Boolean feature request

[Mohawk20]

I was looking trough some old object files, and came across a kind of Bulb transportation craft (when my pc is running again I'll make a render of it), and I remembered it was made mainly with boolean functions, as were a lot of my other objects (as far as you can call my little collection 'a lot').

This gave me another idea, but it requires an option we don't have in TG2.
My idea is to be able to import an object, and set it to boolean, so it cuts the shape of the object out of the terrain.
That way you can make easy caves and tunnels.

In my vision I could create a hallway in a 3D app, with very thin walls, and a lot of corridors, and then make a very basic shape that is solid and just as thick as the outer edges of the hallway. Then import both into TG2, and position them at the same coordinates, with the entrance just outside a cliff face. Set the second, simpler object to boolean, 'et voilà' an instant tunnel system ready for animation.


Is an option like this even remotely possible?

[CCC]

I don't expect to see such a feature anytime soon myself but dang it would make for some cool arches, hoodoos, inverted indentations and of course caves. Using Terragen 2's primitives can be used for boolean operations as well.

[cyphyr]

Hmm  interesting idea. I don't see much chance of being able to use imported objects in the way you describe. Cleaver use of the function nodes cam make up a variety of simple primitives and there is already a boolean function node ...  so there are possibilities there.
Richard

[CCC]

Hmm  interesting idea. I don't see much chance of being able to use imported objects in the way you describe. Cleaver use of the function nodes cam make up a variety of simple primitives and there is already a boolean function node ...  so there are possibilities there.
Richard

Well then, if the boolean node made any sense at all because i don't get it. I have yet to see that node put to any good use from anyone that i am aware of.

[Mohawk20]

Any Planetside Staff input on this?

[Matt]

That's a pretty big, complex feature request. Probably not something we can do in the foreseeable future I'm afraid.

[CCC]

Ah, well. So much for making arches.   

[jo]

Hi,

I should point out the boolean nodes are not for doing Boolean operations on geometry, aka Computational Solid Geometry/CSG. They're for boolean logic operations, essentially maths operations, in the node network.

Regards,

Jo

[CCC]

Ah, so where talking about two entirely different types of boolean operations here. 

[Mohawk20]

There goes another idea down the drain...

Thanks for the feedback though.

[littlecannon]

Shame about the Boolean operations for geometry eh..... Bryce used to be able to do this many years ago and could make some cool things... MMmmm caves, arches. No doubt we'll find other ways to do this stuff.

[goldfarb]

I prefer the developers spent time on what terragen does best, and leave things like modeling etc to applications that do it far better/faster/cheaper already.

[N810]

mmm... in that case could we possibly in the future have solid geometry objects ?  
like simple geometric shapes.

[Mohawk20]

I prefer the developers spent time on what terragen does best, and leave things like modeling etc to applications that do it far better/faster/cheaper already.

You have a point there. But the problem is that if you'd make a rock with an arch, you could never integrate it into the terrain, because you wouldn't be able to apply the same displacement to it that the terrain has...

[goldfarb]

You have a point there. But the problem is that if you'd make a rock with an arch, you could never integrate it into the terrain, because you wouldn't be able to apply the same displacement to it that the terrain has...

I see your point for sure...
but it might be better to add a feature to Terragen that can better blend imported geometry to the procedurally created geometry...
(and I can think of a few ways to do this right now that might work with the existing tool set)
while this may be non-trivial I'd bet it's easier than adding what are basically poly modeling tools to terragen.