps, especially those with node networks, will generally have a leg-up on learning Terragen. Use of other applications like Zbrush with Vector Displacement and other such functions is also very useful. Below are a bunch of different ways of working with Terragen in advanced ways that may be informed by your experience in other apps.
Function Nodes (how to build shaders from scratch)
Function Nodes are mathematical shader operators in Terragen that allow you to build your own unique shader networks to do creative new things. They're not for everyone, but if you're a shader wizard in other applications you might be able to pull off some really cool things very quickly. Here are some examples of how to work with Function Nodes in Terragen 3:
A Function Only Landscape, Parts 1-4:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1166.0.htmlhttp://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1167.0.htmlhttp://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1168.0.htmlhttp://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1169.0.htmlFunction-based landscape:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,195.0.htmlA Double Helix:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,1871.msg18265.html#msg18265Building sand dunes:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,18400.0.htmlVector DisplacementVector Displacement is one of the most effective ways of bringing in detailed sculpts and other complex geometry from applications like Mudbox, Zbrush, etc. Using the following tools and methods you can get very good explicit control over terrain shapes, while still benefitting from Terragen's powerful procedural displacement and texturing functions.
Long discussion of how to use Vector Displacement Maps in TG3:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,16110.msg157010.html#msg157010Vector Displacement instructions for Zbrush:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,16480.msg161370.html#msg161370Example Vector Displacement files:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,20084.0.htmlAdjusting Vector Displacement:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,16183.msg157879.html#msg157879Applying externally edited texture maps to Vector Displacement in Terragen:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,19551.msg192136.html#msg192136Exporting Vector Displacement from Terragen (for modifying/sculpting in other apps):
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,21240.msg212990.html#msg212990Tutorial for exporting Vector Displacement from Terragen (see above):
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,21311.0.htmlThis list may be updated periodically. The most recent edit date will be noted here.
Last Edited: March 11, 2016- Oshyan