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General => Terragen Discussion => Topic started by: moodflow on January 05, 2010, 10:37:21 PM

Title: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: moodflow on January 05, 2010, 10:37:21 PM
Hi all!  Its been quite some time since I've last posted, but I wanted to know if anyone is having problems with populations of spheres?  In my case, I cannot get them to render (except for the center sphere).

Any ideas?
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: Dune on January 06, 2010, 03:11:41 AM
I just noticed this yesterday as well.

---Dune
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: Tangled-Universe on January 06, 2010, 04:06:49 AM
Yep, same here, no go.

Martin
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: Kevin F on January 06, 2010, 05:43:25 AM
Yep I agree, but I can get the bounding boxes to appear (in mid air and in a disc like orbit) yet no sphere in final render!
see pic.
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: GioMez on January 06, 2010, 07:44:23 AM
I tried as soon as I read this topic.
I have tried to uncheck "Ray trace objects", but after the GI pass the renderer freezes (I mean: timer continues, but nothing happens)
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: mindsap on January 06, 2010, 01:07:14 PM
Same here bounding boxes but nothing renders.
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: jo on January 06, 2010, 03:31:56 PM
Hi,

The sphere doesn't work with populations and there hasn't been anything done to make it work yet. If there had it would have been in the change log.

Regards,

Jo
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: Henry Blewer on January 06, 2010, 03:51:44 PM
I use imported sphere objects. They are nice for checking lighting effects.
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: senji on January 07, 2010, 06:54:04 PM
Quote from: njeneb on January 06, 2010, 03:51:44 PM
I use imported sphere objects. They are nice for checking lighting effects.

I agree with njeneb.  I got so fed up with this quirk, that I decided to go back to blender and make one myself.  By the way, FREE blender has been updated to 2.5 and looks really slick now!  Download it and make whatever kinds of objects you want to import into Terragen [using Lightwave .obj as menu item choice].  Here's my simple .tgd file for when you get around to making a simple sphere yourself.  Takes only 15 seconds to quick render.
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: jo on January 07, 2010, 09:53:08 PM
Hi,

I not 100% sure, but I believe the reason the spheres can't be populated is that they're procedural rather than polygonal.  Discs have the same problem. We should probably remove these primitives from the Population submenu until we have populatable versions.

Regards,

Jo
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: Henry Blewer on January 08, 2010, 03:12:49 AM
They are useful as water (discs) and to get a feel for scale (spheres). I move a sphere around to see how large something should be. I would just add a warning that they are not for population use at this time.
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: jo on January 08, 2010, 04:25:23 AM
Hi njeneb,

I was just talking about removing them from the Population submenu, not the Object one.

Regards,

Jo
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: FrankB on January 08, 2010, 04:54:31 AM
what about making them work in populations, instead? ;)
I can think of many use cases where a working sphere population would just be awesome!

Cheers,
Frank
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: jo on January 08, 2010, 05:52:06 AM
Hi Frank,

Ok, I'm feeling cranky and taking issue with people's reading comprehension today. First njeneb and now you ;-). I said:

We should probably remove these primitives from the Population submenu until we have populatable versions.

So they would be removed (easy) and stop confusing people until the Populator can work with them (less easy).

So there! :-)

Actually it looks like I was wrong about the spheres being procedural, they seem to be polygonal after all, so there must be some other reason they don't work.

Regards,

Jo
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: FrankB on January 08, 2010, 05:57:07 AM
I just read your last post where you replied to njeneb, sorry :)
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: cyphyr on January 08, 2010, 06:13:47 AM
Planets don't work as populations either. (ducks behind sofa) Pretty sure they're procedural.
;)
Richard
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: Henry Blewer on January 08, 2010, 10:19:24 AM
Sorry Jo. I haven't slept in a couple days, just catnaps. Insomnia...
Title: Re: Sphere Populations Still Not Working with the New Build?
Post by: Matt on January 08, 2010, 10:54:39 PM
Quote from: jo on January 08, 2010, 05:52:06 AM
Actually it looks like I was wrong about the spheres being procedural, they seem to be polygonal after all, so there must be some other reason they don't work.

They are procedural in the sense that they rely on the internal sphere geometry shader to make them spherical, but they are displaced from a low-poly base mesh. This reliance on the sphere geometry shader is the reason they can't be set up for populations yet.