vue - Spectral Atmospheres 2

[lightning]

this render could pass for a Terragen 2 render

[rcallicotte]

http://www.e-onsoftware.com/support/tutorials/?page=16&cf=%2Fproducts%2Fvue%2Fvue_7_infinite%2Findex.php%3Fpage%3D2

Wow.  Wow.  Wow.

[PorcupineFloyd]

http://www.e-onsoftware.com/support/tutorials/?page=16&cf=%2Fproducts%2Fvue%2Fvue_7_infinite%2Findex.php%3Fpage%3D2

Wow.  Wow.  Wow.

Yeah, but that's Vue 5.

[PG]

Just got an email from e-on. Infinite and Xtreme are now shipping

Release Schedule
Vue 7 xStream and Vue 7 Infinite are available for purchase as of today!
You can choose to get your product as a Download, in a DVD case (CD set only, with electronic documentation), or as a full Boxed version (which includes the 630-page printed Reference Manual).

The Free Personal Learning Editions of Vue 7 xStream and Vue 7 Infinite (PLE) will be available shortly.
The Vue 7 line of products for 3D Artists and Small Studios, comprised of Vue 7 Pioneer, Vue 7 Esprit, Vue 7 Pro Studio and Vue 7 Complete, will be released within one month; localized versions (French and German) will follow by the end of this year.
Finally, Ozone 4.0, the atmospheric plugin for 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Lightwave, Maya and XSI is scheduled for release beginning of 2009.

http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue/vue_7_infinite/

Pricing is a little odd though. It's £603 for the boxed version but £577 for the DVD... You don't get a box with that? Or not a £26 box

[Mohawk20]

I have to say that the ecosystem and plant support is appealing. I'd love to have some moving trees and some wind interference in TG2...

[moodflow]

Vue is looking a bit more impressive now. 

However, I still think TG2 is superior in cloud realism, lighting, and terrains/surfacing (though Vue's terrain and surfacing has definitely improved, and is approaching the quality of TG2 in some respects.)

I think Vue is superior to TG2 when it comes to foliage, both with the ecosystem technology and solidgrowth concept (which keeps each instance unique).  I'm hoping TG2 features similar options in the future - preferrably procedural foliage.


Did anyone see Vue's new incorporation of a limited node network?  Maybe they are seeing the light...

[PG]

The only reason I don't like Vue is because of its horrible implementation. The design for the UI seems to have been influenced by half of Microsoft Access and half 3ds Max. Some parts even seem artificially complicated to appeal to the fiddly bastards who spend most of their time preying on newbies in Call of Duty, flushing out freshly respawned players with mathematically planned grenade lobs. Terragen has the freedom of the node network while still keeping it so simple that you could train a paraplegic bear to use it in a day.

[Mohawk20]

Did anyone see Vue's new incorporation of a limited node network?  Maybe they are seeing the light...

That caught my eye:

MetaNodes let you group several nodes or links into a single node, known as a MetaNode. MetaNodes will greatly simplify the readability of your graphs by letting you organize your graph into functional modules.

TG2 can do that... just create the new nodes in the internal node network! And the Node groups, arranged by colour and able to capture nodes in it is something else that seems to act a bit like the 'organizing your graph into functional modules'.

Planetside was way ahead of e-on with that!

[Mohawk20]

I just got the e-on newsletter, and it had a link to the Vue 7 promotional video: http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue/vue_7_infinite/v7i_video_layout.php

Look at those clouds and tell me you don't think those look flat and 'milky', like about the worst 3D clouds we get here. They don't seem to have real depth, more like layers of billboarded images of clouds...
Look at the water and tell me the waves don't look like they came from a 10 year old 3D game...

The only thing that makes the scenes realistic is the moving plants, and those are only visible in animations.

[PG]

Vue implements this billboard system of rendering. It's bizarre I know. And did you see the bump mapping of the textures on the ground where the troops where walking. Makes rocks look like paper. It's fun to mock.
Did you notice how they used music very similar to Crysis to try to hook in that audience while demonstrating the ecosystem? And they mentioned ecosystem loads of times with slightly different wording. lol.
Allow me to rephrase the different elements portrayed here without the PR.
EcoSystem Technology - trees n stuff
Atmosphere effects - Light
Dynamic Ecosystems - trees n stuff
Spectral 2 clouds - 2D clouds
EcoSystem Painter - placing trees n stuff
Subsurface scattering - Light going through things
Water editor - water
Wind & Breeze effect - animation of trees n stuff
Advanced dynamics - ? rendering stuff??
Infinite terrains - slightly bigger terrains than 512x512
Light-cloud interaction - you havva da cloud and you havva da light
Dynamic Motion Reaction - you can move the camera
Outdoor Radiosity - Light
Indoor Radiosity - Light indoors
Local wind effects animation of trees n stuff

[old_blaggard]

Heheh, thanks for the recap, PG. There are definitely some nice scenes in there, but I would strongly argue that Vue only really has its ecosystem and its object manipulation going for it. The textures, clouds, water, and terrains that weren't covered in plants looked flat, fake, undetailed, and generally inferior to what is produced in Terragen on a regular basis. If this is a look at the best that Vue has to offer, I can't see why anybody would switch away from Terragen unless they need more advanced vegetation work.

[lightning]

is this Vue clouds or just an image of real clouds mapped into Vue's sky? if it is clouds made by Vue then Vue can easily if not better the clouds of terragen 2

here is the link
http://www.e-onsoftware.com/products/vue/vue_7_infinite/?page=3

[Confusoid]

The clouds at the top of the page are Vue 7 clouds. That is demonstrating the newly implemented indirect illumination and it looks darn good.

Look at the heading "Illumination of clouds" as well with the dark cloudy image to the right. Reminds me of a real thunderous stormy day.

[rcallicotte]

No, it's Vue 7. 

http://www.e-onsoftware.com/support/tutorials/?page=16&cf=%2Fproducts%2Fvue%2Fvue_7_infinite%2Findex.php%3Fpage%3D2

Wow.  Wow.  Wow.

Yeah, but that's Vue 5.

[rcallicotte]

By the way, I think TG2 still has the better terrain system, including control and capabilities of various types and variety of terrain.  The cloud system in TG2 could use a little work, but still is an out-of-the-box solution (without tweaking, I mean) that is reliable and makes good looking clouds.  I'm sticking with TG2...I don't have the money to buy another system.  Even if I did, when would I find time for it?  LOL