Choking it down the modem now...
If you look at the changelist, it's obvious Matt has been very busy all along, so this should put the naysayers off.
Link?
HEY your right i checked my inbox and There i found my update from john what a pleasant surprise!!!
by looking at the bug fixes this release seems a lot more stable!!!
thanks planetside!!!!
Here are the specs!
Changes from 1.9.88.1 (Tech Preview 3) to 1.9.98.1 (Tech Preview 4)
(The complete changes log including previous builds can be found here.)
Fixed a memory leak that was recently introduced into the atmosphere/cloud integrator.
Improved speed of renders that use more than 1 thread. The main application thread was doing unnecessary work due to a recent bug.
Fixed a bug in the rendering of populations with multiple threads. This bug resulted in parts of objects being missing in some buckets (tiles).
/LARGEADDRESSAWARE: Able to take advantage of the /3GB switch supported by some 32-bit versions of Windows and 4GB of address space on 64-bit Windows. This allows Terragen to use more virtual memory than the 2Gb which it was previously limited to.
Render nodes have two new options to control the "subdiv cache", which is used to render ray traced shadows, reflections and GI rays:
* Size of subdiv cache in Mb: The total amount of memory allowed for the subdiv caches. Each thread has its own subdiv cache which will be allowed only a portion of this total. The default value is 400 Mb. There is a hard minimum of 50 Mb per thread.
* Preallocate subdiv cache: Specify whether the entire quota of memory for subdiv caches is allocated at the start of each render, rather than only allocated in increments when needed. This usually increases memory use, but may help to identify memory allocation errors sooner rather than later during the render.
The ray tracer is more robust with small subdiv caches, although demanding scenes will still benefit from large subdiv caches.
Ability to override the detection of the number of processor cores, in Preferences -> Startup.
Changed detection of number of cores.
Only renders with maximum threads set to 0 are rendered completely within the main application thread, otherwise a separate thread is used for bucket rendering. This is technically a bug fix. The difference between 0-threaded and 1-threaded renders remains because it may be useful for debugging.
Ray tracing of non-subdivisible objects (imported objects and Grass Clump) and populations now uses a different hierarchy structure (BIH) which uses less memory and allows faster rendering. This change also eliminates a conflict between threads that could potentially cause problems.
Improved memory handling for scenes with a very large number of instances.
Populator v3 no longer automatically repopulates when a parameter change occurs in clouds or other shaders which are connected to the planet, unless they also influence the population through other connections. This does not eliminate all situations where repopulation occurs unnecessarily, however.
The number of micro triangles is reported when a render finishes.
Fixed a crash in Image Map Shader with Through Camera projection and no camera attached.
Fixed a bug that would render parts of the atmosphere completely black where the rays went below its floor altitude, often affecting planets in the distance.
Improvements to Global Illumination and render prepass:
* Improved prepass sample distribution.
* Option to supersample the prepass (in render node settings). This takes more image samples in the prepass without increasing the total number of GI light samples. This provides a better coverage of GI on small parts or edges of objects and clouds, with a smaller increase in render times than a similar increase in GI relative detail.
* GI blur radius can be changed by the user (in render node settings).
Some changes which may improve GI consistency in 3D Previews on the lowest detail levels, although these levels may be noticeably slower in some cases.
Added windowed/marquee zooming to the network view, see Mouse and Key Settings for the bindings.
Pressing the return/enter key when an object/shader is selected in the 3D Preview will open its param view.
Added new object selection/centreing functionality. The 3D Preview reset camera position button now has a submenu for the "Centre on object or shader" item which lets you centre on the currently selected object as well as all other objects/shaders in the scene. The 3D Preview context menu has two new items, one of which does the same as just described and another which lets you select any object/shader in the scene.
The "More Settings" tab in the render node param view has been renamed "Extra".
Mac only: Fixed a problem with undo in edit text fields.
Mac only: Fixed a problem with the render node param view tabs, where the tab buttons had become wider than the control and param view.
The Errors and Warnings dialog now displays its list items much more quickly.
Set Look At Point and Pick Focus Point are working again in the 3D Preview.
Errors and Warnings now only displays a maximum of 250 errors and 250 warnings. It also only updates a few times a second instead of constantly.
New Notifier function node ( Functions/Debug/Notifier ), intended to help debug node networks.
Navigation panel in 3D Preview is now opaque to clicks and mouse movement, aside from dragging.
Fixed a bug where using the context menu in the 3D Preview could lead to it not having full interactivity subsequently.
Improved drawing of node connections across multiple views when connecting and disconnecting.
Fixed some interaction problems between dragging the crop region and objects in the 3D preview.
Two new command line options:
* -no3dpreview: Do not open the 3D Preview automatically.
* -nonetworkview: Do not open the Network View automatically (except in Node Network Layout).
Windows only: The program folder contains a batch file called tgdNo3DPreviewNoNetworkView.bat which launches Terragen with the -no3dpreview and -nonetworkview command line options.
LWOMicroExporter now supports %04d to insert frame number.
Changes to Update Checker:
* Automatic update notification dialog only shows once per day.
* The update notification dialogs have a new button labeled "Ignore New Version" which causes Terragen to ignore notification of that particular update in future. Note that if you ignore a version it will also be ignored if you use Check for Updates or Check For Updates Now. You can clear the ignored versions in Preferences -> Software Update, allowing Terragen to notify you of these updates.
A "Check for Updates" item has been added to the Help menu.
Some aesthetic changes to node network rendering which may make it look a little cleaner, especially when zoomed out.
holy smoke
i have just overridden my 2 core max becaue i have 2 dual core processors meaning 4 cores
and it works i rendered the default render preview in 6.5 seconds!!!!!!
this is amazing!!!
Got it! Its fast!
Thankyou Planetside ;)
monks
Yup, cheers PS. :)
The improvements are very nice.
Quote from: lightning on June 30, 2008, 04:57:48 AM
holy smoke
i have just overridden my 2 core max becaue i have 2 dual core processors meaning 4 cores
and it works i rendered the default render preview in 6.5 seconds!!!!!!
this is amazing!!!
That sounds good :) How 'fast' was it before?
I'm so glad that the most annoying bugs are fixed like memory, bucket, camera etc. etc.
This looks like a very promising TP.
I can't wait to get home from work and try it.
This release comes just in time now I want to render my latest work again.
Thanks a lot Planetside. Cant wait to come home and give it a try.
Solid Snake need a break.
- Terje
where can you get it? me want ;D
Emails are being sent to those pre-purchasers who have subscribed to receive email announcements from us. This update is also available through the the automatic update checker in Terragen 2 (if you are a pre-purchaser), so you do not need to wait for your email. Just run TG2, wait for a minute or so, then close it. The next time you run TG2 it should let you know about the update.
Matt
Looks good so far. I now can render scenes that crashed before. No bucket leaks. Oh and yoda check your email.
ugh, you guys really didn't want me to want to go to work did you? now i can't play with my new toy til after work :(.
so you can only get this update if you are a pre-purchaser?
Thank You Planetside!
Roger.
Quote from: Yoda Almighty on June 30, 2008, 09:26:41 AM
so you can only get this update if you are a pre-purchaser?
downloaded !
gonna try tonight if i have some free time ^^
Rendering the bench shows a decrease of 10 sec. from 91 to 81 seconds :) ~10% faster :)
Now let's see with some heavy scenes ;D
Got it. Thanks guys.
for those of you who want to use the batch file provided, or make their own version where it starts up without node or 3d render view, i have a suggestion. in the batch file, add in front of the line "start /b" so it would look like this (for mine) "start /b tgd.exe -nonetworkview". makes it so the command prompt window that comes up immediately goes away by itself.
just a lil tidbit.
wow... definitely feels faster rendering, and its nice to not have to restart every few changes due to a memory leak.
Quote from: Yoda Almighty on June 30, 2008, 01:31:25 PM
Quote from: calico on June 30, 2008, 09:53:25 AM
Roger.
that sucks :-\
It's the benefit of paying for the product. I'd suggest saving up to get the pre purchase before TG2 goes gold. Although I'd hazard a guess that you still have a while ;D
Quote from: PG on June 30, 2008, 04:29:45 PM
Quote from: Yoda Almighty on June 30, 2008, 01:31:25 PM
Quote from: calico on June 30, 2008, 09:53:25 AM
Roger.
that sucks :-\
It's the benefit of paying for the product. I'd suggest saving up to get the pre purchase before TG2 goes gold. Although I'd hazard a guess that you still have a while ;D
too true. I don't even have my drivers license yet. :-\
Have you considered trying to get a discount, since you're a high school student?
At this point, you might want to wait until the Beta is released to consider buying it, though. There are some frustrations with the latest releases.
Quote from: Yoda Almighty on June 30, 2008, 08:29:10 PM
too true. I don't even have my drivers license yet. :-\
Is the final still going to follow the policy of "free for non-commercial use"?
I am very impressed on the speed increase - the bench scene on my Q9650 w/4GB Ram only took 48sec. I had given up playing a while back due to the interminable render times, but now my interest has increased again. (Not to mention the fact my vague fears of $200 "vapourware" have been allayed). ;D I truly believe when released Terragen 2 will seriously upset the competition. Now all I need is "T2XStream"!
I don't know. I wouldn't presume to speak for Planetside...I'm sure the free version will have plenty of limitations. Now might be a good time to mow some lawns or something equivalent to get that little bit of $$. This new version is actually doing pretty well.
Quote from: Yoda Almighty on June 30, 2008, 10:26:47 PM
Is the final still going to follow the policy of "free for non-commercial use"?
Quote from: Yoda Almighty on June 30, 2008, 10:26:47 PM
Is the final still going to follow the policy of "free for non-commercial use"?
We will continue to make a free version available but as is currently the case it will be limited in some ways. The limitations of the free version following the final release have not yet been determined.
- Oshyan
Question, has Planetside locked down the minimum system requirements for TG2 yet; or at least have a good ball park set as this information would be vary useful to those whom are considering buying a new system in the near future? What would be useful would be minimum CPU and Memory for optimum performance!
Regards to you.
Cyber-Angel ;D
Any system you purchase *new* at this point will exceed the minimum system requirements. We will be finalizing the minimum requirements for the product launch.
- Oshyan
Quote from: Oshyan on June 30, 2008, 11:55:44 PM
Any system you purchase *new* at this point will exceed the minimum system requirements. We will be finalizing the minimum requirements for the product launch.
- Oshyan
Thanks Oshyan.
Regards to you.
Cyber-Angel
Alright, some great news.. I also have to go to work, but luckily I had a render all set to go, so my PC will do the work while I'm gone.
I doubt I'll see any real marked improvement in rendertime, having only a single core CPU, so I;m more pleased with the increased stability. I suspect I'll have a finished render tomorrow ;)
really, I care less about quality, and more about speed. the free source project I am working on for which I need Terragen requires 500+ 612x285 images. I have no real time limit, but I would prefer it not take 3 years. :-\
Hello
Just a question about this new update. I have seen no significant render speed with the TG4 on the MacIntel version (I have 2 x quad Xeon). And it seems, as says on this thread, that TG4 PC version is much faster than the previous (TG3).
The default scene took more than 45 seconds to render with the defaut quickrender setting.
Is the TG4 MacIntel version not yet optimised or it's me ?
Thanks for answering (and excuse my bad english).
TG2 reports how many cores it has detected in its startup/about box. This may not be the correct number, so TG allows you to override this number in Preferences.
Even if the detected number is correct, you may find that you get better results by reducing this number. If TG detects 8 cores it will render with 8 threads at once, unless your min/max thread settings in the render node prevent this. You may find that 4, 5 or 6 threads are more efficient, so you should experiment. You can either use the override in Preferences (which is a guide for how many threads a render should use), or reduce the max threads in the render settings to how many threads you want to use.
I would be very interested to see what results you get. Maybe even try as low as 3 threads.
Regarding TP3 vs. TP4: The speed difference between TP3 and TP4 may not be noticeable on all machines. There was a bug which seemed to afflict some configurations more than others.
Matt
Hello Matt
Thanks for the quick answer.
First, TG2 reports the correct number of cores (8 cores) it has detected in its startup/about box.
Second, I try what you say with the default scene and quickrender setting. Here the results :
With overriding the core number in Preferences :
1 core : time render 13 secs
2 cores : time render 8 secs
3 cores : time render 14 secs
4 cores : time render 25 secs
5 cores : time render 40 secs
6 cores : time render 40 secs
7 cores : time render 44 secs
8 cores : time render 46 secs
When playing with Minimun Thread and Maximun Thread in the quickrender sttings, I find that best result are using 2 for Max thread.
But I must says that during these tests, the computer was busy calculating an image with TG 0.9, wich I think should use only one core (I could not stop that render, more than 35 hours and not yet finish !!). So perhap's I must doing these tests again when TG0.9 will have finished.
I will be curious to know why the results are better using only two cores.
Hope this could interested you.
Great update, seems much more stable, not one crash yet :)
As regards speed I'm not noticing any difference at all, if anything a little slower.
For reference my machine is a core 2 duo 6600 running at 3.4Ghz oc'd from 2.4Ghz with 3gig ram
The old render time for the benchmark scene was 1m39s and now its 1m43.
Richard
@Steph You should try again with a more complex scene or at least one that takes longer to render, otherwise the overhead of managing the threads might eat up the performance gain.
Additionally, the communication between the two cpus might be a problem too.
Thanks Nikita
Good suggestion.You are propably right. I'll test that as soon as possible.
I'm hearing many praising the latest build as being without problems, but I'll be clear that I've had multiple lockups, slowdowns and quite a few blowups. Otherwise, there might be the mistake by another person reading this that everything is peachy.
That said, I do appreciate the many changes to this version and have had fewer problems than the previous Alpha. The rendering looks sweeter somehow, as though the lighting is beyond what it was. This, of course, is subjective, since I have no proof of the changes in the final beauty of my renders. ::)
This version is definitely more stable and fixes or at least improves a number of critical problems with the previous build. Good work Planetside.
I will second calico's comments about there still being issues. I still encounter the occasional crash after many test renders. I also still see dropped buckets in my foliage on high res/high quality renders. My current WIP uses fill lights not GI so I have been able to crop render patches to paste onto the full image to cover the dropouts. I know that fixing the dropouts was high on Matt's list. There has been definite improvement. For me, the dropouts that remain are smaller and more easily patched.
ZStar, if you're still seeing dropped tiles it would be really helpful to work more closely with you to see if we can duplicate the problem in-house and hopefully resolve it. So far in our testing dropped tiles are not happening anymore with TP4 (although the "population counter" error does occur in cases where a tile would normally be dropped, but it has so far not seemed to affect final render quality in our test scenes). If you can provide a full scene that reproduces the problem reliably that would be great.
Contact us at support AT planetside.co.uk if you are able to work with us in diagnosing the problem.
Thanks,
Oshyan