Some help with pillar shapes

[Nala1977]

Hey guys, i am trying to learn how to achieve this kind of structures without succes for a long time now, im probably focusing on the wrong technique which is strata. somewhat this node is a nightmare for me to control and most of the times produces unexpected and uncontrollabe results.

the image i am trying to achieve is this one from Martin Huisman i've attached it.
im starting to think he didnt use the strata and outcrop node at all, this node for some reason is so unreliable.. but it might be me not be able to use it and not very good at it.

How would you create something like this image? i am about to give up llol

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks


ps. wrong section, please move the thread on Terragen Discussion, sorry

[Dune]

It's likely a mix of huge Y-stretched fake stones, a very low number (0.04) hard fractal warp over 50m or so, and a stack of low octave strata, or a world space XZ stretched fractal for the horizontal cracks/outcrops. Hopefully for you Martin will share his technique here, or René, as he's very good at this.

[WAS]

I have been working on a Lateral Disp / Strata function shader. In early testing.

It uses a base PF to build all it's noise-based displacement from, vertical and lateral, with some strata shaders for accents of the lateral strata from PF. Most of the settings like main PF and scalar based settings are grouped for easier sanity of control, but some settings are within the function itself, primarily transform shaders. Wish we had vectors for transform input shader soooo much.

I'll make a thread for it soon I think.

[Nala1977]

thanks both for the answers i find very difficult to have these plain faces on slant edges like Martin image, they make the difference on the shape, i also find sometimes very hard to control the geometry not exploding or imploding even after i use a compute node. This software gets so frustrating sometimes its not even fun.
Previewing things is almost impossible in the render view even with RTP, and every change needs a real render, that if its too smal in terms of output will just make you miss the details you are for (so you have to increase the micropoly details > increase render time by a lot).

I really think Terragen needs way more support for stuff like these..or in general some presets, i still  think that a vast majority of interest and market this software lost is due to this. Over complicate method to work, preview, render, populate. Very slow visual feedback, lack of proper presets, scarce documentation.
Sorry but im frustrated.

[Nala1977]

this is as far as i can get and its pretty far from what i would like to achieve, i have so many compute normal/texture XYZ and compute terrain nodes, still i get so many displaced geometry distortion out of nowhere.
so frustrating, anyway i think im going to  just drop it off, might as well do this in zbrush than bashing my head around this mess.

[Dune]

It can be done with just one compute normal after an SSS slight hill (which also makes the talus), and then some fake stones on surface shader with min alti,  hauled through a transform shader set to world, and some stones stretched in Y others in XZ. I might have something for you, later...

[WAS]

I'd use a PF instead of sake stones. They will have bad geometry that will not be warpable/displaceable, and the bases can be terrible to try and work with.

Just use a PF with Billows or Perlins or something, with variation method set to unclamped multifactal, and noise variation at 3-5 and you can get spires with smoother bases.

[Dune]

You can use both indeed. The thing I like about fake stones in pillars like this are the hard chiseled edges. And they can be warped alright, but do it before any world space transform. Every time (in a stack) you use xyz or world space transform, it'll 'solidify' the rock.

[WAS]

Yeah I just noticed this last night when trying to get a specific shape. You can use a PF with normalized noise, and apply it, and it'll create creases, but I sad there tring to get a crease on the edge I wanted for 10 minutes and then decided to use Fake Stones because all those sides should have edges from the get go.

However biggest issue with Fake Stones is undisplaceable areas on the fake stones, which is a problem for even just texturing actual fake stones. Some seeeds will be perfect, look just like what you want, but an entire wall of one or more of the stones won't displace or warp.

[WAS]

PS Still working on a preset displacement shader for stuff like this or whatever other lateral displacement.

[Nala1977]

you should put it on gumroad, i mean i'd pay for it, its just i wanna learn, this software is very capable but man its really a nightmare sometimes.

Btw just a note, i took a look at world creator and contacted them, they are adding lateral displacement (which usually these softwares like Gaea, dont do, they are merely a heightmap creator) and its going to be fully gpu with almost instant feedback on what you doing and its gonna have latera displacement in real time.

i do feel like im ripping my hair with Terragen sometimes.. its so frustrating

[WAS]

Btw just a note, i took a look at world creator and contacted them, they are adding lateral displacement (which usually these softwares like Gaea, dont do, they are merely a heightmap creator) and its going to be fully gpu with almost instant feedback on what you doing and its gonna have latera displacement in real time.

That'd make me interested in it for sure. Not really interested in Gaea anymore. I was going to get World Machine but for now I can export what I need from building in TG with erosion and warping.

[Dune]

Undisplacable areas are usually (IMO) areas that have burst out of their texture zone by displacement, so to speak, and need another xyz to have 'new' texture space. But then it can't be warped anymore, so you have to stack and add carefully, or via surface shaders or so. Terragen is indeed a well-filled toolbox, but finding the right combinations of pliers, cutters and hammers is often pretty hard if you want something a bit out-of-the-ordinary.

[Dune]

No need to put on gumroad or pay. You can have this test of mine. I don't think René or Martin will share their work. That would be interesting too. Might not be really what you want, not perfect either, but it's something. Uncleaned, so reflecting my way of working

[WAS]

No need to put on gumroad or pay. You can have this test of mine.

hahaha, oh jee thanks. Lol

Nice voronoi mix. Needs some gulls and crap on it. Thing about the voronoi diff shader, is it looks like any other mix really without lots of arming and colour adjusts.