Cloud Library

Started by rcallicotte, March 25, 2008, 01:40:02 PM

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dandelO

Sorry, I should mention that you can visit my site, as it is just now, by clicking on my signature picture. It needs some work and it's only a free Google Page Creator site but, it's entirely ad-free and ANY type of file can be stored in my account. If I write my own page templates, html, css, etc. and then hosted them in my GPC account I can have a complete website of my own hosted there. Of course, it still carries the 'google.pages' in the url but, I don't really need my own domain name, this is just a bit of fun.

**$ :\There is no SECToR 13!

DeathTwister

Wow thank you bro so much, what a FYI and small tut for that TGC, wonderful work bro. Thanks very much.
Maylock Aromy DeathTwister Stansbury
ATOMIX Productions

dandelO

#62
Ok, I've definately created the first(I think) functional metaclouds in TG2. :)

[attachimg=#]

It's just a quick test but, this single cumulus cloud is actually 3 of my TG cloud objects, built together to give complete control over cloud shape!
Use the bounding box translation arrows to push and pull your cloud objects around your sky, duplicate them some more and place as many meta clouds in your scenes as you want, specifically where you want them and, build them to specifically what SHAPES you're after.

Push-me-Pull-me clouds in TG2, wonders will never cease! See image 'metacloud workspace' to see how easy it is to move the clouds around the scene. They each have their own bounding box!

Here's a metacloud clip... Each metacloud object has its own cloud layer and density fractal, you NEED a cloud layer for each object but you DON'T need a density fractal for each one. A single fractal could be used for all of the objects and, because of the differences in xyz translation and meta-cloud object scale, the patterns will be different, but consistent, across the whole cloud formation.

Have fun! I know I am! This is good stuff.

Oh... And, TG2 metaclouds are volumetric TG2 objects, not atmospheric shaders so you cannot use them like you would normal cloud layers. Incase anyone needs that clarifying, although I know you probably won't. :)

rcallicotte

@dandelO - This is weird, but cool.  I'd like to try it.
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

mogn


JimB

#65
This really is thinking out of the box  ;D  Congratulations, you've done the basics of meta-clouds in TG2, with TG2's quality clouds.

I've just given it a go and found all I need do is copy a base Meta-Cloud-Planet and its Cloud Layer multiple times, plug in that single Density Fractal into all Cloud Layers, and move the planets around. I don't even have any atmospheres or shaders on the Meta-Cloud-Planets (although I did have an atmosphere originally on the base Meta-Cloud-Planet, deleted the atmosphere, and the height changes seem to have stuck - which is good).

Now imagine being able to export particle animation files from XSI, Maya, Lightwave, etc, and auto-generating planets that use the particle import .chan files, or some such?

Without a doubt, linking settings from a master planet and cloud layer onto child nodes, so you only have to tweak a single setting (with child overrides for some settings), would make this the bee's knees.

Render times are great, probably due to there only being localised rendering of the clouds. If the planets could be scaled in the Master Planet's Y/altitude then some incredibly interesting and flexible cloud set-ups could be made with Dandelo's technique.

If an imported mesh (fully closed with no holes) could be populated by its volume with these things, then you can build clouds in your favourite app.
Some bits and bobs
The Galileo Fallacy, 'Argumentum ad Galileus':
"They laughed at Galileo. They're laughing at me. Therefore I am the next Galileo."

Nope. Galileo was right for the simpler reason that he was right.

dandelO

QuoteIf the planets could be scaled in the Master Planet's Y/altitude then some incredibly interesting and flexible cloud set-ups could be made with Dandelo's technique.

Technically, I believe that displacing the non-rendered planet's surface laterally(say to 1.5% it's lateral diameter, then the base planet would then be an ovoid and(this probably doesn't work correctly) the cloud cover would be measured from the centre of the ovoid, not the sphere. I don't think TG2 has that capability with planet atmo effects, just spheres and such, I think the laterally displaced sphere would poke through the cloud sphere(if the planet was rendered, of course).

It is now possible to just import one volumetric TG object ;D, duplicate and rescale it numerous times and then just shift them around to their required positions.

If TG's ctrl+G functioned the way most other apps do then, there would be an overall bounding box created for the group of meta-clouds and that could be pushed/pulled around with ease...

I've just had an idea, I'll post another thread in TG2 Discussion forum...

DeathTwister

Haha dandelO, my brother you on a roll. lol, and a fantastic one at that.

    Hay I have a quick stupid question to ask you guys.  I am having trouble trying to attach a Sky tgc file to my Sky and I can't find a way to do that.  Could someone shoot a link to a tutorial or some info on TGC files and how to attach them? I thought I knew as I have done some on water and such, but the nodes/tabs are much different in the Skies tab then the water tab.  So guess I am feeling a bit dumb about now lol /cough...................................

So a quick link would be sweet as WHEN I DID A SEARCH, NOTHING CAME UP????????? oops darn cap locks Oh well.

  Ha ha Working on making Sky Boxes for there 3D Game Studio Engine and as far as I can tell no one has made any Sky Boxes using Tg2 yet, so I thought I would try and be among the first wave to do it. has unless someone here has already? then in which case to you have a conversion chart to work from? All I have is the Tutorial on making Sky boxes for regular Terragen.  And the Camera interface in much different from TG2's. So if anyone is working with 3DGS, give me a private jingle? Please.../smiles most humbly...

Thanks you all so very much in advance.
DT
Maylock Aromy DeathTwister Stansbury
ATOMIX Productions

dandelO

#68
In general, the TG sky is just the inside of a sphere. This sphere is coloured with a constant shader, set to completely black. Your atmosphere creates the colour of the sky, not the background. You can try and go inside the 'background(sphere)' node and start to begin applying shaders that will be visible through the atmosphere. This is how I done my procedural night sky.tgc. you can find it here... http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=4766.0

To use this, just open TG, click 'file' >> 'insert clipfile' and select the clip you want to import. e.g. 'Procedural night sky.tgc'
Since my nightsky.tgc is only a TG2 object(sphere), it doesn't need racked up to any other nodes at all. Just disable/delete the original 'Background' node and the night sky one will now be used in it's place. If you left the default one enabled you'd get a mix of both backgrounds, I think, because the 'nightsky-background' sphere and the 'background' sphere are identical in size.

JimB: The heights of cloud layers will always stick without an atmo' as they are calculated from the parent planets outer edge, not the bounding levels of decay/haze/etc(even though they are atmospheric elements.

On this note, I might deduce that an image I viewed here recently(can't remember whose or which image though) where there was a top-level cut-off of clouds at their upper limit, could be solved by increasing the background sphere's radius. Maybe those clouds were too high/tall for the background node's dimensions and thus, poking through it?... Just a thought.

DeathTwister

Thank you so much my friend,

    wonderful FYI and Tut, I will get on it right away, and interesting thought about the night and day blended together as if done right could make one hell of a fantastic Fantasy Twilight time Sky.  Ya got me thinking Te he, thanks for the info bro. /smiles.  Been a while since I worked in TG2 and been stuck in vid-game-engines of late, so fun fun to play in TG2 again and I hope make some killer Sky boxes if I can get it all figured out and I will /winks.

DT
Maylock Aromy DeathTwister Stansbury
ATOMIX Productions

dandelO

QuoteIf an imported mesh (fully closed with no holes) could be populated by its volume with these things, then you can build clouds in your favourite app.

That'd be nice but, I'm afraid TG2 planets can't be exported, even as .tgo.

I'm about to try a population of planets... Be right back, I suspect they've the same problems as the sphere when populated though.

Lol, I'd best not check 'sit on terrain'! CHRIST!

...

rcallicotte

@dandelO - My asteroid program does just that - creates populations of planets.  It'll load your computer a bit, after a certain number.  It depends largely on this number and the amount of computing capability.
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

dandelO

Quote from: calico on September 22, 2008, 01:55:06 PM
@dandelO - My asteroid program does just that - creates populations of planets.  It'll load your computer a bit, after a certain number.  It depends largely on this number and the amount of computing capability.

Calico, this is VERY interesting. Does it create populations of TG2 planets though, you know, the ones with the surface AND atmo shading capabilities, or are they just round planets with a surface texture?
It's the atmo input I'm interested in, the meta-clouds are TG2 built-in planet nodes but, they rely solely on the ability to render only the atmospheric elements of each planet, 'render surface' is unchecked in each meta-cloud...

???

rcallicotte

These are asteroids...they look like asteroids - grey, distorted and rough.  No atmosphere, but the resulting population has everything available that any default planet population would.  The distortions are mostly up at the top of the node structure and allow control of the multiple branches beneath.  This makes changing multiple planet terrains easier.  I haven't done a lot with atmospheres with this, but it is probably very similar as far as ease.

You can find the program here - http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=3643.0
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

JimB

Quote from: dandelO on September 22, 2008, 10:46:30 AM
QuoteIf an imported mesh (fully closed with no holes) could be populated by its volume with these things, then you can build clouds in your favourite app.

That'd be nice but, I'm afraid TG2 planets can't be exported, even as .tgo.

...

I wasn't suggesting that at all  ;) What I meant was a new feature to TG2 that could populate an imported mesh's volume with planets. Then you render that within TG2.
Some bits and bobs
The Galileo Fallacy, 'Argumentum ad Galileus':
"They laughed at Galileo. They're laughing at me. Therefore I am the next Galileo."

Nope. Galileo was right for the simpler reason that he was right.