Importing .ter files

[Hetzen]

When you reply to a message on this forum, there is an 'Additional Options' clicky at the bottom of the text panel, that allows you to attach files.

[ASH33M]

Here is a screenshot from Terragen v0.9.043 I will use the same 0226.ter file in tg2.

[ASH33M]

Here now is a screnshot of tg2 with the 0226.ter file opened, as you may see from the screenshot you can see sloped edges on each side.

[Henry Blewer]

There are two ways to deal with this. In the operators button there is height field adjust vertical. This will allow you to scale the height of the area. You can also add a fractal terrain. This will have to be moved so it becomes the first item above the height field. Now you can use the operator height field adjust to make the two more or less 'level' with each other.
On the height field itself, near the bottom there is border blending. Increasing this 'smooths' out the height field's edges.

[Oshyan]

Your terrain's "base" altitude is higher than 0. In Terragen 0.9 there was no "planet", so you never saw your terrain in context of a global 0-altitude planetary surface, as you do here. So if you have the lowest part of your heightfield at say 500 meters, when you load it in to TG2 it is displaced to that altitude from the 0 altitude surface of the planet. If you simply place your camera up on top of the heightfield, you will see it can look very similar to Terragen 0.9. If you want to maintain the *correct* altitudes (as this appears to be from a DEM), you should not adjust the height, but simply move the camera. If you'd rather adjust it so that the base altitude of the DEM is the same as that of the planet, you would use the Heightfield Adjust Vertical operator.

- Oshyan

[ASH33M]

When I have open 0226.ter file using v0.9.043 I make no adjustments to the terrain because as terrain will be seen exactly as it is, but when this is opened into tg2 as in the last screenshot you can see the height on the sloap sides like the terrain has been raised, so will I just need to adjust theheightfield in in tg2 then, camera view should make no difference as just looking at a different angle.

I have made the 0226.zip file here so if anyone is able to help and give me an example of what I'm trying to acheive.

[ASH33M]

Once I'm able to open this .ter file correctly will then try and continue with the tutorial by Ben, but for now am following th tutorial as per the instructions.

[Oshyan]

As I said, when you are looking at it in Terragen 0.9 you are *on top* of the terrain, and there is nothing below, so you don't see how far from "0" the base altitude is. TG2 just shows the same terrain, with the *same* altitudes, but applied to the surface of a 0 height sphere (planet). The only other difference is the "border blending" which makes the sides sloping rather than vertical. But again if you place your camera *on top* of the terrain in TG2 you will essentially get the same result as in TG 0.9. Adjusting the height of the terrain within TG2 will likely only give you inaccurate height values (although it may be more visually pleasing from your current camera angle).

- Oshyan

[ASH33M]

Oshyan, Thank you for your post, a simple question if I may, how do you change the camera view to overhead.

[ASH33M]

I can change the Camera view to overhead, but when I render I still get a view from the side, how do you change the render view to overhead also.

[Oshyan]

Use "Copy this view to the current camera" button, lower-left of the 3D Preview window. However an "overhead" view is probably not what you want. I was suggesting *moving* the camera, using the standard movement controls described in the documentation (Part 1 of the User Guide):
http://www.planetside.co.uk/content/view/31/47/

Move the camera upward and over to the heightfield, so that the camera ends up *on top* of the terrain, but still oriented normally.

- Oshyan

[bobbystahr]

I can change the Camera view to overhead, but when I render I still get a view from the side, how do you change the render view to overhead also.

For a top down view which I'm guessing is what you want, I have always, from before I started using multiple cameras, acertained the center of my terrain by hovering the mouse over the center of it and writing down the coords. but now if you right click over the center[or any spot really] a pop up opens where you can select Copy coordinates which you then paste to the box at the end of the Camera Position coordinates in the Camera Tab but change the Y to 5000 and thr Rotate X to -90. leave all other Rotates at 0. Now you can zoom on on your scene using the navigation widget at the top right of the Preview Window. I'm guessing you want to render this so reset your sun so it shows how you want.
Hope this helped.. ...

[ASH33M]

I have been following the tutorial by Ben McDuff, on page 6 I have done everything upto the image where there is a slight color variation, below in my screenshot is what I get when I render, have followed the instructions very carefully and as you can see from my iamge that it's very plain, don't think I have missed anything out or should have checked a particular box.