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General => User-contributed Tutorials => Topic started by: schmeerlap on October 09, 2009, 08:01:26 AM

Title: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on October 09, 2009, 08:01:26 AM
I've put together an introductory exercise for noobies who don't seem to be able to get a foothold on Terragen 2, especially those who find the learning curve too steep. I hold their hand (metaphorically speaking, of course (he says, deepening his voice)) all the way to the top of the mountain they will be creating. By the end of the journey the user will have had hands on experience of all the basic shaders, and should be able to confidently begin creating their own scenes. It stops short of adding objects to the scene, the intention being that the user only needs the program itself to build the scene. It is compiled in pdf format for ease of accessibility. I've included a pic of the scene the user will be creating from scratch.
I've posted it here with the intention of creating a link to it from the Terragen Wiki page.

Thanks, John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Henry Blewer on October 09, 2009, 08:09:00 AM
Great idea John. Now if we can get the noobies to look in the right places...
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on October 09, 2009, 08:45:25 AM
Quote from: njeneb on October 09, 2009, 08:09:00 AM
Now if we can get the noobies to look in the right places...

Yeh, that's right. I'll start by linking to it from Renderosity and Flickr.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: domdib on October 09, 2009, 09:27:04 AM
A very nice contribution John. I found it very instructive. The only way of improving it would be a few more screenshots of node networks, but that's just icing.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on October 09, 2009, 09:48:30 AM
Quote from: domdib on October 09, 2009, 09:27:04 AM
The only way of improving it would be a few more screenshots of node networks

"node networks",   :o  shoooooooooosh, you'll scare them away  ;)

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: domdib on October 09, 2009, 10:15:00 AM
As a fellow Scot, I approve that 'shoooooosh' usage  ;)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: dandelO on October 09, 2009, 11:08:53 AM
Quote from: domdib on October 09, 2009, 10:15:00 AM
As a fellow Scot, I approve that 'shoooooosh' usage  ;)

Here here! So do I! ;)
Although, I tire of it, I must say it repeatedly to my kids! Shoosh! :D
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Henry Blewer on October 09, 2009, 11:16:21 AM
I'm afraid to say some of us in the good olde USA just say 'shut up!' with an uplift of the 'up'. We have many weird colloquialisms.

I just started reading your tutorial John. So far it has been very complete and concise. Well done!
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: choronr on October 09, 2009, 03:06:57 PM
John, this is something that all, including the newbies need to read and follow through ...well done!
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Lupina on October 09, 2009, 04:50:03 PM
Thanks a lot for this tutorial  :) :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: matrix2003 on October 09, 2009, 08:29:09 PM
The Scots Character is Forged in Granite
That is no Timid Reed. Shaken by the Wind.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: dandelO on October 09, 2009, 08:33:42 PM
Bill, my surname is Reid(not reed. Alas!). ;)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: matrix2003 on October 10, 2009, 11:12:24 AM
LOL ! Here here - and my middle name is MacDonald.  So I tip a toast to you all.  ;D
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Joe Falco on October 11, 2009, 07:06:31 PM
Just completed the tutorial. Only took me two and a half hours to render the final image but it's done. I can't quite say I understand everything about how the program works but much like life, it's a work in progress.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on October 12, 2009, 05:08:03 AM
Quote from: Joe Falco on October 11, 2009, 07:06:31 PM
I can't quite say I understand everything about how the program works

That makes two of us.  ;D
The purpose of this relatively small tutorial is to give beginners a foothold on the Terragen2 journey, and to show that it's not that difficult to create simple but attractive looking scenes. If the tut has increased your level of confidence with using the basic shaders and encouraged you to try building some scenes of your own, then in my eyes it is a success. Rmember, anytime you're stuck with anything in your scene-building endeavours, don't hesitate to ask here at this forum. There's a lot of guys here who know a lot more about TG2 than yours truly, who will be only too happy to attempt to resolve your TG2 problems. Anyway, well done on completion of the exercise.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Joe Falco on October 12, 2009, 07:13:40 AM
Quote from: schmeerlap on October 12, 2009, 05:08:03 AM
Rmember, anytime you're stuck with anything in your scene-building endeavours, don't hesitate to ask here at this forum. There's a lot of guys here who know a lot more about TG2 than yours truly, who will be only too happy to attempt to resolve your TG2 problems.

Will do. And thanks for the tutorial btw.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: DigitalFear on October 14, 2009, 05:35:39 PM
Thanks for this; hopefully the learning curve isn't as steep as the mountain ;D

Puns rule.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: choronr on October 15, 2009, 01:22:40 AM
John, thank you. You have widened my TG2 tunnel vision. The tutorial was excellent and helped me a lot. The attached file is the results.

Bob
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on October 15, 2009, 05:44:48 AM
Looks like you picked a good ole Scottish driech day to climb McDuff. I'm hearby declaring it to be over 3000 ft, so you've bagged your first Munro, Bob. As I said at ReRo you've got better grass texture than the original. I've just had a word in the ReRo Terragen admin's shell-like about their lengthy pondering over approving / disapproving the tut.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: malakas13 on October 15, 2009, 12:02:20 PM
I'm new to terragen and thanks for this nice tutorial.

I'm pretty sure I followed every step exactly as said in the tut but my outcome is nowhere similar to yours.
Maybe by taking a look you could say where i screwed up.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on October 15, 2009, 01:38:26 PM
Quote from: malakas13 on October 15, 2009, 12:02:20 PM
I'm pretty sure I followed every step exactly as said in the tut but my outcome is nowhere similar to yours.
Maybe by taking a look you could say where i screwed up.
It's not that different. Check your Render > Effects tab settings for gamma and contrast, decreasing the gamma setting and/or increasing the contrast setting will give the scene better definition. I always take my renders post Terragen into an image editing application like Photoshop where I adjust Levels, and sometimes Curves to give a faded render more pop. Maybe also add another Surface Layer for more varied grass colours. But overall your result is good.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: domdib on October 15, 2009, 01:42:26 PM
And you might want to reduce haze a little - the default setting is usually too high. The grass shader could do with being a little less bright.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: mcmiller on November 08, 2009, 11:16:00 PM
Thanks for doing this. It helped shed some light on how to work some of the nodes and eliminate some of my trepidation with some of the functions.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on November 09, 2009, 05:06:07 AM
Quote from: mcmiller on November 08, 2009, 11:16:00 PM
It helped . . . some . . . some . . . some . . . some .
I couldn't help noticing (and smiling at) this cautious approval for a qualified learning experience.  ;) That's encouraging, though, as "some" is better than none.
The more you play and tinker with TG2, the more confident you will become.
Here's hoping you soon get your second wind on your ascent up the learning curve.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: MGebhart on November 11, 2009, 07:00:54 AM
John,

I revisited your tutorial again and spent the time doing it. The first time I just read the material. As you can see from the image I deviated a little on certain settings.

Well done young man.

This document is excellent for us new Terragen 2 users.

Thanks,

Marrc
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on November 12, 2009, 05:36:15 AM
Quote from: MGebhart on November 11, 2009, 07:00:54 AM
I deviated a little on certain settings.

Absolutely no problem with that, Marcc. I like deviation. And I like your version of Ben McDuff.

Quote from: MGebhart on November 11, 2009, 07:00:54 AM
young man.

You're right; after all, Israel is generally considered to be a young country.  :)

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Fabian on November 13, 2009, 05:15:09 AM
This is one of the best beginners guide. It demonstrates, how easy you can get some great result with Terragen 2 in no time. :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: avkhatri on November 25, 2009, 08:30:24 PM
what are some color values to make natural looking grass?
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: choronr on November 25, 2009, 09:05:38 PM
Quote from: avkhatri on November 25, 2009, 08:30:24 PM
what are some color values to make natural looking grass?
Try 113-132-70 for the lighter color; and, 36-39-17 for the darker color.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: inkydigit on November 26, 2009, 07:48:23 AM
Quote from: avkhatri on November 25, 2009, 08:30:24 PM
what are some color values to make natural looking grass?
I always find that actually, and contrary to what you might think, when producing 'nice greens'...I always add more red and less green values than I expected!
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Cadmium77 on November 30, 2009, 06:40:43 AM
Very nice. Thanks for sharing.
Title: How to tweak the colors?
Post by: atzibala on December 10, 2009, 01:21:02 AM
Hi, this tutorial is fine to overcome the fear to terragen 2, thank you very much.

In my first try, I got some rather wrong, unrealistic colors, mainly for the dirt (small image). I just tweaked a bit the colors (dirt and grass) and I think the result is better (second image). What do you think?

Any hint about how to pick the right colors for a terrain?

Regards.

Atzibala
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on December 10, 2009, 05:39:46 AM
Quote from: atzibala on December 10, 2009, 01:21:02 AM
Any hint about how to pick the right colors for a terrain?

Try reducing the coverage, and increasing the breakup of your grass to expose more of the underlying soil. Choronr and Inkydigit gave good advice for grass colours earlier in this thread. Try using the eyedropper tool in an image editing app on some landscape photos to pick out the colours of soil. Of course the actual colours will depend a lot on the lighting. But, generally soil will be not-too-saturated browns. Your image seems very misty. Check your haze settings, both for strength and height. Also check that your Lighting Strength setting isn't too high. Or you may need to reduce the Gamma correction on the Effects tab (to 2 or below) in your Render parameters.

Regards
John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Henry Blewer on December 10, 2009, 07:44:50 AM
Along the coastal regions of the the Carolinas, the soil has a very red tinge to it. I try to make soil look like it may have come from the hills around it. (The rocks and bedrock) I have also had luck using a brighter green with a power fractal color input of a drab green works for grasses. The trick is to use the first two color sliders to get the mix to look right.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Alf15000 on January 03, 2010, 04:03:56 PM
Thank you ! :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: warnerbrown on January 13, 2010, 04:39:08 PM
This tutorial was very helpful, I appreciate it!
I went for a desert look. This took about 5 1/2 hrs to render, time to get a new mac!

(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2719/4270703411_61fa2ba3c4_o.png)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: MGebhart on January 13, 2010, 04:50:09 PM
Cool Warner.

Marc
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Henry Blewer on January 13, 2010, 04:56:15 PM
This looks very good. I wish my first renders looked as good. I think you may be hooked on Terragen 2 now. Welcome!
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on January 13, 2010, 05:49:05 PM
Well done, Warner. Glad you found the tut helpful.
What were your render details (quality, AA, GI relative detail, GI sample quality. And was GI surface details checked or unchecked)?
Did you use the latest release (2.1) for the render? It is faster than previous releases.
Increasing the Atmosphere samples to say 40 or above should get rid of the noise in your atmosphere.

Onwards and upwards.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: warnerbrown on January 13, 2010, 06:25:39 PM
Thanks! glad you like Marc and njeneb. I'm hooked to the many possibilities TG2 has for film scenes. I'll be getting my feet wet with animating cameras soon. Speaking of which, does anyone know if there is a depth of field plugin for the Mac version of Terragen?

John: Thanks again. Well, I actually just downloaded 2.1 (today) so yes, future renders should be faster.

Detail 0.8. AA: 8.
GIrelative 2
GIsample 3
GIblur 8
edit: GI surface details were unchecked I think. The image came out slightly hazier then I wanted as you can see attached below, so I went into photoshop.I will try that with the atmosphere samples.

Warner
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: domdib on January 14, 2010, 08:38:44 AM
Welcome! Nice start. Make sure to read the Sticky on Render Settings, in the General section.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on January 14, 2010, 11:48:40 AM
I vote John the Member of the Month for this valuable contribution...woulda saved me days at the start...many thanks tendered for all those who use this and don't say thanks.. ...
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on January 14, 2010, 12:33:55 PM
Wow; downloaded 500 times. Never expected it would be this popular. That, for me, is thanks enough. But your kind words are much appreciated, Bobby.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: warnerbrown on January 14, 2010, 02:58:19 PM
Quote from: domdib on January 14, 2010, 08:38:44 AM
Welcome! Nice start. Make sure to read the Sticky on Render Settings, in the General section.

Thanks, I'll take a gander at it before I do another render.
-W
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: John-117 on March 08, 2010, 01:13:32 PM
Hello, just wanted to thank you for the tutorial.  It is excellent, simple enough to complete quickly and understand but in depth enough to give a general idea of how to create a great scene.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on March 09, 2010, 06:26:06 AM
Thanks 6y4. I hope it has encouraged you to progress further with TG2. The very knowledgeable community here will, I'm sure, help you to advance your skills and enjoyment even further.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Dick Dastardly on March 16, 2010, 04:37:23 AM
Thanks John. Helped to get a better understanding of Terragen2. Much appreciated.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Alkin on April 30, 2010, 03:13:46 PM
Hi Everyone.

John,

This is very nice tutorial and it is fully reveals the capability of the program. But IMHO some essential for understanding the tweaks of the program are missing. What i mean by that is that we see a lot of "do that" and "change this to", but do not see explanations why are we doing it and what it is going to lead to. For example: when we are tweaking Strata and digging inside settings, we eventually come to the point where you tell us "Click the Warping tab and ensure Distort by normal is Unchecked, and Lead in warp effect is None". But what does "Distort by normal" means? And why are we leaving it unchecked?
This is just one question out of many. I am sorry if i offended you, i just merely stating the questions i got following this guide.

Sincerely,
Alkin (noob)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on April 30, 2010, 03:43:49 PM
Quote from: Alkin on April 30, 2010, 03:13:46 PM
Hi Everyone.

John,

This is very nice tutorial and it is fully reveals the capability of the program. But IMHO some essential for understanding the tweaks of the program are missing. What i mean by that is that we see a lot of "do that" and "change this to", but do not see explanations why are we doing it and what it is going to lead to. For example: when we are tweaking Strata and digging inside settings, we eventually come to the point where you tell us "Click the Warping tab and ensure Distort by normal is Unchecked, and Lead in warp effect is None". But what does "Distort by normal" means? And why are we leaving it unchecked?
This is just one question out of many. I am sorry if i offended you, i just merely stating the questions i got following this guide.

Sincerely,
Alkin (noob)
My response to situations like that is to do it both ways and see what happens...live and learn.. ...
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Alkin on April 30, 2010, 03:54:13 PM
Thank you for your replay.
I am following the path you just mentioned, but its not always as revealing as i would hope.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: kasalin on April 30, 2010, 04:29:09 PM
Fantastic tutorial !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Vandy on May 03, 2010, 01:15:44 PM
Hello, John and All.

I certainly want to add my thanks to this wonderful tutorial.  It certainly accomplished your goal of helping people new to Terragen 2 to become more comfortable with its capabilities.  And -- to boot -- you've given us a beautiful image to create and recreate by experimenting with Terragen 2 settings.  Thanks, John.

I've attached a copy of what my Ben McDuff mount looks like.  I've post-processed it in Photoshop only to correct color balance.

Enjoy.

Regards,

Vandy
Durham, NC USA

[attachthumb=#]
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified (Mistake in Tut??)
Post by: kasalin on May 03, 2010, 04:41:31 PM
Does the Power fractal  (grass bump) that is marked in the below pic have a mistake in the tutorial ??
"Apply high colour" is checked ... I think that is a mistake here ????

I have gone through the tutorial very carefully.... and there was no colour indicated referring to this....

In the original text of the tutorial is said:

Now, ensuring you have Surface layer (grass) node highlighted in the node list (click on it just to
make sure) click on Add Child Layer and select Surface Layer. The new Child Surface layer
should be visible in the node list (if it isn't, click on the plus sign to the left of its parent Surface
layer). Ok, assuming your on the new child surface layer, rename it "Surface layer (grass mix)" On
its Coverage and breakup tab down the bottom enter the following values 0.5 for Coverage, and
with Fractal breakup checked, 0.5 for the breakup. Create a new Power fractal in its Colour function
slot (you should know how to do that now via Colour Shader). Go to that new power fractal's popup
window, and on its Colour tab check both Apply High and Low colours, and via the colour
picker enter light and dark grass colours (this time you could give them more of a reddish-green
tint). Enter values of 0.25 for both Colour contrast and offset, and 7.5 for roughness. And close the
pop-up window. Now click the Displacement tab of the Grass mix surface layer, and clicking the
green cross of the Displacement function Assign shader > Power fractal (grass bump). Enter a
value of 1.7 in the Displacement multiplier.
Maybe we should do a quick crop render so we can have a look at our grass. On the Quick Render
parameters section click the Crop Region tab and check the Do crop region checkbox. Then in the
3d Preview window pull the top guide down so only the bottom third of the scene renders. Now that
we have reduced the area to be rendered we can afford to increase the image size and detail quality.
(if you have an older release of Terragen you may not have the guides in the 3d Preview window,
and you'll have to use the slide controls in the Crop parameters section).
Below is the crop render I did to view the nearby grass texture......


Pls have a look at the photo !!

Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: neuspadrin on May 03, 2010, 10:26:10 PM
Not on my tg2 computer, but if memory serves correct apply high color is automatically checked by terragen... I often also check apply low and actually use them depending on the job of the fractal, but I think it doesn't matter?

******

Just checked, yep auto does the high color check.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: dandelO on May 04, 2010, 05:42:11 PM
Checking high/low colour only applies colour to the area that it describes. (that's not a very helpful description, I know, read on)
If only high colour is checked - the area occupied by low colour is left blank. This means that you can see the underlying colours from previous surfaces while the high/low(depending on which you check) applies colour on top of those previous shaders.

The 'lowest' fractal in the network should have BOTH colours checked(e.g. base colours node) because there is nothing below it. This means that if you uncheck one colour(high or low), the other area will be completely black, because nothing is shading that area at all.
If, however, you have a nice surface and would like to add additional colours, that you will see placed above the previous ones, only check -one- of the fractal colours(either will do). If you check both of them, it will -completely- cover the underlying surface, you won't see any previous colours on the surface you're texturing.

To balance high/low colours, use the 'colour offset' control. Less than zero(negative values) means that more low colour is applied, higher than zero(positive values) means that more high colour is applied. This is handy when using only one colour, too. e.g. using only 'high colour' and reducing the offset makes less of the colour appear. Use a higher positive offset to apply more of the high colour. The reverse of this is also true for 'low colour'.

I'm not sure I have got the right end of the stick with your problem, Kasalin, but in general, that's how the fractal colours work. - Only checking one fractal colour leaves the portion occupied by the other colour blank, to let the underlying shaders show through. It's a great way to keep adding layer upon layer of colour on top of other shaders. :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: choronr on May 04, 2010, 05:50:07 PM
Quote from: dandelO on May 04, 2010, 05:42:11 PM
Checking high/low colour only applies colour to the area that it describes. (that's not a very helpful description, I know, read on)
If only high colour is checked - the area occupied by low colour is left blank. This means that you can see the underlying colours from previous surfaces while the high/low(depending on which you check) applies colour on top of those previous shaders.

The 'lowest' fractal in the network should have BOTH colours checked(e.g. base colours node) because there is nothing below it. This means that if you uncheck one colour(high or low), the other area will be completely black, because nothing is shading that area at all.
If, however, you have a nice surface and would like to add additional colours, that you will see placed above the previous ones, only check -one- of the fractal colours(either will do). If you check both of them, it will -completely- cover the underlying surface, you won't see any previous colours on the surface you're texturing.

To balance high/low colours, use the 'colour offset' control. Less than zero(negative values) means that more low colour is applied, higher than zero(positive values) means that more high colour is applied. This is handy when using only one colour, too. e.g. using only 'high colour' and reducing the offset makes less of the colour appear. Use a higher positive offset to apply more of the high colour. The reverse of this is also true for 'low colour'.

I'm not sure I have got the right end of the stick with your problem, Kasalin, but in general, that's how the fractal colours work. - Only checking one fractal colour leaves the portion occupied by the other colour blank, to let the underlying shaders show through. It's a great way to keep adding layer upon layer of colour on top of other shaders. :)
This is the best description of the issue I have read ...thank you.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: domdib on May 04, 2010, 06:07:22 PM
Yes, good description dandelO. But it makes me wonder - if you are only using one colour in every power fractal above the base colour, wouldn't it make more sense to use surface layers with fractal breakup instead, as you then also get slope and altitude constraints built in? (although I suppose the same argument could be made in the opposite direction - power fractals with distribution shaders as blending shaders - except that the surface layer can still have a separate blending shader) Is this just another example of TG2's ability to skin cats in multiple ways?
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: dandelO on May 04, 2010, 06:23:01 PM
Aye, many, many ways to do the same thing. My advice to any new TG2 user is to read this power fractal lesson thread by Volker Harun... http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=2287.0

It will teach you more about TG2 in 2 pages than anything else out there. It did me, anyway. :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: domdib on May 05, 2010, 06:41:31 AM
I second that advice - a great tutorial. Volker's been a bit quiet lately- I hope he surfaces again soon.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on May 05, 2010, 06:48:09 AM
Hi Karin. It's been a while (three or four months) since I've applied myself to TG2 or any other such apps (A family matter). As I recall the "Grass Bump" shader in the tut is used as a displacement shader (connected to the Displacement  nodes of a couple of grass shaders) to attempt to give the grass some roughage. So the high colour (white) is checked to give that shader positive displacement. You should find that the two Grass shaders it is connected to have something like a 1.7 Displacement multiplier in their respective Displacement sections to further amplify the Grass Bump's displacement. But, yes, do follow dandellO's advice and seek further clarity in more dedicated tutorials. In the meantime, do soldier on, you're getting there.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Henry Blewer on May 05, 2010, 08:12:21 AM
Welcome Back John! 8)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: dandelO on May 05, 2010, 11:47:54 AM
I'm sure your tutorial is just as dedicated as anyone elses around here, John. I haven't actually had a nosey myself but, judging by the response to this thread, I think I can safely say that it is one of the most useful resources in the forum. :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: kasalin on May 05, 2010, 04:19:03 PM
Hi John, nice to read from you here and thanks a lot.......thanks a lot, Bob,  and thanks a lot to all the others.

Puh.....Much material to work trough !!!!


I'll do my best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Tangled-Universe on May 05, 2010, 05:09:12 PM
Yes this is a very good place to get started and you're an example of an enthusiastic and dedicated beginner Kasalin :) (Diane, isn't it?)

Cheers,
Martin
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: kasalin on May 06, 2010, 09:10:28 AM
Tangled-Universe :



Hi Martin,  no my name is Karin !!!!!!

kasalin is also my user in RERO !!!!!!

Greetings

Karin
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Tangled-Universe on May 06, 2010, 09:23:53 AM
Quote from: kasalin on May 06, 2010, 09:10:28 AM
Tangled-Universe :

Hi Martin,  no my name is Karin !!!!!!
kasalin is also my user in RERO !!!!!!

Greetings
Karin

Oops :) ...not mixing up people in real-life is hard some-times, let alone on the internet. Sorry Karin :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: CrazyEnzo03 on May 28, 2010, 04:51:40 PM
Your tutorial is still working for people today as well.
Attached is my Ben McDuff; I changed up the clouds because I didn't like the ones the tutorial produced.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: domdib on May 28, 2010, 04:59:20 PM
Good work on the clouds!
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on May 29, 2010, 07:25:12 AM
Well done Crazy... . And you're quite right, when you meet a Buddha on the road, feel free to kill him (he will laugh with approval). Your clouds are indeed an improvement.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: rocknrollguy767 on August 06, 2010, 12:48:10 PM
uh... i've tried all sorts of stuff but the grass won't show up in the 3d preview or the render... ???
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on August 06, 2010, 01:26:40 PM
Quote from: rocknrollguy767 on August 06, 2010, 12:48:10 PM
uh... i've tried all sorts of stuff but the grass won't show up in the 3d preview or the render... ???
post the .tgd file and one of us will look at it.. ...
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on August 06, 2010, 05:51:40 PM
Quote from: rocknrollguy767 on August 06, 2010, 12:48:10 PM
uh... i've tried all sorts of stuff but the grass won't show up in the 3d preview or the render... ???
Your reference to the grass not showing up in the 3d Preview makes me wonder if you're expecting to see the outline boxes that show there for objects. There are no grass objects in this beginners' tutorial, just a small displacement power fractal connected to the Grass (colour) Surface Layer to give it a bit of bump. As Bobby says, post your tgd in this thread and I'll play with the displacement parameters to try and get it to show up more. Or you can fiddle with it yourself. Better still, why don't you check out dandelO's excellent procedural grass clip which you can use instead. I've included the link to that below.

http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=3842.msg40524#msg40524

Regards
John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: rocknrollguy767 on August 06, 2010, 10:18:10 PM
thanks.
here's the file
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on August 07, 2010, 01:52:55 PM
Hi rocknrollguy767,

The reason the grass didn't show is because you had the grass colour power fractal connected to the blending node of the grass surface layer (indicated by the yellow blob on the node graphic attached). Positioned there it acted as a mask obscuring your grass. I put it back where it belongs (on the colour node of the Surface layer). I also had a little mess about with the grass displacement parameters to get a better bump effect in the grass (don't know if I succeeded). I also changed your dirt settings as you had a fully saturated red for your dirt, but I left your grass colours alone.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: hypnomedi on August 29, 2010, 06:25:48 AM
THANKS !

it's a BIG help for me as beginner !
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: DVA99 on October 25, 2010, 04:33:53 AM
Hey John, you rock!

Thanks for a very good tutorial.

Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Echo R on November 07, 2010, 02:37:52 PM
I did the tutorial and it wasn't quite the same still had a lot of the strata rock part showing but my biggest problem was rendering time. It took 1 hour 40 minutes. I have the free version so it changed the size automatically but I didn't mess with any of the other settings since I don't understand what the numbers or words mean.... so how can I get rendering time down?
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on November 09, 2010, 08:54:56 AM
Hi Echo R
An hour and 40 minutes isn't too long a render time as TG2 renders generally go. Of course it will depend on the spec of your machine, in particaular the speed of your processor and the amount of ram your machine has.
Check out the following link which will give you good advice on optimum rendering settings:

http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=6442.0

regards
John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: nemasis on December 05, 2010, 04:29:21 PM
I have known about Terragen for a while. I first heard about it when I read Jag Panzer used it for the mountain scenes in one of there videos. Unfortunately the learning curve was a bit steep, and the search continued. I have used Vue, but just didn't like it. I know its been used in major motion pictures and all...but eh, whatever.

I just want to thank you John for putting this together as this has helped tremendously in my understanding!

I'll post my render as soon as its finished.

Nemasis
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: nemasis on December 05, 2010, 06:04:50 PM
Posting of finished render. I have the free version so detail is set at 1 and AA set at 3. res at 800x480. rendered in 53mins.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1628241/ben_mcduff_final.jpg

-nemasis
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on December 06, 2010, 12:02:11 PM
Good effort nemasis. Maybe the grass is a bit too saturated and yellowy; going darker and closer to the reddish side of green might improve it. The more you practice, the more confident and better you get.
Oh, and there shouldn't be any need to go higher than 1 with the render detail setting; I usually render at 0.9.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: nemasis on December 07, 2010, 12:06:56 AM
Yea the grass is something i want to tweak...way to yellow.

Is it possible in the full version to go past 1 in render detail?

Again, thanks.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on December 07, 2010, 01:32:20 AM
yes it is...
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Oshyan on December 07, 2010, 01:46:57 AM
Yes, but it is almost never necessary and generally not advised to do. If there appear to be "detail" issues, they likely stem from other factors like antialiasing, atmosphere or cloud samples, etc.

- Oshyan
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: nemasis on December 08, 2010, 11:28:22 PM
Any chance on seeing a tutorial on vegetation populations?  ;D

nemasis
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Henry Blewer on December 09, 2010, 12:21:01 AM
I am nearly ready to start one.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: freelancah on December 09, 2010, 08:08:42 AM
A fine tutorial. I usually link this to people who ask for help ;)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: DannyG on December 16, 2010, 07:43:25 PM
John thanks, this is a must have foundation to TG 2. Thanks for taken the time to write it. Credit Mr Lampost's Bush pack
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on December 29, 2010, 11:13:49 AM
Sorry it's taken me so long to respond , Danny, but I've been off the computer since I injured my right arm. Nice clouds, and I like the sunlight streaking through the atmosphere; small terrain features seem a wee bit spiky.

John.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on December 29, 2010, 11:23:28 AM
Quote from: schmeerlap on December 29, 2010, 11:13:49 AM
Sorry it's taken me so long to respond , Danny, but I've been off the computer since I injured my right arm. Nice clouds, and I like the sunlight streaking through the atmosphere; small terrain features seem a wee bit spiky.

John.

sorry to hear you injured yourself man...got a bit of arm pain lately as well but due mainly to over work as I'm practicing, playing and computing as well as shovelling snow so the arms get a bit stressed. glad yer back on the box again.. ...
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: rcallicotte on January 04, 2011, 02:34:17 PM
Thanks John.  Nice to see something so well done and so well received.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: DannyG on January 09, 2011, 08:06:28 AM
Quote from: schmeerlap on December 29, 2010, 11:13:49 AM
Sorry it's taken me so long to respond , Danny, but I've been off the computer since I injured my right arm. Nice clouds, and I like the sunlight streaking through the atmosphere; small terrain features seem a wee bit spiky.

John.

Thanks for the look, The spikey displcements I acutally like. Kind of gives it a prehistoric/Mordor-type feeling (glooming up the sky would enhance that, perhaps I'll revisit this one). I had fun tweaking your settings and experimenting. Experimenting, lots of that to do. Thanks again for the tutorial. Hope the arm is feeling better.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Lalla on April 20, 2011, 11:35:40 AM
My attempt.

(http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/8439/tutorialu.jpg) (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/tutorialu.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on April 21, 2011, 06:10:14 AM
I like this version, Lalla. The thinned out and desaturated grass gives the terrain a more rugged feel. Excellent work, and keep experimenting and trying new things.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: max_thehitman on April 21, 2011, 10:49:22 AM

Great Tutorial mr. schmeerlap   8)
Lots of great art posted by everyone too. Really cool images created!
Thanks everyone for sharing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I already created my first TG2 scene using your great tutorial ... http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=12197.msg122845
THANKS very much for your help Mr.John!

Cheers
MAX
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Gooner on August 03, 2011, 04:19:23 PM
Great tutorial schmeerlap ! Here is my go. I decided to bring the clouds forward a bit though instead of having them in the background. Unlike you I don`t mind getting wet!  :D
Also I did a bit of post processing in Paint.Net to adjust the colours slightly . Hope you like it.

(http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd349/G00nster/Terragen/McDuff.png)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: aymenk2003 on August 04, 2011, 12:39:55 AM
Great Tutorial mr. schmeerlap 
I wonder how I did missed this tutorial  ???
more tutors please...

Thanks everyone for sharing!
N.KAID
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on August 04, 2011, 06:06:33 AM
Hi Gooner
I like the feeling of sunlight before the impending storm approaching, in your render.

Hi aymenk2003
Further to "more tutors please". How about an official (hard copy) T2 manual/guide?

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: aymenk2003 on August 05, 2011, 11:24:04 AM
Hi schmeerlap...
Why not ... and it must be  "TG2 the Bible"
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: yossam on August 05, 2011, 04:41:02 PM
I read through this a long time ago, and forgot about it. Anyhoo.........this is my iteration.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: GaoMingWei on August 22, 2011, 05:07:12 PM
Thanks a bunch from a noobie !... BTW  I am probably one of thousands... but....  My 34th Great Grandfather was Robert De Bruce...
thanks again (don't let the username fool you)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on August 23, 2011, 07:59:49 AM
You're welcome GaoMingWei: mind you don't step on any spiders.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: :) on September 22, 2011, 07:02:47 PM
little bump
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: featherwitch on September 28, 2011, 12:13:00 PM
This was such a good tutorial that I wanted to sign up and join the community. I haven't been using TG2 very long. I get impatient so I've been experimenting a little, hope you don't mind. I like it except for the noise. I shall keep playing around and see what I come up with, it's nice to have a good terrain full of stones, grass and geological features as a backdrop.

Apologies in advance for being a complete forum noobie!
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Ardy Haze on September 29, 2011, 12:30:52 AM
I got pretty far in the tutorial, but my renders always looks way more degraded than the PDF.  Take a look: http://i.imgur.com/IxPIB.jpg

Can anyone guess what I may have done wrong?

edit: Turns out I wasn't clicking "Render Image".  D'oh.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on September 29, 2011, 07:07:29 AM
Hi Featherwitch
We all start of as noobies; no apology required. Just increase the number of samples in the Quality tab of the Atmosphere to get rid of the noise. Have fun.

Hi Ardy Haze
Yeh, Render Image does improve the resolution   ;D. Come out of that hole that swallowed you up; Most of us have "D'oh" moments. For me they are also known as "senior moments", and they occur more often than I care to admit to. ;)

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bla bla 2 on October 02, 2011, 02:14:11 PM
And the snow.

Et la neige.

-Bastien-
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: stew on November 09, 2011, 07:22:03 AM
hi thanks for the tutorial - It greatly assisted in first scene!!

here is a link to the raw render and the shopped version:
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=13486.0


Again - Much appreciated!

Stew
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: ghotir on December 13, 2011, 06:35:31 PM
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/ghotir/BenMcDuff.jpg)

Here is my trip through the tutorial
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on December 17, 2011, 10:03:24 AM
Well done, ghotir. I hope you enjoyed the climb, not too steep, I hope. You can get rid of the noise under the clouds by increasing the quality setting (number of samples) in clouds and atmosphere. Hope you're encouraged to further your experience with TG2.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: dimdim07 on January 22, 2012, 12:10:48 AM
great shot, gothir! ;)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: machosalad on March 17, 2013, 05:45:27 AM
I made an animation of this mountain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJTQcSafC3Q
But i can't get the background to stop flickering.

These are the settings i used:
Detail: 0.6
Anti-aliasing: 3
Ray trace objects: true
Ray trace atmosphere: true
GI relative detail: 1
GI sample quality: 3
GI blur radius: 8
GI surface details: false

Does anybody know why the background flickers? Thanks.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on March 17, 2013, 09:14:05 AM
First of all, thanks for doing that animation. I think it looks good compared to some other Terragen2 animations I have viewed at YouTube. I myself don't do animations and can't help you with flickering (though it seems minimal to me). It seems that Matt of Planetside is the man to see about this. I did a quick search and found this entry by Matt on the subject:

"I have used GI in clouds on a number of real productions recently, involving lots of cloud, and GI flickering has not been a problem. A GI sample quality value of 3 is sometimes good enough. Rarely is more than 5 or 6 needed. It increases render times, but not by a great deal. I know that it probably depends on other factors, and some scenes will be more stubborn.
EDIT: Any time you have a scene that flickers even with high GI settings, please let me take a look.
The main source of flickering that I have found is the cloud layers' Acceleration Caches. I need to set them all to "None" to prevent flickering. This is completely independent of GI though.
I plan to implement GI baking this year."

I hope that helps a little, but like I say, ask the main man (Matt) himself for expert advice.
Regards
John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Oshyan on March 17, 2013, 03:28:49 PM
The flickering is almost certainly due to differing Global Illumination solutions between frame. You can solve this with GI caching. Please see documentation here:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Terragen_2_Global_Illumination

- Oshyan
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Katster on June 07, 2013, 07:52:38 AM
Thanks for this Tutorial :)  Hubby told me to download Terragen and said he thought i'd like it.  He was right.  Had heaps of fun "climbing" BenMcDuff and am eager to try my own.  Still fuzzy on what everything does, but will play and explore over the weekend :)

(I think I may have gone overboard on the red! oops!)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on June 07, 2013, 10:46:51 AM
nice first attempt on Mt BenMcDuff...LOL...welcome to your new world...if queries arise have no fear, answers are here just ask.....
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: schmeerlap on June 10, 2013, 07:08:09 AM
Well done, Kat. Nice effort, and glad you enjoyed it.

Quote from: Katster on June 07, 2013, 07:52:38 AM
Still fuzzy on what everything does
(I think I may have gone overboard on the red! oops!)

With practice most things will become less fuzzy. And as I think Ishihara is the instigator of a diabolical conspiracy (I see no numbers in his infernal chaotic patterns of coloured dots) I won't comment on matters of colour.

John
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 05:53:04 AM
So none of you here were noobs at some point? :)

I am going to start working my way through this tutorial now and that is the main reason I am posting here, so I can find it easier.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 09:22:15 AM
Here's my version from your tutorial.

I did try to add some trees but they are showing as little black dots which is a pain for me :(

Expandable thumbnail:
[attach=1]
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: archonforest on June 02, 2015, 09:49:03 AM
Great start.  ;)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 09:52:03 AM
Yeah, just need them flaming trees* to show up. I have posted elsewhere about that.


*not actual flaming trees, just trees.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on June 02, 2015, 11:05:23 AM
Quote from: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 09:52:03 AM
Yeah, just need them flaming trees* to show up. I have posted elsewhere about that.


*not actual flaming trees, just trees.

Likely a matter of scale and where the camera is. From that height and distance I'd expect tiny trees way down on the ground.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 11:10:33 AM
It was down to scale :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on June 02, 2015, 12:46:03 PM
Quote from: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 11:10:33 AM
It was down to scale :)

If everything is as is in the tute your camera is currently about 600 meters up in the air at 830m as in the tute, and the ground level is 213.114m.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 01:01:02 PM
Here's my final result.

I did want to add the rock arch but it wouldn't work, just showed as a blob/lump.

I also wanted to remove the haze around the mountain so it appeared closer/more colourful but not sure how.

[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: archonforest on June 02, 2015, 01:04:11 PM
Pretty cool first render 8)
BTW, welcome to the forum.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 01:05:10 PM
Thanks Archon.

I reckon if I could get rid of that Haze that is appearing infront of the mountain it would look more vibrant and real.

Anyone know how to make it less faded up there?
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on June 02, 2015, 01:49:59 PM
Quote from: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 01:05:10 PM
Thanks Archon.

I reckon if I could get rid of that Haze that is appearing infront of the mountain it would look more vibrant and real.

Anyone know how to make it less faded up there?

Lower the haze height. John doubled it in the tutorial for a Scottish atmosphere which tends to foggy.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 01:52:44 PM
I am in Cumbria, south of Scotland so yeah it's usually wet here too lol
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on June 02, 2015, 01:56:55 PM
Quote from: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 01:01:02 PM
Here's my final result.

I did want to add the rock arch but it wouldn't work, just showed as a blob/lump.

I also wanted to remove the haze around the mountain so it appeared closer/more colourful but not sure how.

[attachimg=1]

So did you lower the camera or move the population closer...or just scale it up. The models that come free are when loaded at the proper scale for real life I've found. Not so on many others but those 3 trees are accurate. So when I want real life scale I often add a single adult Fir to scale the other trees to and disable it if it's not appropriate to the scene once I've established scale. A bit cumbersome but I've found it makes better use of models re: scale to stick close to real world scale. For fantasy I just scale everything willy nilly; but say doing a scene with lights coming out of a house windows, it's easier to get good lighting at real world scale.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on June 02, 2015, 02:09:00 PM
Just as an example here's 2 tests I did with objects. The default grass clump is 1 m. with .3 blade height and 100 blades, and at the default camera you can only distinguish it by vague colour differences. I put the grass on a Distribution shader using the Grass Surface layer for dispersal and it's a 1000 x 1000 patch bottom left which is closest to the camera. In shot 2 the camera is down from 830 m. to 122 m. and zoomed in on the trees a bit
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: DannyG on June 02, 2015, 06:44:13 PM
Keep the haze increase the contrast a bit (effects tab) best of both
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Nutronic on June 03, 2015, 05:14:57 AM
Quote from: bobbystahr on June 02, 2015, 01:56:55 PM
Quote from: Nutronic on June 02, 2015, 01:01:02 PM
Here's my final result.

I did want to add the rock arch but it wouldn't work, just showed as a blob/lump.

I also wanted to remove the haze around the mountain so it appeared closer/more colourful but not sure how.

[attachimg=1]

So did you lower the camera or move the population closer...or just scale it up. The models that come free are when loaded at the proper scale for real life I've found. Not so on many others but those 3 trees are accurate. So when I want real life scale I often add a single adult Fir to scale the other trees to and disable it if it's not appropriate to the scene once I've established scale. A bit cumbersome but I've found it makes better use of models re: scale to stick close to real world scale. For fantasy I just scale everything willy nilly; but say doing a scene with lights coming out of a house windows, it's easier to get good lighting at real world scale.

I went with scaling them up :)

-

As for Haze.

I can't get rid of it, for some reason it doesnt move. Will try increasing contrast instead...later when I have time :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Dune on June 03, 2015, 05:19:30 AM
It's important to work in real world scales, then you have a quite natural haze by default. If your terrain is 10x too big (I mean the size of displacements and objects), haze will certainly be far too dense and blue. There's a measure, and you can use a simple shape of certain proportions to check sizes.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on June 03, 2015, 04:38:16 PM
Also for getting everything together scale wise there is MrLamppost's Grid Pack over at ashundar that I use a lot.
Here is a link I posted a while back. Says tg2 but works fine in any version.

http://www.mrlamppost.com/tg2/downloads/objects.htm
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: DannyG on June 04, 2015, 11:17:32 AM
Bobby's link is your key to scaling, grab the stickman or the grid. These put everything into perspective
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Stranded on June 26, 2015, 04:40:52 AM
Okay, here is my first full render based on the tutorial, which was absolutely perfect, by the way (the tutorial, NOT the render.. :) ). I still don't know squat yet but this tut gave me something that I can read and re-read to understand why I did each step in the process.

Stone color is somewhat different but that's cool. I can always work on color selection another time. This is just about the process.

The only way this could have been better is if there were a path or a trail in the tutorial. For the life of me I can't figure out how to make those.

Anyway, here it is...
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: archonforest on June 26, 2015, 05:24:29 AM
Welcome!
Nice start :)
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Stranded on June 26, 2015, 05:52:13 AM
Quote from: archonforest on June 26, 2015, 05:24:29 AM
Welcome!
Nice start :)


Thanks archonforest. It's a jumping off point that's for sure.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: bobbystahr on June 26, 2015, 08:37:15 PM
Quote from: Stranded on June 26, 2015, 04:40:52 AM
The only way this could have been better is if there were a path or a trail in the tutorial. For the life of me I can't figure out how to make those.

Anyway, here it is...

It's quite easy to paint a simple path with a Paint shader which can be used as a reverse mask to exclude terrain colours, and a positive mask for texturing the path.
Title: Re: A Get Started Terragen 2 Tutorial for the Terrified
Post by: Stranded on June 27, 2015, 07:01:48 AM
Quote from: bobbystahr on June 26, 2015, 08:37:15 PM
Quote from: Stranded on June 26, 2015, 04:40:52 AM
The only way this could have been better is if there were a path or a trail in the tutorial. For the life of me I can't figure out how to make those.

Anyway, here it is...

It's quite easy to paint a simple path with a Paint shader which can be used as a reverse mask to exclude terrain colours, and a positive mask for texturing the path.

I thought I responded to this but didn't see anything posted..hmmmm.. Anyway, I am learning my way through that. Somehow I missed several great tutorials on that during my searches of the forums and internet. Oshyan pointed me in the right direction.

Appreciate the feedback.