Newb needs example file

buzzzzz1 · March 30, 2009, 11:12:56 AM

Quote from: jt256 on March 30, 2009, 10:38:06 AM
That's a helpful tutorial. But again, I'm really struggling with the attitude that a new user must start at the very beginning before he or she can even begin to think about making decent renders. This attitude suggests that only after a period of weeks/months/years can a user expect to make decent scenes. With so many parameters to choose from, it's inevitable that those of us starting out are going to make crap renders at first. And perhaps if we apply ourselves over the next six months perhaps we'll be able to do better.

What an astonishingly patronising attitude.

I don't want to learn shaders from the ground up. I want someone to say, look, try this file. I've adjusted all the little tweaks that you didn't even know existed, and the result is really good. Try it out for yourself.

Why am I being denied the assistance of other more experienced users? Why can't someone just say "here you go, these are the settings to make decent mountains." I'm not going to exploit someone else's copyright, I'm not going to make money from someone else's hard work. I just totally reject the notion that because I don't know much about TG2 I'm ineligible to receive the help I'm after. I just want to see how an expert would do it.

If you're an expert and you're considering telling me to clear off until I've understood the manual, please stop to consider how patronising that is. It's a bit like Microsoft saying 'no we're not going to show you how to use those really useful features until you've proved that you understand the whole of our product'. Right now I'm in a hurry, I don't want to learn TG2 from ground up, I just want the settings to render some nice mountains. Why can noone help me?

You can call me Patronizing if you like. What I find astonishing is that you don't seem to want to read a simple tutorial on making your first scene? The impression I get from your attitude is you are spoiled kid who has had everything handed to them on a silver platter. Well guess what? Mommy and Daddy don't seem to be on this forum.

jt256 · March 30, 2009, 11:30:14 AM

Wow, getting pretty bitchy here.

Thanks for the file (now that I've had a chance to look at it). I'm sorry I didn't thank you the second I downloaded it, as that seems to have caused some offence. I hope you'll forgive my 30 minute interlude.

Do any files exist for any images in the TG2 gallery? http://www.planetside.co.uk/gallery/f/tg2

I appreciate that I'm the minority here, but it seems that unless Terragen gets an awful lot more user friendly, along with high quality examples, it will remain a minority tool for a few highly experienced individuals. I suspect some people like it that way. But I think the program has tremendous appeal, and it would be a pity were it relegated only to those in the know.

Seth · March 30, 2009, 11:36:27 AM

sorry if i jump in guys...
but I don't get the point here : you don't want to "lose" time on reading and learning but you want some more advanced users to "lose" time on creating a mountain and send the tgd to you ?!

TG2 is not a "private member's club", but your attitude might go against you. You want a file, without trying to even understand the basics and when someone points tutorial to you, you say you don't want to learn from the basic but get a file from an "expert" and try to understand how it works...
let me tell you that you don't have a pleasant attitude, and that if someone upload an "expert" file of a mountain, i am pretty sure you won't understand anything.
you want this file, quickly, you're in a hurry, you want it now but not for commercial purpose (of couuurse)... well... and when people don't send you the tgd right now, you start your critics about the community ? let me say that i learned TG2 with those guys, and it was fun because everybody tries to help... but if you act like a child, you'll be considered as a child...
The only thing i agree with is that the forum should have a "beginner" place where every simple tuto and simple files can be found... well there isn't such place, so you'll have to read and learn the basics... like everybody does !
I would like to learn Maya or 3DSMax, but I want to do great renders right now, without reading, without trying to understand the basics... impossible ! same for TG2...
Maybe someone will send you a great tgd... i won't !

you have bad attitude and i don't like it ... sorry ^^
but... if you try to do something, after reading at least one basic tutorial, and post it on the forum, i will give you some advices and help you to achieve something better than your first render...
sorry if i sound mean but... well... TG2's community is certainly the best i met and i don't like people we don't even know coming in here to spit on our attitude.

rcallicotte · March 30, 2009, 11:39:29 AM

I think this might show your experience with 3D. It's difficult to know you, really, but from what I've seen is Planetside is one of the easiest places to learn a software package I've ever witnessed and I've seen a lot of software development from inside and out. But, your assumption that this is a tough piece of software is moot - look at all of the files and tutorials available here. All you need to do is use the Search function.

The reality is that you actually need to learn something to use TG2 (no brainless zombies here) and that all of the links I gave to you to check out could get you going in about 30 minutes time, which is less than the time we've taken here in this thread.

You could have already had the satisfaction of creating your own mountain.

Quote from: jt256 on March 30, 2009, 11:30:14 AM
I appreciate that I'm the minority here, but it seems that unless Terragen gets an awful lot more user friendly, along with high quality examples, it will remain a minority tool for a few highly experienced individuals. I suspect some people like it that way. But I think the program has tremendous appeal, and it would be a pity were it relegated only to those in the know.

jt256 · March 30, 2009, 11:41:07 AM

Buzzz1 you are exactly right. I don't want to read a tutorial. I don't even want to make 'my first scene'. As I've stated, I'm not interested in becoming a new terragen hobbyist, starting from scratch etc.

I just want to see how others made their scenes. Then I want to make a few changes. The quickest way to do that is to get someone else's files. I'd expect such files to be easily on offer on the homepage. Seth I don't want others to lose time making bespoke mountain scenes; but if they have them already, wouldn't it be nice to share them somewhere?

Self sufficiency is great, but in this instance I want the QUICKEST way to render some mountains. If that's on a silver platter then great. The problem is that some of you have a problem with spoon feeding me. If this were a college course in how to use Terragen, then you'd expect me to take more initiative and learn it myself. But it ain't. As I've explained, I'm in a hurry to get some mountains, and I have no problem taking the lazy approach.

Put it this way: the harder you guys make it for people to get into TG, the fewer copies will be sold, and that's ultimately to the detriment of future development.

Seth · March 30, 2009, 11:49:18 AM

troll ?
you need a file ? i need 1500€... do we have a deal ?
we help people to learn TG2, but you don't want to learn it... so why do we have to help you ? just because you ask ?
I don't speak for everybody but I shared a lot of tgd in here !!! so i really don't understand your bad attitude... you don't even want to spend some time on the search tab... and read a tutorial...
anyway, maybe you'll find someone to help you in here.

buzzzzz1 · March 30, 2009, 11:49:28 AM

I'd say your gripe should be with Planetside not with it's users. We are here to learn, not to sell TG.

otisnesthead · March 30, 2009, 12:35:24 PM

What a thoroughly nice person....

Seth · March 30, 2009, 12:35:49 PM

folder · March 30, 2009, 01:03:00 PM

I was deciding to weight in or not. while I have received some private help from you guys. I have also found a lot of information while searching the forums, downloading tgc and tgd files and of the excellent tutorials from Seth, Volker, Frankb et all. and while t2 goes have some snap in qualities it take time to understand it. some like this topics author is not going to spend the time learning if everything is given. This software is not cut and paste. Each layer can be as detailed as you want it. I have been spending hours lately with the fake stone shader, trying to get the shapes and sizes I want. to that end I have found discussions, and files that have pointed me in the right direction. If everyone gave nothing else out. there is still so much information in the archives, i would still be satisfied. and my thanks to all who have so generously shared their knowledge and time
btw - I am now a fully registered user

folder

Seth · March 30, 2009, 01:07:10 PM

Quote from: folder on March 30, 2009, 01:03:00 PM
I am now a fully registered user

woooohooooo !!!

rcallicotte · March 30, 2009, 01:24:04 PM

Great! Welcome to the Planetside community. As far as getting stuff done, if you continue to run into issues or challenges with the Fake Stones, some here can probably answer your questions or search until we find something.

Quote from: folder on March 30, 2009, 01:03:00 PM
I was deciding to weight in or not. while I have received some private help from you guys. I have also found a lot of information while searching the forums, downloading tgc and tgd files and of the excellent tutorials from Seth, Volker, Frankb et all. and while t2 goes have some snap in qualities it take time to understand it. some like this topics author is not going to spend the time learning if everything is given. This software is not cut and paste. Each layer can be as detailed as you want it. I have been spending hours lately with the fake stone shader, trying to get the shapes and sizes I want. to that end I have found discussions, and files that have pointed me in the right direction. If everyone gave nothing else out. there is still so much information in the archives, i would still be satisfied. and my thanks to all who have so generously shared their knowledge and time
btw - I am now a fully registered user

folder

jt256 · March 30, 2009, 01:28:31 PM

Well then, here's my mountain. I don't think there's anything too difficult for me to tweak without fully understanding the background. It's not a jet engine after all.

And it's a darn sight better than the amateurish mountains that some of you would have preferred me to slave over.

rcallicotte · March 30, 2009, 01:53:02 PM

@jt256 - Did you create it yourself? If so, it's pretty good. If you used someone else's file, what did you learn?

nvseal · March 30, 2009, 02:09:55 PM

Daring to enter into this quickly...I think I understand what you are wanting. That is, you want a finished, realistic scene which you can then alter settings and get equally good results. Now, while I don't think there is anything particular evil in this desire (after all, who doesn't want to go straight to top of the quality ladder) there are some things you should keep in mind. The "realistic" images you see in the gallery were -- at least for the most part -- created by people who put A LOT of time (days, weeks, months, years) and trial and error into learning what shaders do and don't do while creating new techiques to achieve realism goals -- no to mention just getting an all around feel for the program. They have a lot invested in the level of specialty they have achieved, so don't be to quick to hold it against them if they don't just hand it over for nothing.