Volumetric grass textures...

[Hawkwind]

Can Terragen create volume textures for grass?..   I need something to generate solid 3D textures for short grass and will happily purchase Terragen or any other product which can do this.

Thanks

[Harvey Birdman]

Do you really think that cross-posting into 3 different threads is going to encourage people to respond?

[Cyber-Angel]

Can Terragen create volume textures for grass?..   I need something to generate solid 3D textures for short grass and will happily purchase Terragen or any other product which can do this.

Thanks

I understand that one of the Planetside staff (Jo) has already replied to you and the long and the short of it is "No". Do you have the right technique I have never heard of plants (Including Grass) been generated by volumetric methods? The two methods that I know of form the literature are based of either L-Systems (World Construction Set creates its plant randomization via this method) and Procedural.

Using volumetric methods would be computationally expensive (CPU Time thus increasing render times) and depending on the use (Say Close ups) could produce artifacts which are unwanted in a production environment.

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel

[Matt]

For distant vegetation this can be a useful technique. When the complexity of the geometry is so high that it can't be resolved by the pixels in the image, having a precomputed volumetric density and reflectance function makes it possible to render many instances very efficiently. But in answer to Hawkwind's question: no, Terragen is not capable of generating such 3D textures at this time.

Matt

[Hawkwind]

Thanks,    I wanted to use a set of finely spaced layers of slices through fine grass to render real-time, a bit like using a set of 'shells', however I am probably going to have to write something to generate the  layers (as a volume textures).
Cheers