For export Only?

[mrpiddly]

Is there another tool like For export only for terragen 2. It was really useful for using scenes in other modeling programs. Even though it did not export the colors and other things, i believe there was a way to do this as well, somthing with uv faces.

I am l looking for another program like this for terragen 2, possibly with texture output (though unlikly). I can use almost any model format.

Sorry for such a stupid question, but i really need somthing to get my scenes out of terragen 2.

[old_blaggard]

I don't think there's anything for that right now.  You could try the lwo exporter, but that only exports the terrains and can be buggy.

[MooseDog]

note to use the .lwo exporter and not the micro .lwo exporter.

as to the first's stablity, i have found it to be rock solid.  planetside seem to have an affinity for lw, and the whole export procedure (both models and scenes for lw) shows some attention.

[Oshyan]

For Export Only never exported color or texture data, only geometry, and it was only for the simple finite terrains that TG 0.9 worked with. TG2 terrains can be much more complex, including non-planar (non-heightfield) features. Terrain resolution is also not finite due to the heavy use of procedurals. Export is more difficult and complex as a result.

If you simply want a Terragen 0.9 comparable export, you can use the "Heightfield Export LWO". Keep in mind however that for any reasonable detail the terrain geometry will be very large. You should also know that, since it is a heightfield operator, overhangs and other non-planar features won't be exportable.

Unfortunately there is no good solution currently to generalized, non-planar terrain export to geometry. There is the "LWO Micro Exporter", but it is perspective/camera dependent so it is only useful for matching exact scenes between renderers.

If you'd like more information on using any of these specific functions or techniques please ask. Providing more information about your specific needs and use would be helpful as well.

- Oshyan

[Hannes]

Is it possible to use the LWO micro exporter to export the scene geometry for a still image? If yes, how can I do that?

[Oshyan]

Here's some info on the LWO microexporter process:
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=243.msg1897#msg1897
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=1015.0

- Oshyan

[jgwinner]

I know this is an old topic, but this would still be a pretty useful feature, especially for export to game engines or other rendering engines.

For the non-planar rendering, normal maps might help a little.

Right now, there aren't a lot of alternatives.

             == John ==

[Oshyan]

Although more sophisticated data export is something we'd like to work on in the future, the fundamental reality is that TG2's major strength is its rendering engine. Exporting the data it creates in a raster form (and thus of finite detail) somewhat defeats the purpose of its approach to scene creation. The results in any other renderer are almost guaranteed to be inferior.

The major reasons for data export that we do want to support are for the purposes of integration with other programs, for example to allow for improved object rendering, or features like particles that TG2 doesn't support. Comprehensive data export is seldom needed for this kind of use since most situations will be camera-dependent and the existing LWO Micro-exporter handles those situations well.

As for use in game engines, I think there are other more appropriate programs out there for that purpose, at least in terms of terrain creation. For texturing TG2 might have use, but again programs like DarkTree, etc. are probably better options that are easier to work with. TG2's use in games is probably best in creation of background imagery (skyboxes, etc.) or in cut-scene animations.

- Oshyan