Custom mesh deformation on objects

[otakar]

Please help me understand the "Custom mesh deformation on objects" feature only available in TG Pro. Would that be applicable for animations (wind caused movement) and if so, if that feature were not available would you be able to displace an object to achieve the same effect by another method? Thanks! Need to make up my mind what to do with the upgrade choices (Pro/Creative/Nothing) before the sale ends.

[bobbystahr]

I checked the comparison page and mesh deformer isn't mentioned so would assume it's in all versions and I do believe it could be/has been used in animations. Best wait for someone who knows for sure though.

[otakar]

Bobby, it's halfway down the list: https://planetside.co.uk/terragen-product-comparison/

Anyone? 1 day left to decide...

[Kadri]

Not sure about all the differences in Terragen versions there.
But i think if you disable "Ray trace objects" in the render node you can use displacements of the kind you want to a certain degree.
But the objects will then be rendered with the micropoly renderer of course.

[bobbystahr]

Bobby, it's halfway down the list: https://planetside.co.uk/terragen-product-comparison/

Anyone? 1 day left to decide...

oops saw it now with my glasses on and the page zoomed...sigh....

[Matt]

You can can apply a small amount of surface displacement if you change the render mode of an object to "Force displacement" (or apply this for all objects by turning off Ray Trace Objects on the render node). The main problem is that the shadows won't change because the ray tracer doesn't accept displacements on objects yet, and shadows are calculated by ray tracing. This causes problems if you try to displace the object by a large amount. The surface might cast incorrect shadows on itself. It isn't really suitable for wind animation.

Mesh deformation (or mesh displacement) is available in Terragen 3/4 Pro via the "mesh displacer" input. This moves every vertex in the original object before it's sent to the renderer, so the ray tracer can properly render the deformed object without any problems. This is the best way to animate wind effects in Terragen at the moment. It doesn't create micropolygons for detailed displacements, but you can combine the two techniques, using mesh deformation for large movements and forced displacement for the details such as bark textures.

There's a big long thread about mesh deformation, but I'll just drop you in on the last page where Kaedorg has a nice animation of a wind-blown tree:

http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,20339.msg202273.html#msg202273

Please also read my post about displacing in all 3 directions:

http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,20339.msg201503.html#msg201503

Matt

[otakar]

Matt, I really appreciate your explanation. Unfortunately, it's what I feared, that feauture would have been very nice to have for animation experiments. However, I simply cannnot justify paying double for the TG4 Pro upgrade (and eventual maintenance) when I struggle carving out time on this hobby and setting aside the cash to finance it in the first place. So goodbye spherical camera, EXR and wind effect potential and hello animation! I am now an owner of a TG4 Creative license. Happy New Year!

[Matt]

Thank you for buying! Happy New Year to you too!

Matt