Planetside Software Forums

Support => Terragen Support => Topic started by: WAS on November 10, 2021, 11:58:15 PM

Title: Population Shadows Anomaly
Post by: WAS on November 10, 2021, 11:58:15 PM
Does anyone know what's going on here? I plopped in a couple Dune grass object (great go-tos, thanks Ulco) populations, and I immediately noticed something odd. I got these weird shadows on the classic erosion heightmap at a distance. Up close, everything seems fine. It almost looks like the hard shadow things are hugging the flows.

Renderer: PT/SR
MPD: 0.6
AA: 6

Any ideas?
Title: Re: Population Shadows Anomaly
Post by: WAS on November 11, 2021, 12:32:14 AM
Ehh, turns out it's the dreaded Ray Detail Multiplier, so to get rid of the hard shadows on the mountain, and in the grass, I have to go up to 1 and dramatically increase render time. >.< Oi.
Title: Re: Population Shadows Anomaly
Post by: WAS on November 11, 2021, 01:31:07 AM
This seems to be a really common problem with smooth terrains.

Is there possibly some way to "blur" shadows at distances where these issues seem to most commonly occur at large scale @Matt ? Seems to be the issue itself is a shadow interprets terrain weirdly and creates hard shadows.
Title: Re: Population Shadows Anomaly
Post by: Dune on November 11, 2021, 01:55:02 AM
Very strange, and even stranger that the RDM helps. I thought RDM was merely for underwater/glass detail, not shadow precision.
Title: Re: Population Shadows Anomaly
Post by: WAS on November 11, 2021, 02:23:45 PM
Ive been thinking of RDM now as an anti-mirage setting lol. It if they rays are low, geometry can get garbled at points at a distance, or close up in stuff like smooth sand ripples. Higher RDM, less mirage effects.
Title: Re: Population Shadows Anomaly
Post by: Dune on November 12, 2021, 02:35:54 AM
Yeah, just like making snow from low quality cloud. But I think you only get triangular shapes, not a real smooth terrain.