quick question re: single poly billboard for population

[gregsandor]

I made a rectangular single poly object for a distant plant, and it renders okay unless I use raytracing for objects, but it isnt casting shadows.   I've gotten this to work before, its just been a while.  What do I do to get it to render with raytracing on?

Following this thread: http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=5177.30

[gregsandor]

...

[Henry Blewer]

There is a check box in the render's quality tab. It's to the left under the detail and object AA sliders. If the box is checked, raytracing of objects is on. When this is turned off, the objects are rendered in the 'classic' Terragen 2 object renderer.

[gregsandor]

TG won't render a single poly object with shadows.  If I make a 2 poly object it works.

[Henry Blewer]

Hmmm... The simple answer is not to use billboards. The hard answer is I do not know how to solve this. Terragen 2 uses object efficiently  enough that I don't use billboards.

Maybe the procedural grass in the object/population would work. They would have to be scaled the right size. The image and alpha maps added. It would also be necessary to make the rotation face the camera for all instances. I believe the procedural grass is a plane 2D object.

[gregsandor]

Patient:  "Doctor, my arm hurts when I move it like this."
Doctor:  "Don't move it like that."

It works with 2 polys so that's what I'm doing.

[Henry Blewer]

At least I did not do a Dr. Phil.

[gregsandor]

Corn!

[Henry Blewer]

That seems to have worked out well.

[bobbystahr]

Corn!

and very nice corn as well.. ...

[Oshyan]

How is the render time with billboards? Do you have 3d geometry versions to compare it to?

- Oshyan

[gregsandor]

For the corn I only have the 2-poly objects.  I have about 600,000 of them in my scene and they dont seem to add a lot or time to the render.  I suppose I could replace them with higher-poly objects for a test.

[Oshyan]

We'd definitely be interested in the results of any tests you run.

- Oshyan

[bobbystahr]

  I have about 600,000 of them

Heh heh heh, could you maybe spare one, or have you shared and I'm unaware of where.. ...

[gregsandor]

bobby -- the image map I'm using is a temp one and I can't distribute it.  However, I can give you the object here in a couple of hours (have to finish something else first.)  I'll upload it here this morning.