Could somebody help me with how to make little soil lumps looking like those on a freshly ploughed field?
DK
Can you get a picture of the image in your head to help people here kinda help you?
Also, probably something using sine waves or something.
From what I understand, adding displacement to the surface layer makes the bump-mapping effect. Not sure how exactly it works, but this might be what you're looking for.
Anyone else got a better explaination for both of us?
Quote from: neuspadrin on May 18, 2009, 06:14:39 PM
Can you get a picture of the image in your head to help people here kinda help you?
Also, probably something using sine waves or something.
Yes, here something similar to what I'm looking for:
The white field above is sth I've just created. I thought about adding fake stones with different sizes - basicly very small ones covering almost the whole field and some a bit bigger here and there. Anyway I can't get it how to make these soil lumps, so that they have different shapes (not neccesarily round ones) and realistic look.
I suggest several layers of differently sized Fake Stones shaders for a start. You can texture them with Surface Layers, Default Shader, Image Maps, etc.
- Oshyan
Hi,
the soil lumps are not exactly easy to achieve. If you want rather coarse lumps and don't have to see much detail (meaning your "ploughed field" is farther away from the camera), then you should try and experiment with a mix of fake stones and "lump"-scale displacements.
But if you are interested in some high defnition "dirt", you should definitely check this out: http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=6466.0
and this (see background behind the road): http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=6464.0
This dirt preset will soon be available.
Regards,
Frank
heavenlywarrior, could you tell us how you did the ploughed field (or even post a clip file?)? I was planning to do something similar soon.
Quote from: domdib on May 19, 2009, 05:45:46 AM
heavenlywarrior, could you tell us how you did the ploughed field (or even post a clip file?)? I was planning to do something similar soon.
That's a photo, Dominic :)
Regards,
Frank
Mmmm... I meant 'field.jpg', i.e. the white field ;)
ok, that's a simple sine. Take the functions a build sin(x) or sin(z), then plug them into a displacement shader. The render above, I think, has used a plane upon which the sine was applied.
In TG2, you need to build formulas from inside to outside.
First you get x:
[get position in texture]
below that, you need a node to extraxt just x from the get position function: [x to scalar]
Below that, the [sine scalar]
That's is.
Regards,
Frank
Volker had a small tutorial on "dirt" that was made some time ago, and I found that in using the painted shader masks on his tgd that I was able to section or strip off little plots of what looked like eroded/disturbed soil. If it is any help there are procedural methods for obtaining what looks like plowed furrows by math formuli functions that is explained along with how to obtian wavy sand dune type structures for texturing. These methods are explained in detail on one of the threads here and are not impossible for the average user to implement.
@arisdemos - Thanks! Do you remember the name of the thread or anything that might help to find it?
Sorry for the delay, I had a busy day today and could't anwer immediately.
Thank you all for your suggestions.
Quote from: Oshyan on May 19, 2009, 02:52:07 AM
I suggest several layers of differently sized Fake Stones shaders for a start. You can texture them with Surface Layers, Default Shader, Image Maps, etc.
- Oshyan
I thought about solving it in this way, but the problem is how to obtain shapes of stones so that they resemble real lumps. I've tryed playing with various settings in displacement tabs but the only results which I got were:
1. bigger stones
2. stones with more round shapes
3. stones looking like cactuses
4. shadows of stones on the ground with stones blown to many pieces :)
It would help me a great deal if somebody gave me a bit more detailed information or perhaps posted a simple clip file.
Quote from: domdib on May 19, 2009, 05:45:46 AM
heavenlywarrior, could you tell us how you did the ploughed field (or even post a clip file?)? I was planning to do something similar soon.
I made it basicly following this tutorial with some gentle modifications:
http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=1168
Today I also added two function nodes to make my field a bit more displaced lengthwise and place it a bit lower comparing to the rest of the scene.
Here's a clip file:
Thanks to both FrankB and to heavenlywarrior!
@heavenlywarrior - are you aware that NWDA sell a preset for fake stones that might help? Or if you don't want to go the fake stone route, you might try a population of distorted spheres (N.B. you can't use TG's internal sphere object for this - it has to be a sphere imported from another program; also, I've found there seems to be some peculiar glitch with the positioning of this kind of population - you have to move them up, otherwise they sit invisibly below the terrain they're supposed to be sitting on.)
Quote from: domdib on May 19, 2009, 05:49:08 PM
Thanks to both FrankB and to heavenlywarrior!
@heavenlywarrior - are you aware that NWDA sell a preset for fake stones that might help? Or if you don't want to go the fake stone route, you might try a population of distorted spheres (N.B. you can't use TG's internal sphere object for this - it has to be a sphere imported from another program; also, I've found there seems to be some peculiar glitch with the positioning of this kind of population - you have to move them up, otherwise they sit invisibly below the terrain they're supposed to be sitting on.)
Uh, wait. Just a few days, and Ryan's dirt surface is going to be available, delivering exactly that. Look at the image posting forums for Ryan's 4 or so latest image posts.
Cheers,
Frank
@ calico, I didn't find (with a very short search) that Volker article on "dirt" per se, but I still have his tgd from that article. In fact I am using a modified clip taken from the original file right now for a desert landscape scene. I added a painted shader mask to one of Volker's original tutorial terrains and the mask cuts away to reveal a dirt/rocky surface underneath a sandy upper layer.
Have you tried a few billowy fractal displacements?
You could try at last three.
One major with low variation.
One medium with basic perlin and some more variation (although below 1)
One small for detail.
Plus some small (really small) fake stones for that extra detail (but not stretched as in fractal surfaces)
Cheers PorcupineFloyd, I'll try this :)
Hi HW, per your request this is the tgd that I mentioned to calico, and I hope it can be of assistance. I believe that Volker's instructional piece on "dirt" that I first read and then experimented with is still on this forum somewhere!.
Is this it? - http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=1888.0
@ calico, I don't believe the thread you have put up is the one, because I have the tgds' for the "strata" instruction and they do not look any thing like the scenery that I sent in the "dirt" tgd yesterday.
@ HW, You will need to go into top view mode (in addition to the preview window) and get a white painted shader mask made of the foreground area, and make that mask *.jpg (with a re established name) available to your render via the same folder as the tgd I sent resides in. Make the area of your mask to your own set of coordinates, location and size,
and then you should be able to work on gaining the tilled look (possibly with vornoi) that you said you want. I am kind of adding this instruction on getting another mask made assuming the least amount of experience with painted shader masks, so if I am preaching to the choir please disregard. Good luck and let us know how your endeavor goes.
Well...have you considered just putting your TGD up, since you got it from Volker anyway?
Quote from: arisdemos on May 23, 2009, 01:31:11 PM
@ calico, I don't believe the thread you have put up is the one, because I have the tgds' for the "strata" instruction and they do not look any thing like the scenery that I sent in the "dirt" tgd yesterday.
Thank you arisdemos, I'll let you know as soon as do sth constructive.
Regards
@ calico the tgd is already posted, check a couple of replies back on this page that I made to HW.
Thanks arisdemos. :-[