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General => Terragen Discussion => Topic started by: neilkarunatilaka on March 08, 2016, 02:36:00 PM

Title: Working on a Star Wars Fan Film - Advice
Post by: neilkarunatilaka on March 08, 2016, 02:36:00 PM
Hello!

So I'm a total newb to Terragen and I'm doing some tutorials with the free version to try learn this better before I purchase the higher end software. My question is, I've seen some of the animation videos on the terragen website (the fantasy video) and they look amazing, would this be the best and easiest software to try learn in 30 days to accomplish that? I'm working on a Star Wars fan film for the Disney Film Festival (I was a finalist last year, so I aim to take home the win this year!), and I need to create an alien world environment for some establishing shots as well as for green screen backgrounds. The establishing shots would be on a desert world, and would also need an aerial type video going towards a mountain pass which I want to matte paint in a pyramid temple (see attached photo for inspiration). If anyone could toss over any pointers or advice, or any websites where I might be able to buy premade assets that could help for this, that would be appreciated. The fan film is due April 24th, so I am on a time crunch and working on the script and filming the actors in the studio in a couple weeks, time is tight.

Thanks in advance. Also if anyone has free time and wants to help with the project, let me know also! The fan film is reviewed by a panel of judges from Disney/Lucasfilm. :)
Title: Re: Working on a Star Wars Fan Film - Advice
Post by: archonforest on March 08, 2016, 03:01:38 PM
Shop:
www.nwdastore.com

Then there is a shop from member Luc Bianco. I do not have the address but you can search here in the forum for it.

Good luck with your project!
Title: Re: Working on a Star Wars Fan Film - Advice
Post by: neilkarunatilaka on March 08, 2016, 03:37:33 PM
Awesome thanks for the information! I'll search for that shop.

Yeah I got a couple weeks to practice with the free version... then I'll purchase the animation version of Terragen. Also, I'm assuming even with a 5820k 6 core i7, 32GB of ram, and a 980ti video card, that rendering 1080P animations out of Terragen will take some time?

Would you say this is the right software to achieve what I'm looking for? At least, the easiest time wise given my time constraint?

Thanks again!!
Title: Re: Working on a Star Wars Fan Film - Advice
Post by: archonforest on March 08, 2016, 04:56:46 PM
Instead your PC I would recommend a render farm. Especially if you have a dead line. There is a great render farm that works well with Terragen. They will render very fast your film. Check prices. The address is this: http://www.pixelplow.net/

I saw few animations with TG and they were great so it might suit your needs. (I am not doing animations with TG so I am not the best to ask)

Learning TG can take some time. If you have 3D background already it will speed up the learning curve for sure.
Title: Re: Working on a Star Wars Fan Film - Advice
Post by: TheBadger on March 08, 2016, 05:08:35 PM
Another easy tip, don't set your quality settings to high even for a final. You can add many hours of render time with little noticeable improvement. There are threads on it, I just mention it because that tends to be the first mistake we all made. But it will always depend on the scene in question.

Also, search "flicker", this will give you a basic heads up for animation stuff (vs. stills) that you will want in the back of your mind as you go along. searching flicker should lead you to many threads on various animation things including tricks and setting to use.

And use the TUTs! Since we have a bunch now. It will save you some time since you want to learn as much as you can in 30 days.

I am NOT a guru, that is for sure, but having been here awhile, I have seen some really smart and talented people need more than 30 days to understand the things they make look easy. Just be carful not to get discouraged.  :)
Title: Re: Working on a Star Wars Fan Film - Advice
Post by: Dune on March 09, 2016, 02:27:46 AM
And post specific questions, preferably with a tgd and (reference) images attached, so one of us can have a look and give some advice. Welcome, btw, and TG is really your answer, I'd say.
Title: Re: Working on a Star Wars Fan Film - Advice
Post by: neilkarunatilaka on March 09, 2016, 12:33:15 PM
Thanks everyone, much appreciated!
Let's see what I can get done in 30 days! :)
Title: Re: Working on a Star Wars Fan Film - Advice
Post by: bobbystahr on March 11, 2016, 02:30:31 AM
Quote from: neilkarunatilaka on March 08, 2016, 03:37:33 PM
Awesome thanks for the information! I'll search for that shop.

Yeah I got a couple weeks to practice with the free version... then I'll purchase the animation version of Terragen. Also, I'm assuming even with a 5820k 6 core i7, 32GB of ram, and a 980ti video card, that rendering 1080P animations out of Terragen will take some time?

Would you say this is the right software to achieve what I'm looking for? At least, the easiest time wise given my time constraint?

Thanks again!!

I'd advise using Pixel Plow render farm as they seem quite affordable and the quality of their work shows in the recent TG4 previews