Park Sidewalk Example Project

[Nala1977]

Hey WAS, anybody,

This is a request for some learning and understanding concerning Terragen. I know I am way a beginner and have light years it seems to even get out of beginner mode. Can you or anyone else suggests to me how in the world can you learn something like this program that has so MANY options and nodes? When I look at the node network in this file you shared with us I am aghast at how many levels and sub levels there are. Are you data from Star Trek? OMG. I humbly bow at your feet. I know it's possible to learn this program because a lot of you here have shared wonderful scenes on this board. But please someone enlighten me on how to even get a solid foundation on how to work with the node network. Yeah, sure I can connect up nodes together, and thanks to the built-in logic of the program sometimes get something that looks like Jr High school art class. But I want to understand the logic of how the scene should be done right and not just haphazardly.

Thanks for your help now and in the future. I am not new to the 3D scene as I shared before I can work at a fair beginner level in programs like Blender, World Machine, World Creator, Vue xStream 2014, Daz Studio, Poser, Carrara and gimp and CS6.

Thanks for your time in reading my plea for understanding.
Randy

the way im learning this software is opening these scenes and disconnecting everything, and starting by the top node to connect one by one and checking what they do, right click a node > open preview in a new window (something important is also the + and - buttons in this panel, they will zoom in and out in terms of measure, kilometers, meters, centimeters, depending ho far are you from the view point and show you the effect, so if you dont see anything sometimes, try to press the  - some times or the +, and you will see the effect popping out.), and see what they do.

AFter you do this for 50 scenes, you will learn something here and there, and keep going, even the default scene in Terragen can teach you something, since there are very few tutorials around, you need to grasp the logic behind what is done in the node editor.

my 2 cents, im fairly new, using this software not even since 1 month.

[Shield Wulf]

Hi Nala1977,

You gave me some good info in your post to my plea. I hope to put your info into good use. It's a shame that we have to learn what the nodes do this way. By right clicking, disconnecting, etc. I have tried reading what the ? web help from the node areas, I can get some info that way, but I am still left with the details and the effect on neighboring nodes downstream in node editor network. But still wanting more info about the node actions. Like how to build a cliff, by using the nodes! Good luck on that one.

[luvsmuzik]

There are a few procedural terrain tutorials in User Contributed tutorials section of this forum and You Tube TerraTuts is a basic free set of tutorials for Terragen4

[Shield Wulf]

Hi Nala1977, luvsmuzik, and everyone else,

Thanks for the info and I think I found a golden gem with your info. Maybe I am sure some know how to do this already. But I didn't until I started playing with the view window and the double click options panel that opens up for a node.

For posterity and my own documented findings, here goes step by step.
======================================================
Okay now these are the steps I followed down the yellow brick road yours may differ.

1. In Terragen make sure your node editor is open.

2. Double-click on of the nodes in the node editor that you want to change options on.

3. Right click on your node in question. Then select "Open preview in new window" Thanks Nala1977!!!

4. Now you have two floating windows opened just now from the process above.

5. In your view window pull down View from the top and select "Open New 3D Preview in Tab" This will render a little 3D preview in that tab.

6. Once it's done finished rendering out your current 3D preview. Here's the important part hit the "Pause" button and make sure that the pause button turns the color blue.

7. Now select View and open up another "Open New 3D preview in Tab" Now you should have two 3d Preview tabs opened in the view window. With one of them paused.

8. While you still have the new 3d preview tab opened go back to your " Node Option Window" for the one we have been working on. Now here's where the fun begins.

9. Change a value in your opened node options window. In my test I changed the seed value in my opened window for "Power Fractal shader V3" The last 3D preview tab you just opened should change the display to reflect the seed change you just made.

10. Now if you are done making changes in the node option window. Go back to the View window that has 2 "3D preview tabs" opened up and hit the pause button which should be the color tan and it will now change to blue also. Now that you have 2 finished rendered scenes in the 2 "3D preview tabs" that are paused after the rendering process is done.  You can use your mouse to go back and forth between the "3D preview" windows and see the difference of your change that you just did in the "Node Option Window"

11. It's important to hit the pause button each time that the finished render is done before opening a new "3D preview tab" if you don't do this the scenes that are not paused will try and re-render each time you select them to view them with your mouse.

Hope this makes sense to folks on this forum.
Thanks,
Randy Nash

[René]

This will come in handy at some point, I'm sure. Thanks for sharing.

[Shield Wulf]

Your most welcome.  

Thanks,
Randy