I've been using my licensed copy of Terragen3 for a while now, successfully rendering landscapes with imported .obj files. However I have started to experience failures in which the render pane fills with blue and white squares, before eventually the render ends up a solid black.
I use the free version of Sketchup 2016 to generate a .dae file, and I use Blender v2.76 to convert to an .obj file. I have uninstalled and reinstalled both Sketchup and Blender, without effect. I have also done a REPAIR on my Terragen, though not a reinstall, without effect.
I need advice on how to track down the discrepancy. Help! Thanks.
I'm running 3.4 as well and haven't experienced that. If you're not on a mac try running the object through the free PoseRay:
https://sites.google.com/site/poseray/
and there also seems to be, according to Mr Google a mac version though I know of no one who's tried it:
http://users.skynet.be/smellenbergh/poseray.htm
And if that gives no release try uploading the object and .tgd and I/we'll take a run at it here.
Just a guess but have you tried to use just basic textures-shaders-colours ?
I had sometimes problems with transparency, reflection, luminosity(not sure about this one); especially with high values.
Thanks, Kadri. Yes, I've tried very simple models in SketchUp, with no colors or textures; but anything I model as .dae, convert to .obj using Blender, and import into T3 since the event causes Terragen crash.
The Event was my Windows7 OS being upgraded (without my knowledge, during an overnight render) to Win10, and then being backed out and restored to Win7 by me. There may be no causal chain but the timing seems suspicious.
I have since performed the upgrade to Win10 again, and gone through some registry repairs with AVG, etc, to no avail.
bobbystahr - thank-you for your offer to try to troubleshoot the issue!
The attached .zip contains (I think) all the pieces of my broken toy. If the zipped format is problematic let me know. -Dave
P.S. I am working on the Poseray recommendation now....
I voluntarily upgraded to 10 a week or so ago and have no real problems except my slow older dual core dell, not really up to TG
SUCCESS.
PoseRay exported an OBJ file that I could render successfully in my T3. Bonus: I cannot be certain from the low-res rendering but it looks like arcs in PoseRay.obj files may be higher precision than in my Sketchup.dae/Blender.obj models. If true this will be a welcome turn of events.
In any event, although I am still troubled by the change in my system that I don't understand, I am very grateful for your help in arriving at a workaround! And, I think PoseRay is going to be very helpful beyond converting .dae to .obj format.
Thank-you for you quick responses, bobbystahr and Kadri.
Best regards,
dave
The problem is the "-1" value of "Index of refraction" in the material shader of the object.
When you change it to something like "1" it renders without a problem.
Looks like any negative value is problematic for index of refraction.
Quote from: Kadri on March 19, 2016, 07:16:35 PM
The problem is the "-1" value of "Index of refraction" in the material shader of the object.
When you change it to something like "1" it renders without a problem.
good catch, never noticed that, just took it straight into PoseRay and U/V mapped it and it works fine as well...the mapping must have fixed that.
Yes probably. Poseray is like a multipurpose fixer for Terragen OBJ imports :)
I don't know where or why I would have set I of R to a negative value, though I have done so in Terragen with displacement... But I'm off to explore this situation now. I love a mystery!
Thanks to you both, once again. I was about to become distraught, before I got properly connected to the PlanetSide Brain Trust.
[attach=1]
Kadri - I located the offending negative Index of Refraction value, down in the network node. Strange, because I have not yet tinkered with network nodes. Correcting the bad value fixed the render problem. I wonder how I managed to get it set to [-1] in the first place, but I can move forward and will keep this new knowledge in mind. Thanks.
Waiting for your renders here around MinusD (just saw the "-" in your name ;) ).
Quote from: Kadri on March 20, 2016, 08:07:24 AM
Waiting for your renders here around MinusD (just saw the "-" in your name ;) ).
heh heh heh
:) I don't have much to show yet because I spent the better part of the weekend on the index of refraction damage control problem and had to get back to my regular day job. But soon...very soon...
I've attached several screenshots of SketchUp models that I will be using in Terragen for some of my SF/fantasy work. It is so much fun building models in SketchUp that I neglect training myself to use Blender, which seems like it will be a very capable tool.
Some of my Terragen renderings are posted on my tumblr page, http://minusd.tumblr.com and a few of my favorites are also attached here. But please keep in mind that I consider everything I've rendered so far to be test shots rather than finished compositions. I am still in the experimentation stages here. Artistic disclaimer. heh heh I find that rendering at low detail settings gives the scene a nice impressionistic feel that appeals to me. Too much photorealism can become tedious. Also, lower detail settings render faster too. Win-Win!
Nice. I like science fiction images myself. Wish i would like modeling too.
I am using mostly the kit bashing, greeble-nurnies way so much i can.
Some models are kinda similar to what i am making just now.
With the kitbashing approach it is mostly repeating some parts in different ways. There can be similar outlooks inevitably.
These are some of the earlier tests. The final will be much different but with the same parts.
[attach=1]
[attach=2]
Keep it up. I like the way you go with your models.
Those are spectacular. How large are the images? I want to zoom in and savor the detail in the towers.... I tend to render final images at 1880x940 because it neatly fills my monitor screen, and ordinarily won't take all day to render.
I am all about kitbashing, too! Everything can be reoriented, or broken up and recombined, and re-used endlessly. Scale changes are helpful in masking the reintroduction of existing models.
I was looking at your work on Deviant Art. Great stuff, Kadri! Your renderings "RINGS" and "Breaking In" are astounding. Are those created with Terragen?
I do not yet know how to generate ring structures, but figuring that out is definitely on my list! Also, modeling atmospheres to create banded cloud forms is a mystery to me. So much to learn, so little time....
Thanks but the images i posted above don't hold up in bigger versions unfortunately.
They would need much more work at least. This is the reason i went to a different image.
I will post that one later because i am still working on it and might use it for the VR challenge.
The ring in those images ("RINGS" and "Breaking In") is an object file actually with an image map.
But you can do that fully in Terragen with procedurals too.
If you look at the file sharing forum and search a little you may find many ready to use files,examples.
I think Dandelo and others had similar files here around.
The basic banding cloud atmo look is easy. Just use big values with much bigger horizontal values for clouds.
The problem-harder part is always when you want a certain look or more detail. For me at least :)
My images are easier ones in that aspect really.
I found these for example:
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,8989.msg97473.html#msg97473 (there are more then one file in this long thread)
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,14702.0.html
Thank-you, I will keep those for future reference. Right now, though, I am going to try the image file approach. I want to add stars to the dark sky of one of my worlds!