Hey guys, i am tryin to learn Terragen, i having quite some difficulties on finding resources and documentation.
Im tryin to decide to invest into Terragen or Vue considering i have a Gaea license, so far i have a lot of confusion, Vue seems to have a way bigger audience and info pool where you can get a bit more info about it, while on Terragen side im really stuck, i can not find even a normal documentation, most of the wiki is an immense amount of text with very few examples and images which makes learning process very steep and tedious, counter productive in some cases.
here is the link i am currently reading https://planetside.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
Is that an outdated link? are there any well written documentation pdf or web pages? i am interested into cloud and atmospheric effects, and i can not find almost any info. Ive read Martin Huisman pdf about cloud function but that is related to Terragen 2. I've read that Terragen 4 has a whole new atmosphere and cloud system. Is there any documentation?
it looks to me like learning this software is just a trial and error process with a very technical documentation that has very few examples on a practical application. Im not saying the technical doc is a bad thing, but when you look elsewhere there are way more examples and tutorials in general which helps you learn the software a lot.
So am i missing something here? How do people learn this software? by changing a parameter and press render everytime to look at the result?
On another note also, i find the preview inside the software too much draft, you can barely see anything that is going on when you make a change, the visual UI is quite outdated.
So far im investing over 6 hours per day into tryin to learn this software and i feel like i am not making any progress, its hitting a wall after another.
My opinion is that having a very technical documentation that tells you what each parameter does without an example and an an overall bigger overview of how to proper merge together all the parameters, in which cases are better to use something or not, is a bit detrimental.
Just my opinion as a fresh and new user. Any info or help is much appreciated.
I just hope that forum QA isnt the way of learning this software because that is simply absurd.
Hello
You won`t find any comparable kind of documention available to other 3D software.
It is the Wiki, this Forum and a handful of people who produce video tutorials every now and then.
The rest is up to you and your willingness and eagerness to tackle Terragen.
Search and browse this forum and you will see that you are beating a dead horse so to speak.
There simply seems not to be the manpower behind this software to get up to par with the rest of the 3D world.
That said...
This forum is a gold mine of information - you just have to dig it out.
A lot of the basic and often advanced processes described in older and old forum posts are still true and usable to this day.
Search and you will find. If not, ask and you will get help. There is no question asked unanswered here. Simple as that.
Lots and lots of files in the File sharing section to disect and learn from.
The Wiki holds a lot of information. Even if it is incomplete, very often outdated and more geared to the technical minded.
My first stop is always the Reference section. There are a lot of examples for nodes and settings in form of animated gifs.
Also, there are some good articles on the basics helping to understand the underlying inner workings of Terragen.
It is kind of old fashioned webbrowsing over there, though. Real hyperlink based browsing ;)
This is the -sad but true - bulk of people providing tutorials:
https://planetside.co.uk/terragen-tutorials/
at last most of them are free tutorials.
There are - very - few tutorials from bigger players, but not a lot.
So, that`s about it (I`d say).
"I just hope that forum QA isnt the way of learning this software because that is simply absurd."
If that is not the way you want to climb the Terragen ladder then you are out of luck. My personal 2 cents of course.
THAT SAID:
Terragen`s ability to render accurate and beautyful images of the earth, the atmosphere, clouds and the universe is - {42} - outstanding!
And you won`t find any better. This also seems to be the general consensus. You just have to find out how to to it.
CHeers, Klaus
Quote from: KlausK on April 10, 2020, 07:35:43 AMTHAT SAID:
Terragen`s ability to render accurate and beautyful images of the earth, the atmosphere, clouds and the universe is - {42} - outstanding!
And you won`t find any better. This also seems to be the general consensus. You just have to find out how to to it.
CHeers, Klaus
with all the respect can you please show me something comparable to these images made on terragen?
https://80.lv/articles/sky-creation-using-vue/
your post just makes me not even want to invest time into this, there is very few to little effort by the company to get people to learn this software, kind of a shame.
thanks for answering tho, i might just look elsewhere.
"with all the respect can you please show me something comparable to these images made on terragen?"
No, I won`t go into this kind of discussion :-X. It is not for me to decide what is "better".
I have my preference, that is all.
Perhaps browse the Image section here in the forum, look at the twitter and/or facebook page of TG,
maybe render out some of the example files of the cloud library and decide for yourself.
As I said, just my thoughts about it. Others might have a completely different view.
CHeers, Klaus
We learn by doing
Best way is to take some existing TGD files apart, and begin to grasp how things operate.
That will also facilitate questions once you've seen how things work.
Terragen isn't terribly intuative, correct. But, like guitar, once you learn a few scales, you'll be able to solo.
Anything worth excelling at isn't easy.
Look in the FILE SHARING section here, grab some of the scene files and explore.
'
Quote from: SILENCER on April 10, 2020, 12:21:05 PMTerragen isn't terribly intuative, correct. But, like guitar, once you learn a few scales, you'll be able to solo.
Anything worth excelling at isn't easy.
That was a great analogy.
Don't hesitate to ask questions, regarding files you're dissecting or otherwise.
I don't have much up, but I am slowly doing quickie videos, and eventually plan tutorials when I get real time to record without a screaming child jumping around behind me.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYUVir16jJq9ii9sM3trOpg
im much interested into sky atmosphere to be honest, there are a plethora of softwares to create terrains with less headache, si i'd be using Gaea for that, i dont need anything extremely complex or that requires the amount of proceduralism Terragen gives.
I just want to focus on sky/atmosphere creation because its the only aspect of 3d/vfx where there are so few softwares that do that right. Terragen is one of these, Vue is the other one.
So where could i find a bit of documentation about the sky/clouds/atmo? Even on the official documentation there is absolutely nothing on clouds....
In the File Sharing section of the forum is the Cloud library. Users have accumulated clip files (tgc) and Terragen files (tgd) for sharing methods and techniques for cloud formations.
https://planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,3691.0.html
For more current shares try going to pages say...13 through 19 as these shares probably relate better to newer versions of TG.
It is not required to be a geologist, archeologist, meteorologist, or an astronaut to use Terragen, but it helps...haha
I am a hobbyist, using Terragen for fun for wow....over 20 years now.
Another way to find the "good stuff" is to go to the file sharing forum and look at the threads that have a lot of views/comments. The critiques/discussions can lead to a better understanding of Terragen.
As others have pointed out, the best way of achieving cloudscapes on the level you are looking for is to go through existing files (in file share section) and understand how those were put together. Then you'll want to come back and search through these forums to see if there are previous conversations matching your particular questions. And finally, don't hesitate to post your questions here. There is usually someone who can get back to you on best approaches to solving your question(s).
I don't think it's too hard to get excellent cloudscapes right from the start in Terragen. With the v3 clouds, and especially the 'easy clouds' (they came up in TG4, but TG4 it isn't a complete overhaul of TG2, so they work comparably) with a few clicks you can get great clouds. Sure, you can't really mold them (though masking is possible), but the image you posted can quite easily be replicated by importing a Gaea terrain (if you don't want to make it procedurally), and adding an easy cloud at the right altitude, and try a few seeds.
And for landscapes, indeed, do some tutorials and you'll get the hang of it. Like Silencer said, once you get the basics, progress will speed up. And then, for specific questions, here's the forum.
Good luck, anyway, and I hope you'll choose TG4.
We've honestly been covering a lot of these approached on the forums recently. Clouds following terrain, etc. Definitely take a look around.
hey guys i think im going to join the club :)
i am tryin to decide which version i want, i wont probably do commercial works its more of a passion, so yea.
can someone please explain to me what are these things, difference between professional and creative:
1) Image file processing node
2) Custom mesh deformation on objects
3) Georeferencing of heightfields/DEMs
thanks everyone for all the support so far :)
I'm actually not sure what the image file processing node is. Lol
Custom mesh deformations means you can warp a objects mesh with power fractals or other displacement.
90999730_2594620404156677_6570247180496404480_o.jpg
(Example of a deformed sphere object with my voronoi displacement shader)
Georeferencing of Heightfields/DEMs I believe means it can load internal geocoordinate information from heightmaps/DEMs in relation to Terragen.
Was, you can find the "Image File Processor" node in the "Node Palette" under "Tools".
The node allows you to do post processing of images or animation sequences inside of TG.
Using the Render Layers you can output Motion Vector and Depth files together with your *.exr or *.tiff file/sequence and
apply Motion Blur (2D, I think) or some other post processing effects TG offers after rendering out the animation.
This is non-destructive, faster and controllable. And easily repeated with different settings if you don`t like what you get.
That`s about it what I know about the node.
Cheers, Klaus
Quote from: KlausK on April 14, 2020, 09:43:08 PMWas, you can find the "Image File Processor" node in the "Node Palette" under "Tools".
The node allows you to do post processing of images or animation sequences inside of TG.
Using the Render Layers you can output Motion Vector and Depth files together with your *.exr or *.tiff file/sequence and
apply Motion Blur (2D, I think) or some other post processing effects TG offers after rendering out the animation.
This is non-destructive, faster and controllable. And easily repeated with different settings if you don`t like what you get.
That`s about it what I know about the node.
Cheers, Klaus
Ah must be one of the few shaders not in right click. I rarely use node palette. Seems quicker to right-click in where I want the shader in node tree or location in groups.
I would start simple, Nala. If you get hooked (and you will), you can always upgrade.
Quote from: WAS on April 14, 2020, 10:17:50 PMAh must be one of the few shaders not in right click.
It is also in the right click menu: "Create Other".
CHeers, Klaus
alright here is my first render with the free version, im tryin to get better at shading, so far love the software, even tho on my machine the preview within the software when i start adding some displacement tends to slow down quite a bit :/
(https://i.imgur.com/kZkIfSV.jpg)
Great start, I must say! Detail down to roughness for a first render is a good attention to detail.
For subtle color shading, try this. Lots of possibilities to change hues, darkness, saturation.
Quote from: Dune on April 16, 2020, 01:51:06 AMFor subtle color shading, try this. Lots of possibilities to change hues, darkness, saturation.
ah! i was about to ask if it would be smart to shade it with textures or go procedural, this is a huge exclamation mark for me at the moment in Terragen.
I suppose its not going to be good using textures in this case because the vertical wall and the ground would have different UV set so the texture would be stretched, so just to be clear, do you guys always rely on procedural shading? or a mix of texture/procedural?
thanks dune i will try a render with this shading system!
this is with your setup untouched
(https://i.imgur.com/AG4GfDY.png)
and then i changed some colors and input an 8k sandstone texture mixed
(https://i.imgur.com/IJQ54yY.png)
That looks good. I would go procedural, because with image maps you easily get repetition, especially if it's quite defined and over a large area. But for a render where you have a piece of ground real close by, you could add a texture map (repeted, Y projection, and perhaps masked by PF or a soft simple shape) for front ground.
some fun with vornoi :-X
(https://i.imgur.com/KS9Ny4X.png)
this took quite a hit on rendertime lol
Looking good. I think you're getting the hang of this.
(https://i.imgur.com/TkNkxId.png)
some sunset image, i guess u've seen bilions of these :D
That's really nice!!!
well this needs some adjustments, took 1 hour and 10 minutes to render :D its noisy but i can remove that with camera raw fiter and it wont impact the quality that much
(https://i.imgur.com/fVAlKQG.png)
im rendering another image with the sun moved, just wanna say holy shit the quality of this software is unbelievable, i didnt expect.
Nice renders.
Very nice indeed. How are you defeating the sunspot glow in the clouds? Lol
Quote from: WAS on April 17, 2020, 09:41:07 PMVery nice indeed. How are you defeating the sunspot glow in the clouds? Lol
what do you mean?
Wow, this is one hell of a sunset!!! Great!
Echo others - these images are well done.
this is a bit noisy due to max quality on free edition i think, i raised atmosphere quality to 128, cloud voxel to 100 and raymarching quality to 1, but still is noisy :D
i'll try to remove that on cameraraw.
(https://i.imgur.com/eA8leJE.png)
some noise reduction with PS
(https://i.imgur.com/PcOmiYB.jpg)
edit: i dont think i've ever seen anything like this kind of quality on atmosphere/clouds on rendering, im a bit stunned that this software does not have more visibility, or maybe it does but i dont know :)
huge applause to devs, its been years i didnt get blown away by CG quality.
Well, TG is famous for its clouds and atmo mainly, though I don't know how famous.
removed some noise in ps and a bit of bloom, i touched some parameter and i dont remember what i've done, but the sun bloom effect now is a bit too much :)
(https://i.imgur.com/p7MZwHO.jpg)
i have a question, i these renders i've noticed some random black spots on water waves, anyone have any clue what they might be? its just an add lake by default changing just the height to 2 or 3 sometimes.
Very nice sunset renders. The first one with the telephoto lens is stunning. Keep 'em coming!
Searching for older threads about subjects often reveals interesting discussions and solutions. Read here: about black spots on water (https://planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,23860.msg240961.html#msg240961)
well i went and bought the Creative version, loving this software so much, thanks for developing this! hope i will get good at this :)
tryin to familiarize with population/obects and scattering on leaves :D
(https://i.imgur.com/4jtKyyr.jpg)
Okay! Your renders have turned into pure beauty. Hop over to Image Sharing section to post, plenty of browsers go directly there and leave a comment or crit.....
We all look forward to unlimited power now... :)
Beautiful!!!!!
bit of a problem here, i've imported a gaea tiff 32 bit, i have an issue where the heightfield from gaea is a bit weird, its like terragen is filling a blank space with terrain under the actual heightfield map.
anyone would know how to fix this? i tried asking Dax (gaea dev) about this but he said i'd have to fix it within terragen, because thats how Gaea is intended to workdisplace_Gaea.jpg
nevermind sorry, i fixed it by using the set height range highest value.
This shouldn't be how Gaea is intended to work, and Gaea has its exporting problems. Was your tile this offset in Gaea? You could try masking the heightfield area and use negative offset to bring it back down. Not sure if offset under displacement tab will do the trick.
Your height range looks correct to start at 0 altitude so not sure what's going on with that TIFF.
hey guys is there a way to map an hotkey to the render image button? i've searched trough the edit -> Preference -> Input Settings, but there is nothing to remap there.
Render hotkey is "CTRL+R" but not sure if you can remap it.
Nope. You can`t.
There is a xml file with key bindings in your TG User Directory but you cannot edit it.
CHeers, Klaus
PS: it might be preferable to open a new thread for a new / different question you have.
The forum search won`t help very much if the threads get convoluted this way.