Terragen 2 Release Announcement Discussion

Started by Oshyan, December 12, 2007, 07:10:04 PM

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rcallicotte

@nikita - The renderer was rebuilt.  That's the code base...the renderer.
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

Arandil

*gets popcorn*  *munch* .. Oh wait, I've seen this film before ...  :-X

PG

Thing we must all remember is that Jo is a programmer, not a director or studio manager, he's filling us in best he can. Ultimately the decision for releases is down to Matt, and nikita, what Jo's post says is that there are many VERY fundamental things that have been done to the code behind TG2. Things like multithreading have a gargantuan knock on effect with other areas of the program. I don't personally know how TG2 has been built but if it is object oriented (as I would expect these days) then every class, struct, function and variable needs to be handle effectively to be used by two cores. That's a massive thing to do and the slightest miscalculation can make one, very very well hidden, variable go wrong, the programmers then need to find that variable and fix it. This is a huge job for 3 people, as calico said, to do.
Figured out how to do clicky signatures

nikita

Quote from: PG on April 14, 2008, 02:48:26 PM
Ultimately the decision for releases is down to Matt, and nikita
For a moment, I was confused  ;D
Quote from: PG on April 14, 2008, 02:48:26 PMnikita, what Jo's post says is that there are many VERY fundamental things that have been done to the code behind TG2.
I know it's a huge task, I said that in this thread multiple times myself. The thing that puzzles me is that Matt mentioned he had every reason to believe the beta could be released on time (jan 4). So the fundamental stuff must have already been finished in january.
Quote from: PG on April 14, 2008, 02:48:26 PMI don't personally know how TG2 has been built but if it is object oriented (as I would expect these days) then every class, struct, function and variable needs to be handle effectively to be used by two cores.
I don't know if it's really that difficult. Maybe I'm just plain wrong here but ray tracing seems like a technique that can easily be split up into two or more threads and I think the same is true for the sampling stuff.
But if the additional time spent on this stuff results in even faster rendering, then that's fine with me of course ;)

PS: I'm just switching from Java to C++ and imperative programming with relatively few classes.. by now I know why oop is the better approach or would have been if i had used it  ::)

neon22

Hmmm.

Well its extremely likely this is going to sound wanky but...
I've been doing CG professionally since 1986 and TG2 is the ONLY program I have seen that looks like its going to be photorealistic in this domain.

And personally - speaking only for myself - I love it - and I'd wait another 5 years for it actually.
Its as simple to me as that.

I'm waiting - I've already waited 22 years - and I'm happy waiting... As long as it takes.


rcallicotte

@neon22 - No, you don't sound like anything, but common sense.  I'll wait.  Why not?
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

joshbakr

We all have to wait but it's still our right to air our frustration.  :)

joshbakr

Quote from: neon22 on April 15, 2008, 06:51:39 AM
Hmmm.

Well its extremely likely this is going to sound wanky but...
I've been doing CG professionally since 1986 and TG2 is the ONLY program I have seen that looks like its going to be photorealistic in this domain.

And personally - speaking only for myself - I love it - and I'd wait another 5 years for it actually.
Its as simple to me as that.

I'm waiting - I've already waited 22 years - and I'm happy waiting... As long as it takes.



22 Years! Damn !  I'd love to look at some of your creations. Would you mind sharing some links to you work? I can always use some Inspiration.

Harvey Birdman

Quote from: joshbakr on April 15, 2008, 09:26:52 AM
We all have to wait but it's still our right to air our frustration.  :)

Indeed. Personally, I don't define 'common sense' as meekly standing by while the delivery date for a product I've already paid for is indefinitely postponed.

rcallicotte

@Harvey and @joshbakr - I have almost quit rendering due to various errors or lack within TG2 and have seriously been considering buying Vue just to know I have something that works well enough to do what I'd like to do.  I've expressed this a few times here on Planetside, but I'm waiting nevertheless.  I haven't seen anything come close to the potential within TG2...even Vue.

Someday, maybe it will have been worth the wait.
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

bobbystahr

Quote from: Harvey Birdman on April 15, 2008, 09:43:46 AM
Quote from: joshbakr on April 15, 2008, 09:26:52 AM
We all have to wait but it's still our right to air our frustration.  :)

Indeed. Personally, I don't define 'common sense' as meekly standing by while the delivery date for a product I've already paid for is indefinitely postponed.

I can see you've never used Imagine3D, trueSpace,Poser, or Bryce which all had internimally long downtimes tween paid for updates...seems that that is what happens when you try to create a really good app with a limited number of code tweakers to do the work....at least PS communicates with us when they have something to announce...rather that than being ignored as I was with the aformentioned apps...which I now only use Imagine3D of that group.. ...
something borrowed,
something Blue.
Ring out the Old.
Bring in the New
Bobby Stahr, Paracosmologist

Seth

Quote from: calico on April 15, 2008, 09:51:18 AM
I have almost quit rendering due to various errors or lack within TG2


...keep trying... i didn't have any error message since a long time... i must be lucky :D

rcallicotte

Oh, I do.  I have two renders I'm working on now.   ;D

Quote from: seth93 on April 15, 2008, 10:50:36 AM
Quote from: calico on April 15, 2008, 09:51:18 AM
I have almost quit rendering due to various errors or lack within TG2


...keep trying... i didn't have any error message since a long time... i must be lucky :D
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

Seth

ok cool... i was afraid you quit until next release (almost said next year ^^')

lightning

#554
Quote from: calico on April 15, 2008, 09:51:18 AM
@Harvey and @joshbakr - I have almost quit rendering due to various errors or lack within TG2 and have seriously been considering buying Vue just to know I have something that works well enough to do what I'd like to do.  I've expressed this a few times here on Planetside, but I'm waiting nevertheless.  I haven't seen anything come close to the potential within TG2...even Vue.

Someday, maybe it will have been worth the wait.
your right i have mojo vue bryce truespace the lot
and they barely scratch the surface of terragen 2's realism
i cant wait till it is released its going to make vue 6 look like bryce 2!!!