How well does Terragen do real world modelling?

[jlangdon]

Hi Folks,

I currently am a Visual Nature Studio (VNS) user, but I am considering switching to Terragen 2.  The rendering from Terragen looks to be superior to VNS, but one of the big benefits of using VNS is the integration with GIS data, ecosystem rendering based on vector polygon queries, etc.  What would be a typical workflow for modelling a real world location in Terragen 2?  Sounds like importing a DEM is pretty straightforward, then I assume I could import and drape orthoimagery, like NAIP or LandSat?  I'm thinking this imagery could then be used as a reference for vegetation/ecosystem placement?

Thanks!

Jesse

[Henry Blewer]

I used World Construction Set in the 90's. GIS data can be imported. DEM's and height fields from other apps. Vegetation data would probably need to be converted to image maps for masking. As far as I know Vector data is not supported. But Terragen 2 does work with objects well.
The renderer is very fast. I use a P4 HT without terribly long render times. An I7 processor smokes past my render times.
Try out the free version. It will do everything except animation, AA > 3, and is limited to 3 population/object instancing. The render max is 800 x 600. This will allow you to evaluate what T2 can do. Terragen 2 is also much more stable than Vue, if you are considering it.

[Oshyan]

njeneb has some good advice - check out the free version, it will give you a good idea of what TG2 can do.

Generally speaking I think TG2 is less used for absolutely accurate real-world scenes than something like VNS, but it's capable of those kinds of scenes, and only really lacks in the area of GIS format support, which could be improved in the future. In the meantime you may be able to convert your data for use.

Specifically in comparison to VNS, TG2 is less a GIS-type app and more a visual effects and art application. It does not support a wide variety of GIS and DEM formats (GeoTIFF is the only GIS-specific format directly supported at this point), and does not support vector data. However it does work almost entirely in real-world meter measurements, so it's certainly possible to create accurate real-world scenes. For data import it's best to work with formats that can include embedded scaling data like GeoTIFF, and if you need objects, OBJ can do this too, to a point. Your object source needs to have scaled things properly though, and this can be a problem. If you have another 3D modeling app which you can verify measurements in, that is ideal.

- Oshyan

[jlangdon]

Thanks so much for the feedback.  In ArcGIS 9.3, you can export any diplayed data (vector or raster), as geo-referenced image (i.e. a geotiff).  So concievably, I could create a map based on polygonal classifications (say land use or ecosystem types), export that map out as a geotiff, and then overlay it on a DEM to use as a reference?  Or what about overlaying a hi-resolution aerial image (for instance, USDA's NAIP imagery)?

Thanks!

[RArcher]

You certainly can do what you are thinking with exported data from ArcGIS (or any GIS based application).  For a quick and really rough example tutorial using Canadian GIS data you can take a look here:  http://www.archer-designs.com/tutorials/terragen2/working-with-gis-data/index.html

[reck]

I'm not familiar with visual nature studio so I took a look at their website and saw this quote.

World Construction Set and Visual Nature Studio are widely recognized as the best terrain visualization software packages available. With them you can model, render and animate natural and manmade environments of any size and complexity with complete photorealism.

Do you have any links to images that have been created with this software that have "complete photorealism"? It would be nice to see how they compare to some of the images in the Terragen 2 gallery.

[Henry Blewer]

Reck, I used World Construction Set in the 1990's, version 1.0. It did a very nice job then. The 3D trees were not that great for closeups. They used a billboard system for realistic trees, which did not look too good if you got too close.
The landscape generator was a pain to use. This may have improved since then. It's a good program, but I think Terragen 2 is far superior.

[reck]

I was just surprised to see them say it's "...widely recognized as the best terrain visualization software package available" and the word "photorealism" used.

With packages like Terragen 2 and Vue around that's a bold statement to make. That's why i'd quite like to see some images from it that are photorealistic. I've had a look at some images on their site and i'm not seeing anything close to what TG and Vue can do with natural (non man made) landscapes.

These are some of the images that are shown when you click on the link (photorealistic) images on their site.

[Henry Blewer]

It's older software. I am not sure how well it is currently being supported or developed.

[Kadri]

They were good for 5-10 years. Now i don't think so. For some kind of work it maybe enough but realistic ? No!
(I didn't use WCS but i know them for years. There site is nearly like in the 2000 )

Kadri.

[reck]

OK, if the software really is that old it's not fair to compare it to what modern applications can do. Maybe at the time it really was the best terrain visualization software around.

[jlangdon]

Visual Nature Studio is definitely being updated and maintained (recently released VNS v3.0), and they have a very active user community.  Regarding their "photorealism", I agree that Terragen and Vue blow them out of the water.  VNS is really targeted at the engineering, GIS, site planning crowd.  The primary advantage to working with VNS is the ability to incorporate GIS data and workflows.  I am a GIS professional by trade, and am used to working with vector data (points, lines, polygons) and database technology.  VNS provides the user with the ability to draw ecosystems based on attributes associated with polygons, which is a huge plus. I have a detailed land cover GIS dataset, my ecosystems in VNS are rendered based on that data.  For instance, I could use timber stand data to display forest stands with accurate tree heights, densities, etc.  When working with large landscapes, this is a huge timesaver.

I would love to see Terragen be able to work directly with GIS data (i.e. shapefiles), and render ecosystems based on tabular attributes (such as land cover classifications). 

On the other hand, VNS is also almost 10 times the cost of Terragen 2

Jesse

[Henry Blewer]

I think that Planetside may be working towards this type of support for GIS and vector databases. Perhaps in 2011?
Frankly I do not know what they are planning for the next upgrade. If it has improvements like the last release, then we are going to be stunned and pleased.

[TheBlackHole]

Those images? Photorealisic? Terragen 2 would have a better chance of being realtime than someone thinking those are photos!

[jlangdon]

Well, thank you all for the feedback again.  I think I am probably going to go with Terragen 2... wish me luck!

Jesse