How do you apply an image map to a terrain? Am I barking up the wrong tree?

Shield Wulf · May 05, 2020, 10:18:52 PM

Hi Everybody..

Why do I feel like I am in a Simpsons episode for some reason? Please help.....

Okay I've reached my doh factor for today and can't seem to see how to apply an image map to a terrain. So you have all these fantastic textures for dosch and wherever and want to apply them to you terrain. I've tried image map, geo map. I just keep getting the default drab colors like when you assign a color to see how it looks in the preview window. Man I am completely not finding how to do this. I even strained my TG so hard that it crashed on me. But after fixing all that I still can't see how to apply all these wonderful textures I see like people are posting with wonderful looking layers via stratification that will not come out in the render for me. Oh it will let me assign them and load them up but not in the render. What am I doing wrong here? Does the image have to be of a type where it doesn't repeat itself (procedural)?

Well besides this I don't consider today a total waste trying to get TG to do assign textures I learned how to get DEM data into TG, that is totally cool.

Thanks for all your help, I really do appreciate your help with everything TG related. You guys are the best.......
Randy sometimes feeling like homer.....

Ariel DK · May 06, 2020, 01:15:25 AM

Hi Randy, what kind of image map are you trying to apply? it could be really difficult to know what is happening in your scene without a render, or a example tgd file. most of the times, a bad projection in the image map may cause you dont see anything at first. just guessing...

Dune · May 06, 2020, 01:17:57 AM

Very simpel; import texture in image map shader, set displacement, set size you want it to cover, set projection if other than default Y, and attach to either compute terrain for major displacement, or as child of surface layer before compute terrain, or if you want the colors/greys of the image map to drive displacement attach to displacement input. If you only need the colors, forget about displacent and set as child to surface layer after computer terrain and base colors.
If needed as a repeated texture across large terrain, set repeat X and Z.

Shield Wulf · May 06, 2020, 02:10:41 AM

Thanks guys for your help. I will check this out in the a.m. I was there but didn't know the totality of the process.

Randy

WAS · May 06, 2020, 02:27:38 AM

Hi rnash,

Here's a quick example I did for someone else using cc0texture.com's rock028 and how to setup a basic image map shader using the maps it supplies: https://cc0textures.com/view?id=Rock028

This also shows some basic grass clump populating with rocks added to add variation to the terrain. I added some notes for you.

Shield Wulf · May 06, 2020, 02:42:29 AM

Hi WAS,

I will check it out in the morning.

Thanks, much appreciated.
Randy

Shield Wulf · May 06, 2020, 12:08:59 PM

Hi WAS,

It's rendering away. Thanks. Now I have to take some time to delve into what you have shared.

Thanks,
Randy

It's bound to be awesome.

Shield Wulf · May 06, 2020, 07:16:15 PM

Hi WAS,

I got different maps in the respective nodes now and trying different things like parameter changes and what not and different sets of maps from cc0.... And all I can say is wow. Now I have to keep on going through this to understand it. I set it up to load in some nice maps from cc0... and below are two of my renders. According to your notes I changed the "Image Disp Map" Colour to "Convert to Linear" from " Data is Linear" just to see what would happen to the rock textures when I change that one value. And honestly I don't see a difference in the renders that much. There is a slight difference in the vertical pixels. Maybe I am not quite understanding your comments in the text area that has the comments in it. What you did for me was fantastic indeed. I really do appreciate your time in what you did.

I would like to ask you a question if I might. In your opinion what are the most important nodes in your setup that I need to focus in on?

Thanks,
Randy

WAS · May 06, 2020, 08:17:24 PM

It's good to keep in mind that the planet doesn't support normal maps (that I'm aware of) because of how it's rendered, so the Normal Map is probably adding noise more than what it actually represents.

With surfaces like your planet, it's really important to pay attention to the size and displacement amplitudes of heightmaps. For the planet, it's best to assume the map should be at 1x1 size with a displacement of 0.01-0.1. Knowing that, you can "scale up" from there proportionally to try and preserve the appearance of the texture maps and displacement maps.

Repetition is going to be something to to be aware of, and to battle this, I usually mix in a couple maps with a PF like I did in this setup. It cuts down the appearance of repeating seams. Naturalizing scenes by mixing two or more different texture sets can really help.

Shield Wulf · May 06, 2020, 09:22:26 PM

Thanks WAS,

Your help is fantastic. Very much appreciated a lot. Is the least I can say.

Randy

Shield Wulf · May 06, 2020, 10:46:33 PM

Hey WAS,

Your tgd file took me to the Mars of our future.

Randy

WAS · May 07, 2020, 02:20:15 AM

Does looks mars-esque.

I'd suggest compressing your images a little more. I use 5-9 in Photoshop. If it's dark in a lot of areas I tend to use the upwards latter.

Shield Wulf · May 07, 2020, 10:16:25 AM

Hi WAS,

I'll take another look at the image compression.

Thanks,
Randy