As the title says, where is it?
Mick
There is a box within a box in the top right corner of the node window. This will shrink the node window, or expand it. The preview window should re-appear.
wrong little window. in the past when I clicked on a node there was a little preview in the render preview box that showed what the node was doing - it seems to be gone. I can open a new preview window but as it won't stay open it's a pain to use.
Oh, you mean the smaller window to the left of the main preview window. Let me check something...
that's the one
Try adding a power fractal to a new Terragen 2 project. Add it in the shaders group and then select it. It should appear.
Ok that works but only with a new file.
I am going to play around with an older file. I'll get back in about 30 minutes.
Sorry, works with old files but only when you click on the left hand list not when you click on a node. But it's usable.
I just discovered something. If you are in a different tab, other than the Terrain or Shader tabs, the preview disappears. (Buttons across the top of the program)
That little preview is so useful it would be nice to have up all the time.
I hardly notice it. The only time I look at it is if I am adjusting the color offset.
iirc right click the node and choose from menu seems to be the only way now.
Reading the change log won't hurt either. ;)
Precisely one gets a preview window that won't stay open when you edit the node - extremely anoying!
;D
From the change log:
QuoteThe shader/heightfield preview located to the right of the node list is no longer opened or changed when a node's parameter view is opened in a floating window. The idea is that this shader/heighfield preview corresponds to the last shader or heightfield that was opened in the panel below the node list.
We're open to feedback on this change.
- Oshyan
Yes, read the change logs! :D
I always have different shader windows open depending what I'm working on but it was nice to have one window open for the last shader in a chain and have the small preview of each other shader I clicked appear in the main program window for quick editing purposes. I never use the header buttons or node lists so I miss the wee auto-preview, too. :(
Indeed,i'm missing it,too.
I have read the change log but have to admit I misunderstood this bit and it's consequences. Can we have the old preview back please.
It is so useful for editing changes to powerfractals and voroni/perlin nodes. OR can we have a keep window open button on the node preview window.
Mick
It's late and I have to reread this, but I missed the preview window as well. I used it all the time to check patterns of PF's. Very important!
Quote from: mhaze on April 23, 2011, 02:06:42 PM
Precisely one gets a preview window that won't stay open when you edit the node - extremely anoying!
I think it stayes open, but is hidden by the currently focused window.
Alternately when one clicks on the PF/noise/HF whatever node a preview window should open inside the parameter box so one can see the effects of our changes. Hope that makes sense
Mick
I move the field of view around to see what is happening. It does not take too long to get to 20 detail. That is normally enough to see the changes.
This is what I propose...
Great idea.
Why not this idea. ;)
Although I am soooooo out of touch, that seems to be a great idea. I'd vote yes on it.
I like that idea :)
mhaze, while that could be nice for the Power Fractal specifically, I don't think it is generally a good solution. That would mean we'd have to have a uniquely placed shader preview area in each shader node's settings. UI design best practices would suggest finding a more general solution, which the previous behavior did have. It was thought that it might be better to reserve that shader preview for shaders selected in the Node List, but that seems to be less intuitive and useful than the previous behavior judging by the comments here. We'll work out a better approach for the next update.
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
- Oshyan
I found the blue button. Works in some ways, but I just found that I can't see anything if I want to check cloud cover. All black. The previous window perfectly showed clouds and camera.
a dockable window (anywhere on the interface with a floating window option) and node pineable will be perfect to me.
By pineable i mean a node lock/unlock system.
Lock : display the current selected node.
unlock : display only a node locked by user and not the selected one.
It took me a while to see this method, but I now right click on the desired shader from the
node network window. Right clicking brings up this option "Open Preview in New Window".
I prefer the larger separate window anyway for more detail. As a completely separate window it stays open
as long as I want it.
I like the new behavior as it doesn't waste time rendering previews I don't need to see.
Quote from: fleetwood on April 25, 2011, 05:49:30 PM
It took me a while to see this method, but I now right click on the desired shader from the
node network window. Right clicking brings up this option "Open Preview in New Window".
I prefer the larger separate window anyway for more detail. As a completely separate window it stays open
as long as I want it.
I like the new behavior as it doesn't waste time rendering previews I don't need to see.
This is essentially the intended workflow. But again it may not be ideal for everyone.
- Oshyan
It does stay open but as soon as I click on anything else it goes behind the main window - if it would stay on top I would be happy.
QuoteIt does stay open but as soon as I click on anything else it goes behind the main window - if it would stay on top I would be happy.
After reading what people wrote here on this subject the workflow started to make sense to me so the last couple of days I adapted it. I found it best practice not to maximize the main window but to leave some space at one side and park those individual windows there so they can't hide behind the main window.
A second monitor for those windows would even be better but that has to wait till there's enough dough for a new graphics card.
Right now this is probably the most irritating thing about Terragen for me.
Every time I make a change in Terragen the preview window goes behind the main Terragen interface. Obviously I can shrink the main application window down and have the preview window at one side but I'd have to make a choice between always running TG in a non-maximised state and leave wasted blank space when I'm not using preview windows or keep switching between maximising and windows states whenever I need to work with the shader window. It's only the shader window that causes problems, all other floating windows are ok.
I think the two choices right now is to bring back the little preview built into the main window and have it show the preview for the currently selected node, regardless of what tab is highlighted. Or my preferred choice is to change the floating shader preview window so it stays on top all the time, or at least have a "keep open" button. Even with the little preview window it's sometimes better to open a floating shader window.
Any chance of this tiny, little, quick-to-implement change appearing in the next update
I use a television monitor as a second monitor. I put my preview windows and some other stuff there.
Agree with Reck 100%. I miss that little window, it was very convenient, but just as nice, and maybe even better, would be to just have a 'stay on top' button for the new method that TG uses now, as some times the small preview wasn't large enough when fully stretched, good enough for a quick glance but I do prefer to use a new, resizeable preview window most of the time anyway. Yes, a stay on top button would be the best idea, I think, but if I'm double clicking a network node to open settings, I'd still like that little window to display, seems odd that only users of the tabbed areas have that option now, I never use the tabs and node-lists for much of anything, the only benefit to me in tab settings is for the quick access to the cloud layer top/bottom values, which I also think should show on the layer settings panel and I always wonder why they don't.
Hi Reck,
Quote from: reck on November 07, 2011, 08:40:41 AM
It's only the shader window that causes problems, all other floating windows are ok.
It's not actually a floating window like the param floaters.
Quote
Any chance of this tiny, little, quick-to-implement change appearing in the next update
Yes, the alpha versions have had the preview window always staying on top for some time and it's very likely to stay for the next public release.
Regards,
Jo
this gets on my nerves at times, luckily i have a second monitor, i just drag the small preview window to the second monitor, bur still the window hides behind the program UI before i get a chance to move it :)
For the future I think it would be great to be able to move elements of the UI and dock/undock them anywhere you like.
I only have one monitor so dragging the shader preview windows to another monitor is not an option for me. It sounds like this a mute point anyway as Jo has confirmed that the preview window will stay on top from the next version, which is fantastic news.
Martin docking/undocking would be nice indeed, I suppose it's the next natural step in the ui so who knows we may see it in the future.
Good news, can't wait