Terragen 2 or Vue 6 for High School Project

Started by note235, September 09, 2007, 10:20:32 AM

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note235

So for a high school assembly i want to create a world with some fly bys.
Incorporating real life videos and cg
Using AE CS3 since my new high school just got them
What would be a good software to create our world?
or different parts, like a desert, a tundra, rain forst
No cities just plains

I have about 20 computers at miniumum to use and i might be able to use any at the computer labs since i am not in a CAD class then its about 20 more, and if possible in the whole school there are about 400. They are all Dual Core. Dont know the specs since they are arriving next week.

Thinking about Vue 6 or Terragen 2.

Its about 2:30 minutes long
1:00 to 1:30 will be CG and the rest real live footage
Here is the song that will be used

rcallicotte

Some of this might depend on your level of expertise.  A lot might, actually.  Either program will require some wisdom in using it.

Of course, I'd recommend TG2.  Almost not a fair question around here (Terragen 2's forums), if you catch my subtle inference.  You can do what you want to do with TG2.  See http://www.digitaldomain.com for examples; nevertheless, these guys are professionals, but they used a modified TG2 for some of their work.
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

Will

#2
How much time do you have? I would say Vue at the moment just because Terragen is still in development and the UI can be a little daunting to those unfamiliar to node networks.

Edit: no I in terragen...
The world is round... so you have to use spherical projection.

rcallicotte

Will, I was going to say that but felt like Judas Iscariot.

Glad someone had the balls.   ;D
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

old_blaggard

However, if you are more comfortable with Terragen, then I would recommend using that.  You should also keep in mind the kind of animating you want to do - for intense control over objects, Vue is probably the way to go; for great clouds and displacement, I would recommend Terragen.
http://www.terragen.org - A great Terragen resource with models, contests, galleries, and forums.

Oshyan

Keep in mind the costs for either route you go. You will need to purchase additional render nodes of either app to take advantage of all those systems and the base cost of the app is also a factor - TG2 is available at a significant discount right now at the pre-purchase price.

Depending on your time constraints it may be worth waiting to see what the final version of TG2 (due later this year) will be able to do as far as render times, etc. If you are comfortable with the TG2 UI, or can use some of the .tgd and clip files available here from other users to give you a jump start, you will probably find the quality of TG2 to be superior overall.

- Oshyan

Will

good-point, and just another point I guess that I would state, I use both Vue and terragen and I like terragen's handling of terrain better. oh and welcome back Oshyan, hope you enjoyed your vacation!
The world is round... so you have to use spherical projection.

moodflow

I've got and use both apps.  Here is the raw deal:

Both can do macro and micro scenes, but they have their specialty.

TG2 is the best for rendering macro scenes and large planetary fly throughs.  Nothing else comes close, not even Vue, in imagery or ease of use (for that purpose).  It can also do up close scenes, but its a bit more intensive than Vue for this.

So I think TG2 is the call here.

However, if you want up-close, tons of foliage, with little camera movement, then Vue is probably the best call (for now).
http://www.moodflow.com
mood-inspiring images and music

note235

Its January 12 the day of the presentation
i was extremely comfortable in TG1
I learn really quickly and really need to
The miniumum amount of computers-24 might be able to do 500

I could use Vue 6.5 PLE
I would like fly throughs and will incorporate chroma keying effects by AECS3 which thankfully i can do
How hard would it be to create the scenes in TG2 tech preview?
would 24 computers be able to do that in 4 months?
They are
DC Macs
2GB each
and thats all i know
they have not arrived yet
They scenes do not have to be intricate
the final scene is an eclipse one and thats the hardest
thanks guys for replying
appreciate this
i need your guys help

old_blaggard

I think you could easily do this in 4 months, as long as you aren't shooting for ridiculous HD quality.  I don't think you would need to purchase additional nodes, and I can say from experience that the DC Macs are quite speedy.  They're probably iMacs, running at either 2.0 or 2.4Ghz each (or 2.8 if your school is ridiculous ;)).  If you don't have Deep+Animation yet and aren't willing to spend the money, I would go with Vue.  However, I would just recommend using the application you are most comfortable with personally: you have a large enough time frame that I think things will work either way.
http://www.terragen.org - A great Terragen resource with models, contests, galleries, and forums.

Oshyan

If you don't mind the watermarking of Vue PLE then yes you could use that, depending on the license restrictions for output (and the resolution restrictions for animation output). Otherwise you'd have to purchase and filling out those systems with render nodes would be pricey. Quite frankly if you're comfortable with TG 0.9 you might want to think about just working with that. You can render reasonable resolution and detail fairly fast even with the free version and that would help with node purchase costs. WIth TG2 or Vue you're probably going to have to make some expensive purchases in software just to take advantage of your hardware.

- Oshyan

note235

#11
well the school has i believe an 1080p projector

thanks Oshyan

how big is the watermark on PLE?
but Vue cannot seem to do the Macro Planets thing TG2 can, maybe a mix?
thanks again

so here is the situation at hand

1:30 CG
3:00 total movie
Song is this one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=4vN2CEMLyVk
Vue 6.5 and or TG2
Adobe AE CS3 with various plugins
Adobe PS CS3
Adobe Premier Pro CS3
Adobe SoundBooth CS3
Audacity 1.3
Sony Vegas 7.0e
Fly by of the world, or different parts fly by

Oshyan

Vue would definitely have a hard time dealing with any full planetary representation or even particularly large scale terrains. You would have to use a lot of cuts and fades to hide the transitions and many different scene configurations.

You will have to see for yourself what the PLE watermark looks like. I believe there are a number of images in the Renderosity Vue galleries that have it.

- Oshyan