Help with Motion Picture about the Moon

[CEOTBLNFilms]

How do I import a greyscale photo to create an elevation mesh and then how do I import the "color skin" to overlay on the finished mesh model? Then How do I export the mesh model into Cinema 4D or Maya?

First and foremost I have a flatmap in greyscale of the Moon that I downloaded from the USGS. Then I a a full color map I also downloaded. I want to wrap it around the planet in terragen 2 and start making zooms and traveling over the terrain as was done in the Mars anim. Are there Moon maps that are to be used for those types of animations that I need to access for the type of anim done on that Mars video?

Please someone contact. Either with how to do it - or if yoou are wanting to get hired to do this for my film...there is pay.

Jose Escamilla - TBLN Films - Jose@TBLN.com

[cyphyr]

If your greyscale map is in a 1:2 format similar to these then simply select spherical projection and ensure that the image coordinates match the planets coordinates. Then plug this image map into a displacement shader and type in a value that represents your heighest point on the map (the "whitest" part") in meters. If your colour map is the same dimensions as your height map then simply use the same coordinate info for another spherically projected image map placed between the compute terrain node and the planet node.

Below is a screen grab of the basic setup. Of course a much more complex setup is possible adding procedurally generated "extra" info that might be useful for close up flyby's etc

Hope this helps and if you want me to take this on professionally pm me.

Richard

[CEOTBLNFilms]

Cheers Richard, Thank you for your response. I will probably ask you to work on the film with me, however I am also into making my own sfx for my films. I use After Effects, Cinema 4D, and I want to get into Teragen 2, but the documentation that is provided is very vague. I doesn't tell me how to upload my grayscale image, the color image or anything that would remotely give me clear directions on this portion of the information I need.

I downloaded the trial version to get my feet wet, but unfortunately, there is nothing in this version that allows me to work with the program. I checked for video tutorials on You Tube and they're just as bad. Most of them have no sound, just clicking and very poor quality footage, so it very difficult in seeing what is going on. There is one clip in German...which I can understand at all...then there's another by a novice Terragen User that keeps jumping from one thing to another and really never showing anything. I had the displeasure of having to sit here and view the complete tutorial without ever learning what it is I need to know how to do. That is import my grayscale photo and color photo and start working with the cameras, the terrains I wish to fly the camera over, etc. At this very moment I don't have the budget for my film, I won't have that until February, BUT if I could make a couple of really cool animations with what I have, it would hurry the process of the funding, because the visuals would speak for themselves.

So anyway Richard thanks for responding. If you would be so kind and send me where I can go and read how to do this, it would be appreciated and as I mentioned, I will more than like have you work the efx shots for me once I get the budget. Do me a favor and send me your budget requirements to: Jose@TBLN.com.

Sincerely - Jose Escamilla

[freelancah]

I believe the Mars animation was done using MOLA data and similiar data called LOLA is available of the moon. Im not sure how to get it working in terragen since there is a separate shader that manages the MOLA data.. I know heightfield node can load the individual tiles but to manage a whole dataset..hmm not sure how..

I suppose it all depends on what level of detail you need and if image maps are enough for you.. LOLA site would be: http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/lola/

Found some discussions about the LOLA datasets here. Haven't had time to go through them yet..: https://isis.astrogeology.usgs.gov/IsisSupport/index.php/board,46.0.html

[cyphyr]

I'm a little unclear what you mean by :

doesn't tell me how to upload my grayscale image, the color image or anything

In the image above you will see two nodes named moon image and moon displacement, these are both Image map shaders. They can be added to the node network either by right clicking on the node network window and selecting "Create Shader" followed by either "Colour Shader" or "Displacement Shader" followed by "Image map Shader". You will then be prompted to navigate to your greyscale image or colour image on your hard drive. The same nodes can also be added by clicking on the Terrain or Shaders tabs at the top of the window. You can then set the images parameters as laid out above, spherical etc.
It is also worth noting that you will be unable to animate with the free version.
Richard

[freelancah]

Gridded LOLA data sets can be found @ http://imbrium.mit.edu/BROWSE/LOLA_GDR/CYLINDRICAL.html or http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/lro/lro-l-lola-3-rdr-v1/lrolol_1xxx/data/lola_gdr/

How to get it working, I'm still not sure. Also I noticed that the files seem to be 16 bit and individual tiles are sized 2 gb which might be a bit too much for 32bit software...? It might probably require it's own shader  similar to MOLA unless you load every individual tile separately?

Perhaps someone from Planetside or someone who has experience can tell if it's possible to use LOLA data..

[Oshyan]

I don't think LOLA is natively supported at this time (Mars MOLA data is supported).

If your heightmap and color map are in the same projection (as they should be) and in a format TG2 can read, then Richard's directions should get you started pretty quickly. You will probably want to put the heightfield and color map into separate areas, Terrain and Shaders respectively.

For the heightfield you would add an Image Map Shader in the Terrain layout, using the Add Layer button at the top of the Node List. Then specify your image map and set the positional coordinates to the same as your planet's coordinates. You can get your planet's coordinates by opening the settings of the Planet object node. You can use the copy/paste buttons for coordinates that are to the right of each coordinate set (the icon is a small clipboard). Then go to the Displacement tab in the Image Map Shader, check Apply Displacement, and set the Amplitude to the *maximum* altitude that should be present in your terrain.

That should give you your base terrain displacement. Now do the same thing for your color map, but add the Image Map Shader in the Shaders tab, and don't use Displacement. That should give you something you can work with.

- Oshyan

[blackcat]

I downloaded the trial version to get my feet wet, but unfortunately, there is nothing in this version that allows me to work with the program. I checked for video tutorials on You Tube and they're just as bad. Most of them have no sound, just clicking and very poor quality footage, so it very difficult in seeing what is going on. There is one clip in German...which I can understand at all...then there's another by a novice Terragen User that keeps jumping from one thing to another and really never showing anything. I had the displeasure of having to sit here and view the complete tutorial without ever learning what it is I need to know how to do.

You've touched on one of the sorest problems with TG2: the lack of documentation. There is, as has been pointed out, reams of information, tips and tutorials in these forums, but there is little consistency, almost no editing and one usually has to spend an inordinate amount of time ferreting out what's needed...usually from pages of rambling discussion, some of it contradictory and much of it incomplete. Several people have generously created excellent tutorials (bless them!). These are usually very good but many could benefit from an editorial presence that would guarantee consistency and accuracy in both content and style (not everyone is as good a writer as they are expert in TG2). This would go a long way toward making TG2 more useful and practical.

[rcallicotte]

Sorry to interrupt the flow of this thread, since this sounds like a cool project.  But, I want to address Blackcat, since I've heard his argument a few times.

@Blackcat - Hope you'll understand this as it's meant - write a book.  Take these reams of information and put it all together and you'll have an okay market.  Probably won't be a NY Times best seller, but it'll be popular here.

I downloaded the trial version to get my feet wet, but unfortunately, there is nothing in this version that allows me to work with the program. I checked for video tutorials on You Tube and they're just as bad. Most of them have no sound, just clicking and very poor quality footage, so it very difficult in seeing what is going on. There is one clip in German...which I can understand at all...then there's another by a novice Terragen User that keeps jumping from one thing to another and really never showing anything. I had the displeasure of having to sit here and view the complete tutorial without ever learning what it is I need to know how to do.

You've touched on one of the sorest problems with TG2: the lack of documentation. There is, as has been pointed out, reams of information, tips and tutorials in these forums, but there is little consistency, almost no editing and one usually has to spend an inordinate amount of time ferreting out what's needed...usually from pages of rambling discussion, some of it contradictory and much of it incomplete. Several people have generously created excellent tutorials (bless them!). These are usually very good but many could benefit from an editorial presence that would guarantee consistency and accuracy in both content and style (not everyone is as good a writer as they are expert in TG2). This would go a long way toward making TG2 more useful and practical.

[blackcat]

@Blackcat - Hope you'll understand this as it's meant - write a book.  Take these reams of information and put it all together and you'll have an okay market.  Probably won't be a NY Times best seller, but it'll be popular here.

Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind! In fact, I came perilously close to doing that very thing several years ago with TG 0.9 (and even had an agent shopping the idea around, with Matt's blessing), but put it on the back burner after TG2 appeared.

I think it would take someone considerably more knowledgeable then me to do something like this solo (if for no other reason than that---as I mentioned---too much of the information in the forums is incomplete or contradictory). I could create such a book, but I certainly think it would require the active participation of at least one of the developers. If for no other reason than that there is just far too much I still don't understand---and I think to be really useful, the book would have to start off with the absolute fundamentals---such as how TG2 and its various functions operate---which I believe could best be described by the people creating it. The book would, I think, have to start off with the absolute basics and work its way up (an incremental plan that would make for the most practical and direct learning curve for people new to the program). This is something, too, that many of the discussions here lack: for the most part they assume that their participants are already well-informed about TG2. Every process in the book will have to be approached with a running start. The assumption should always be that the reader is new to the software.

And I don't think there's any question at all but that it would be necessary to get direct input from a good many of the experts in these forums. (Which would mean being barraged with questions!)

I think the market for a good TG2 manual would be more than just okay. So much so that if I thought I could get the necessary cooperation I would ask the agent to revisit the proposal.

[CEOTBLNFilms]

I can guarantee that when I get the hang of it and start doing things with it, I would be more than happy to contribute all I learn. This is a fantastic program that needs to make it possible for taking the steep learning curve and turning into a "Tarragen For learners" "not Dummies" so-to-speak.

I am happy to announce I have someone who is doing some test shots for my film and will let you all know what the outcome is. This film is going to be AWESOME once we apply T2 to it...Thanks for all who have contributed thus far to this thread. JE

[CEOTBLNFilms]

I want to add; My hat's off to you T-2 Monsters that have done some of the most incredible earth fly-throughs, whoever did that Mars animation...and those that continue using this program like it was a piece of cake...HOW in the world you figured all this out without a manual...is a total mystery to me and I really appreciate your talents. Cheers to ALL! JE

[Oshyan]

Bill, you can certainly count on cooperation from Planetside if you were to write a book! We would love to be a part of such a project.

Jose I'm very glad to hear you've found someone to work with you on the project.

- Oshyan

[Dune]

I think if you were to write such a book and wanted to get to know all there is to know about a certain subject/node/whatever, it would be good to enter a topic (perhaps in a new book-dedicated division) with a specific question and study all the answers various (knowledgeable) users could give. 

[blackcat]

I think if you were to write such a book and wanted to get to know all there is to know about a certain subject/node/whatever, it would be good to enter a topic (perhaps in a new book-dedicated division) with a specific question and study all the answers various (knowledgeable) users could give. 

Probably the best way to do a TG2 book, and to produce one that would be most useful to the most users, would be to take an incremental approach. Explain how TG2 works and the function of each individual control, with examples of its effect, and then proceed to large-scale issues---creating and placing objects, clouds, water, shaders, etc.---in fairly broad terms. Within each of these broad subjects could be sub-sections dealing with more detailed and complex problems. But always with the understanding that these techniques can be used in a number of different ways (that is, I would balk at telling someone how to recreate a specific image unless the techniques involved had broader applications).

There is no book that could practically answer all questions (and one that provided multiple solutions to problems would be only more confusing and unwieldy). I think what would be most practical and useful would be a book that provided the TG2 user with as many tools as possible and a clear understanding of what they do and how to use them. I've seen hundreds of wonderful images in this forum, most of which are the result of imaginative combinations of a limited number of basic functions (one of the things I enjoy most is experimenting with TG2 tools in nonintuitive ways ["gee, what'll happen if I enter a negative value here?"]). An appreciation of these tools, how they work and what they do would enable other users to be equally creative.

Way, way, way back when I had discussed the possibility of a TG 0.9 book with Matt...and even had an agent showing the proposal around---and was garnering some interest. TG2 came along and the whole thing got put on a back burner. TG2 has been around long enough now that I think the absence of a book is becoming a real impediment to the program's wide use.