Time for something new (a personal note)

Started by Oshyan, January 19, 2020, 02:31:12 PM

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Oshyan

Dear Terragen Community,

After some 12 years working with Planetside - and more than 20 years as part of the wonderful community that surrounds it - I have made the difficult decision to move on from my role at Planetside Software. I have been given an opportunity working in a family business in the real estate industry that I can't pass up, and it also feels like time for a change after so long. So my time with Planetside will come to an end at the conclusion of this month, January, 2020. But Terragen and Planetside have become a huge part of my daily life and I will certainly miss that, and all of you!

My journey with Terragen began in the late '90s as merely an enthusiastic user of the software. I had been dabbling in Bryce and Vista Pro before that, but the realism of Terragen is what really hooked me. And as I invested myself more and more in the software, I began to help others, write tutorials, share files, etc., just as many do here today. At some point I got in touch with Matt and he eventually offered to bring me on to the beta test team for an upcoming version of Terragen 0.8x (now called Terragen Classic). We remained in touch and one day he started showing me his new, big project, "TGD", which would become the basis for Terragen 2 and beyond. I began paid work for him not too long after that and my position developed into full-time over the following couple of years.

Through my time here I have learned and grown so much. I have had the opportunity to support and connect with numerous talented artists, people from all over the world, enthusiastic hobbyists and VFX industry professionals alike. I have been ushered into an amazing world behind the scenes of the computer graphics and visual effects industry, with several SIGGRAPH conferences under my belt now (thanks to Matt and Planetside), and multiple visits to VFX studios along the West Coast. I have made friends in this community and the industry as a whole, and am proud to have been some small part of multiple amazing productions, including planetarium shows, films, TV shows, and more.

I am grateful to Matt for the opportunity that led to all of these great things. There have been ups and downs and challenges along the way, like any small (or, indeed, large) business. But I undoubtedly have come away from my time here a better, more rounded person, with memories and experiences I will always cherish.

Computer graphics remains a passion of mine, and realistic landscapes in particular. I plan to take a break from things here while I refocus on my new career direction. But I hope very much to find the time to return in the future as a fellow artist, and I hope even more that the community thrives and grows in the meantime. I wish Matt, Terragen, and all of you the very best!

Sincerely,

Oshyan Greene

Matt

Oshyan, it's been a pleasure having your support and solidarity all these years, dealing with not just the exciting stuff but also taking care of the gritty details, both in public and behind the scenes. You've been a voice of reason and have balanced our decisions on an uncountable number of choices we've made over the years, and for that I'm extremely grateful. You have contributed so much to our business, and to Terragen, and I think many people in our community appreciate and admire your breadth of knowledge and thoroughness in helping everyone as best you can. Thank you!

I wish you all the best for the next stage of your journey. May this change bring you all the best that life has to offer, and I also hope it brings you a renewed passsion for computer graphics. I'll look forward to seeing you back here - when you're ready - and hope that you continue to be an important member of our community for many years to come.

Matt
Just because milk is white doesn't mean that clouds are made of milk.

WAS

Honestly, I did not expect this Oshyan. While I have concerns about PS operations, I always thought you'd be here and grow with PS.

I do sincerely hope you grow in your new career, and that it's full of great opportunities, friends, and great times.

sboerner

Best of luck to you, Oshyan, as you dive into this new opportunity (and many more to come, I'm sure). Of course you will be missed here.

We'll miss your calm, reassuring presence, real-world practicality and artistic sensibility. (As another former photographer, you are someone we'd have described as having a "good eye.") And technical expertise, generosity in sharing it and endless patience in explaining it.

Take care, and don't be a stranger. If and when you decide to pop back in, I'm sure you'll find us muddling along as usual.

Oshyan

Thanks guys! Thank you Matt in particular, I appreciate all that being said here. It's been quite a journey! I've always thought Terragen was something special, and it has been really cool to be part of its growth and evolution over more than a decade.

I'm sure I'll see you guys again sooner or later. Maybe when I get a Threadripper of my own. ;) 

- Oshyan


Kadri

I am really sad to hear this on my side at least as a user of terragen, but i hope you will be happy of course :)

masonspappy

Hey Oshyan, didn't see this coming and really sorry to see you go. Good luck in your new endeavor. You're a good dude!! ;D

Dune

Wow, that's great news for you, Oshyan.... but a shock to me, and many others no doubt. You've been a steady rock in the turbulent waters of TG, knowing the ins and outs, and keeping the Oshyan ( :P ) calm. I will certainly miss you, but surely hope you'll popup with render work (maybe in liason with your new real estate career?), and will be able to post some reassuring comments here now and then.
But can Matt cope without you? You played an important part, and Matt needs all his time to write codes and descriptions for all the nagging and complaining users ;)

Best of luck, Oshyan! Hope to see you around....

cyphyr

Wow!
This is very unexpected and I am actually quite (selfishly) shocked. You are like a rocky headland that held a calm space in turbulent Terragen waters. You will be missed.
I wish you the very best going forward in your new career. I am sure you will bring the same steady hand and good humour you generously gave here.
All the best and don't be a stranger.
Richard
www.richardfraservfx.com
https://www.facebook.com/RichardFraserVFX/
/|\

Ryzen 9 5950X OC@4Ghz, 64Gb (TG4 benchmark 4:13)

sjefen

This was a shock for me as well. It's really sad, but at the same time, I'm happy for you and wish you all the best!
It's gonna be strange around here without you, so I hope you can come back here and share some awesome renders from time to time.


Best regards,
Terje Hannisdal
ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/royalt

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
128 GB RAM
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

icarus51

Hi Oshyan,

I wish you the best.

I remember your answers to my questions and your courtesy and availability for the problems and difficulties of Terragen.

But life often offers us new opportunities, new challenges that we can, sometimes we have to get, when the time is right. This is our life.

Kind regards and best wishes with the hope to see you again in this community, in order to offer us your experience in this complicated field.

Thanks again for your valuable advices.

See you soon.
Claudio

j meyer

Now that's really unexpected, indeed. Never even thought that would be an option.
Certainly will have to get used to this.
Thanks for all your efforts etc., especially your patience and
good luck for your new life.

Hannes

Wow, I was just about to go to bed when I read your post, so I have to stay awake for some time...
Thanks a lot for being an important part of this wonderful community and for your work helping to make this piece of software a gem, that has really become a part of my life. This is really sad, although I understand, that sometimes a change has to be made.
I just showed your posting to my wife, and although she doesn't use Terragen or anything similar, she was really touched, since I mentioned your name a lot of times.

Oshyan, I wish you all the best, and I really hope, we'll stay in touch!!!!!!

Oshyan

Wow, thank you so much everyone! I'm tempted to reply to you all individually, but the for the moment I'll just say that I'm grateful I was able to connect with all of you, and that my work made your time in this community easier or more enjoyable. It is bittersweet to see all of your lovely messages here, and I will certainly do my best to come by from time to time.

I am happy to stay in touch with anyone here who is interested. I'm on Twitter, Facebook, and (occasionally) Instagram, either search my name, or it's probably the handle "OGreenius". And my website, where I write occasionally, is easy: http://oshyan.com

- Oshyan