Hello everyone, I'd like to know what you suggest for creating atmospheres for planets like Jupiter (with those swirls an stuff). All advice, (comments, links, guides) are welcome. ;D
you will need Image Shader function for this(just like how we create Hurricane Renders), it would be tough but with patience you can do it. ;)
Thanks! But I can't find the Image Shader function! I mean, I went to the node network, right-clicked, went to Create Function, and I cant find it.
Create Shader > Displacement Shader > Image Map Shader (Sixth Shader From the top of the List beneath Heightfeild Shader: You can also find it under the "Displacement" roll out of the Terrain Tab in the same position as above: you can also find it under "Colour Shader" Create Shader > Colour Shader
> Image Map Shader (Its sixth From the top, beneath Distribution Shader v4). ;D
Hope that helps?
Regards to you.
Cyber-Angel
I'd use a planet with stretched power fractals across it, in the noise tab of a fractal, stretch the X and Z axis to layer your patterns.
Also, you can use a ball of clouds, uncheck render surface in the planet node you're making and use a cloud the size and depth of the planet, stretch the fractal noises, as above, here too. :)
Quote from: dandelO on August 17, 2010, 10:37:18 AM
I'd use a planet with stretched power fractals across it, in the noise tab of a fractal, stretch the X and Z axis to layer your patterns.
Also, you can use a ball of clouds, uncheck render surface in the planet node you're making and use a cloud the size and depth of the planet, stretch the fractal noises, as above, here too. :)
Thanks, but sorry, I don't really understand what you mean. I mean, it sounds really complicated. I don't get what you mean when you say to make the clouds the same size as the planet, or to stretch the power fractals.
Sorry if I'm annoying you, I just don't understand.
Of course you're not annoying me. :) Sorry I was in a bit of a rush earlier and typed quickly without a decent explanation.
Have a look at this, it explains what I meant above: [attachimg=#]
When you open the .tgd, you'll be looking at a planet covered by power fractals on its surface.
[attachimg=#]
It won't win any beauty contests but, look at the 'tweak noise' tab of each power fractal shader that feeds the planet's 'surface shader' input. At the bottom of this tab, there are 3 noise stretch inputs. The 'noise' is stretched by x30 on both the horizontal X and Z axis. this gives the appearance of layers or bands of colour.
That's not all, it's just a shell, with a secret hidden inside... ;)
After checking out what the 'surface shader' inputs are doing, (you might not like that approach), open the settings panel for 'planet 02' and un-check the 'render surface' box. Now, there's a ball of clouds in the sky, they were inside the planet all along.
So, that's two 3D cloud layers that are set, not to extend above the surface of the planet, but to fill it with clouds. To get the cloud depths and heights required, I took the 'radius' of the planet object as the guide(it was 1.8378e+007, use an online calculator to half/double or just press '=' to see the actual numerical value of such numbers). Make the clouds whatever colour you want, add more clouds, take some away, whatever.
Cloud layer 2(the red one) is set to appear wherever cloud layer 1(orange) doesn't, by blending its fractal with the invert of the first.
A ball of cloud.
[attachimg=#]
That's what I should have said earlier but didn't have time to. :D
Thank you all (especially DandelO ;))! I've learned one new thing in Terragen 2. Here is a picture I made using DandelO's advice. Anti-aliasing 2 and Detail .8. :)
Nice work. I would have added more color variations in the oranges. But this is really quite convincing.
I'm less in a hurry now ;), so I've made some better editions. Here is the same picture, but bigger, and with 1 detail and 3 anti-aliasing. In the second one I've improved the gas color variation and gas overall.
Please tell me how you think those pictures can be improved.
You could put one of the spacecraft available at NASA in it. Here's a link to the post with the models location at the NASA site.
QuoteHere's a link to the post with the models location at the NASA site.
???
Quote from: Dune on August 20, 2010, 02:42:22 AM
QuoteHere's a link to the post with the models location at the NASA site.
???
I think with "here" Njeneb did mean this forum and his post here :
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=10525.0
Oops... ::) :P
Found it, thanks. You never know what it's good for...
:D Ha ha. Very funny guys...I'll try it out.
Ahem...I downloaded one of the ships, and the folder didn't have a tgo with it.
There may be a Lightwave lwo file or a Wavefront obj file. Both can be loaded using the correct object loading. Blender 3D is free and can change the objects to nearly any format, except tgo...
Thank you njeneb, but can you tell me how to do that on Blender?
In the File menu, there are two items Import and Export. Use the Import to bring in the object. There may be a dialog box with things to use for compatibility. To export the object, Use Export. Here is a tutorial I wrote some time ago.
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=7567.0
Thanks njeneb! ;)
Well, I found the 3D things, but it doesn't seem that I can use them. I download them, and they come out as zipped folders. So I try to take the things out, since on Terragen 2 you can't get things out of zipped folders (right?). So then I convert the 3DS on Blender. The problem is, if I try taking the _MACOSX and textures out of the zipped folder; not the folders, the other _MACOSX and textures. My father told me that it seems the models can only be used with an Apple computer. Can you tell me what's wrong?
Open the folder the zip files are in using the desktop, ie c://foldername. RIght click on the zip file. There should be a menu option called Extract all. This will expand the compressed files. Most programs can handle MAC files.
Thank you njeneb, but I still have a problem. I got the Space Shuttle Orbiter and converted it to an obj. Then, I loaded it onto Terragen 2, but when I did, and rendered it, I ended up with a cube instead of a space shuttle.
Open it up again and look at it. Is there a cube around it?
Yes, there still is.
Anyway, here is another picture I made. Detail 1 and AA 3. 14 million micro-triangles, rounded. It's good, but it can be improved, right?
I meant open the model itself and look to see that there isn't extraneous geometry; I've seen models packaged with cubes around them before.
Sorry gregsandor, I'm still confused. Do you mean open the model outside of Terragen 2? Anyway, I opened it up in Terragen 2, but it looks like any other obj: with the four tabs: Transform, Angular Position, Surface Shaders, and OBJ Options.
Yes, open it outside of Terragen. What does it look like? When you look at it in TG does the wireframe look correct or only a box?
Well, when I open it in TG2, I just see an opaque box. But...how do you open it outside TG2? You mean actually click on the OBJ? If I do that, it just says that it can't open it; it must know what program created it. So I don't exactly know how to open it outside of Terragen 2.
Go to www.anim8or.com and download the program http://www.anim8or.com/download/preview/anim8or_v097d_preview.zip
Open your .obj model and see what it looks like.
It seems to be the right thing. When I open it, it seems to be looking right at the engines of the ship.
Did you use anim8or to open it?
Yeah
render it in terragen and post a screenshot of your node network with the render.
Funny, I'm getting one of my friends into Terragen more. Yesterday he asked about creating gas planets. It seems pretty simple, but I'll have to direct him to this thread.
Thanks, how do you get a screenshot of your node network though, gregsandor? ;)
Open your Photoshop or Paintshop. Open Terragen. Press PrtScrn on your keyboard, then go back to your paint program and Paste, then save it as a jpg.
Ugh! This is bad. I've opened Terragen 2 and Photoshop. I go to Terragen 2 and press Prt Sc. Then I go back to Photoshop and paste, but nothing happens! I've tried clicking on the node network and then doing it, but it still does not work. Can you tell me what's wrong?
Huh...so I tried getting a new ship, Friendship 7. It was also a cube! I opened it in Anim8or, and it sure was Friendship 7! So I don't know what to do. Maybe I just can't use these models. Anyway, try giving some advice on my most recent version of Gas Planet earlier in this thread.
Post your .tgd here (don't put any of the texture files or models or anything, just attach the tgd to your post).
Actually, when I put the object in the picture, it wasn't it my project. I simply opened Terragen 2 with nothing in it and put it the object. So I don't think it has anything to do with my project. It seems to be a problem with either the object or Terragen. Anyway, here is the project
Here's a picture of the cube.
Post the project with the object setup. This doesnt contain the object loader. Set it up just as you did when you rendered the box and save it, then post that.
??? Sorry gregsandor, I don't know too much about Terragen or computers :-[. Can you tell me what you meant by the object loader? Does it mean the folder that I used?
What I mean is for you to post the scene that renders the cube in it. The one you posted before doesn't have any model in it.
And as for not knowing about TG or computers, you seem to be learning them both fast. Hang in there. :)
Don't give up so soon cbest. We are not all poking in on this thread, but we are reading. We'll all help as we can. Greg seems to be doing fine helping.
Okay...here we go.
Try this:
Thank you! Here it is, but is there a way to stop it from becoming black?
Great!
Now for the next step: shaders.
First thing you need to do is look in the folder where you exported the .obj model. Is there a file of the same name as your model, but with the extension .mtl? That is a material file, it tells TG what materials go to the different parts of your model.
If you have that .mtl file in the folder with your model, you're ready. Open the Terragen scene that has your model in it, then double click on the model loader (thats the node that tells TG which model to display) and modify the shaders in the model. Search the forum here for help on how to do that.
Could you possibly give me a link? I mean, i typed in, "object loader" or "OBJ surface layer" in the Search Menu and I didn't get useful results.
Thanks again, Chakra.
Quote from: cbest on August 26, 2010, 12:43:41 PM
Could you possibly give me a link? I mean, i typed in, "object loader" or "OBJ surface layer" in the Search Menu and I didn't get useful results.
Thanks again, Chakra.
What I called an Object Loader is called in TG an Object Reader. Search instead for information on model shaders, in fact I posted an example file in the files section not long ago. Download it and look at it to see how to set up basic shaders for a model.
I see...that would be Weathered Gas Station?
Yep.
@cbest
Now you have your model in TG2 doule click on it in the node network> surface shaders . Where you see parts shader - click the + box and 'go to parts shader' Next click the internal network (V) button. This should give you a sub-level mat shader.
This is where you can change the colour, load jpegs etc. This sub layer is usually hidden in the node network because once you get to the standard of gregsandor and other folks here node networks increase in complxity.
If you d/l gregs gas station you'll se what I mean.
Hope this helps
Okay. Look what I've got now! It actually wasn't too hard. All I did was add a surface shader and connect it to the OBJ.
Cool. Now comes the fun part, adding the image textures.
??? What do you mean? The webpage just seems to have some train pictures.
Eh!
:-\....
How was my last picture?
Nice. You're learning fast. Now put a .jpg into an image map shader and plug that into your shaders. For a start, it doesnt matter what the image is of, just learn how to put an image map on your model. There is a lot of info in the forums on how to do it. Search for "image map shader."
Uh oh...
This doesn't have anything to do with what we were just talking about: image map shaders, but I'd like the mention it anyway.
I downloaded a NASA 3DS model of the ISS with high quality. The problem is that it is in many parts! How can I get them all on Terragen 2 in one model?
I'd suggest you keep it simple for now and figure out how to to the basic stuff with the model you already have, then when you master that move on to other stuff.
The red text at the bottom of my posts is just a link to my Flickr page.
Try making a cube in Anim8tor. Then import that obj file into Terragen 2. Try adding some images to this. This will help you to see how the different image maps work.
Hmmm, sorry to tell you. I'm lost. I can't get ANYTHING to work on Anim8or. If you want me to make a cube on it, you might have to tell me how. Anyway though, it doesn't matter at all. I've got the hang of it. Here is a picture of Friendship 7 with an image map shader, using a JPEG image of grass! The bottom picture is the same gas planet with Friendship 7 (with a surface shader, not an image map shader).
For help learning how to do stuff in Anim8or, check their forums -- http://www.anim8or.com/main/index.html Lots of helpful people there.
As for the grassy space capsule: congratulations!
Yay! Well, I guess this thread wasn't just making gas planets. It was also about making ships from NASA! Now can I know how to work with those really complicated ships like High Detail ISS? Then I'll make the finale picture.
Just modify each section one by one. Large things are made of small parts.
....You mean...turn them into OBJ's one at a time? If so, that is fine, but the hard problem is loading all the parts onto Terragen...and sticking them together! That is the hard part!
It doesn't matter how many different parts there are because TG only reads it as one whole OBJ What TG does read is the material zones. This is another NASA model, from that page, which has some questionable geometry and no material zones. You would have to UV map it or use TG procedurals.
best of luck
In the objects tab, click on the object. Down below the objects list a new input area will open. Click on the tab Surface Shaders. Now there should be an input area with a square on he right side. This usually says Parts Shaders. Click on this box and you should get a Parts Shader window. Click on the box to the right again. Now the materials will appear in the node window.
When I am working with these the first time, I give each material a different contrasty color. Do a small quick render and move the rendered image over where you can still see it. You should be able to see each material by it color. Now you can start changing the colors and other attributes of each material as you like.
Well, thanks all you! I've not just learned about gas planets, but many other things! Special thanks to DandelO, gregsandor, and njeneb!