Barren World TutorialBeing that I have been asked several times to create some kind of tutorial to help explain my planet renders, I've decided to use the "Barren World" render to create one. No, it is not as good as Volker's fantastic tutorial but hopefully someone will find this useful
. I have not looked back over the tutorial completely so if you can't understand something then just ask me. I am also including the tgd of the finished file to help.
1. We are going to begin with the surfacing. Create a power fractal shader. This shader is going to serve as a base layer for the planet. Set the scales as follows: Feature scale – 2e+006; Lead-scale – 1000; Smallest-scale – 0.1. Change the high-color to the following: 101, 67, 49. Change to the low-color to black (0, 0, 0). Leave the color contrast, offset, and roughness in the default settings. Displacement should be unchecked. Change the noise flavour to Perlin billows. Warp should be unchecked. Try a quick test render (See Image_1.jpg). It doesn't look great, but we do have a nice contrast that we can build on.
2. Time to add some more color. Because the first layer is so dark, let's make the next layer brighter. Create a power fractal shader. When surfacing planets from this altitude don't be afraid of large feature scale values. Set the scales to the following: Feature-scale – 3e+006; Lead-in-scale – 1000; Smallest-scale – 0.1. Change the high color RGB value to 134, 101, 81. Leave the contrast, offset, and roughness in the default setting. Displacement should be unchecked as before. Change the noise function to perlin ridges. Mixing perlin types is always a good idea because it adds a nice subtle contrast in the planet coloring. No warp. Again, try a test render(See Image_2.jpg). Much better than the first test but still not ready to ship.
3. Time to make another power fractal. I'm going to use this fractal to try to unify the two previous layers. The test render should help explain what I mean. Set the power fractal scale values as follows: Feature-scale – 4e+006; Lead-in-scale – 1e+006; Smallest-scale – 0.1. For this shader, I want the color to be bright and more saturated than the previous colors. Set the high color values to 165, 110, 66. Change the contrast to 0.3125 (you could probably use 0.3, I just usually use the sliders), the offset to -0.5, and the roughness to 2.5. We still don't need displacement so uncheck it. Leave the noise function as perlin but change the buoyancy from variation to 0. Check the warp option. Leave the warp amount at 0.5 and check the "Less warp at feature scale." Try another test render (See Image_3.jpg). . Not much difference can be seen but there is a subtle color layered over the other layers.
4. The planet looks okay right now, but it still needs something to add some contrast so planet doesn't look so boring. Create another power fractal shader. Set the power fractal scale values as follows: Feature-scale – 3e+006; Lead-in-scale – 1e+006; Smallest-scale – 0.5 (the 0.5 is probably not a necessary value to change). For this shader, I want the color to be bright, like the previous shader, but I also want it to stand out. Set the high color values to 221, 141, 94. Change the contrast to 0.5, the offset to -0.4, and the roughness to 1.8 (the low roughness allows the colors to bleed into the other layers more naturally). We still don't need displacement so uncheck it. Change the noise to perlin billows. No warp is needed. Try another test render (See Image_4.jpg). This is much much better.
5. Just for fun, I want to warp the billows a little bit. Create a warp shader, a redirect shader, and a power fractal shader. Attach the previous power fractal to the warp shader's "shader" input. Attach the redirect shader output the warp shader's "warper" input. Attach the power fractal to the "X" and "Z" inputs of the redirect shader. In the power fractal shader, change the Feature-scale to 553397 (or 550000), change the Lead-in-scale to 409600, and Smallest-scale to 0.1. Change the displacement to 1e+006. Leave everything else alone. Run a test render to see the change (See Image_5.jpg). .
We are done with the surfacing; now we need to add displacement.
1. Create a power fractal shader. Change the scales to the following: Feature-scale – 1000; Lead-in-scale – 100000; Smallest-scale – 0.1. Change the displacement to 2000. Leave everything else alone.
2. Now create another power factal shader. Change the scales to the following: Feature-scale – 5000; Lead-in-scale – 316406 (or 310000, it doesn't matter too much, just make it different from the first fractal); Smallest-scale – 0.1. Change the displacement to 1000. Change the noise to perlin billows and the buoyance to 0. Leave everything alone.
3. Time to make a blend shader. Create a new power fractal shader. Change the scales to the following: Feature-scale – 3e+006; Lead-in-scale – 200000; Smallest-scale – 10000. Set the color contrast to 0.2, the offset at 0, and the roughness at 5. Uncheck the displacement. Leave everything else in the default settings. If you want you can name the power fractal something useful like "Blending Shader."
4. Now attach the Blending shader to the "Blending Shader" inputs of the two terrain fractals and run a test render. It looks basically done except for the atmosphere.
5. I also added a strata and outcrops shader before connecting the terrain to the computes terrain node; but it isn't necessary.
Run a test render to see the difference with the displacement added (See Image_6.jpg). .For the atmosphere, you can do what ever you wish. In my scene I set the following values:
Haze density = 1
Bluesky density = 1
Haze glow = 4
Bluesky glow = 1
Haze horizon color = 145, 108, 86
Bluesky horizon color = 243, 243, 243
Bluesky density color = 185, 117, 78
Run a test render to see it all together (See Final.jpg, the final render of mine is in the planetside image section). And there you have it. I hope someone can find this helpful. I have also included the finished tgd for your reference. Have fun.
