Terragen 4.6.11.frontier (Windows and Linux)

[Matt]

The first Frontier Build of Terragen 4.6 is out now for Windows and Linux render node.

If you have an active license of Terragen 4 Professional or Creative, use the Check for Updates feature in the Windows application to get links to the latest 4.6 builds.

Here's the change log:

Build 4.6.11 (Frontier Build)

OpenVDB export is available on Windows (previously it was only on Linux). A VDB file can be exported from the command line and from the context menu of a cloud node in the Node Network. https://planetside.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=VDB_Export

Changed the 3D Preview's level-of-detail calculations for voxel buffers in clouds. It uses a view-dependent minimum voxel size so that clouds nearer the camera are more likely to be rendered with the highest voxel resolution provided by the cloud, while clouds further away are more likely to be approximated. There are two modes to this. The first pass of the RTP, and all passes of non-RTP previews, use a low-detail mode which is designed to be fast (fewer voxels need to be cached before you see results). Subsequent RTP passes use a higher detail mode which is closer to final renders but may take longer to cache voxels before you see the results.

Removed the "Acceleration cache" feature from cloud layers because it caused problems with consistency between image tiles.

Fixed a bug in planet atmosphere "Reset Tweaks" which set one of the colours to the wrong colour space. This only mattered if colour management was enabled, and only during the session (saved files were not affected).

Fractal Warp Shader has a seed parameter.

The Tonemap tab on Render Settings has 3 radio buttons to change the gamma correction mode: "sRGB", "sRGB with custom gamma" and "Pure gamma".
 - "sRGB": The sRGB standard OETF is applied. Compared to a pure gamma of 2.2, sRGB mode produces slightly darker values near black and slightly more contrast in the low-to-mid-range.
 - "sRGB with custom gamma": The behaviour is exactly the same as "sRGB" if the gamma correction parameter is 2.2, otherwise deviations from 2.2 are applied as a gamma correction before the sRGB standard OETF is applied.
 - "Pure gamma": Gamma correction is applied exactly as it was in previous versions.

Work-in-progress: "Replace with another object" is available in the Node Network's context menu for object readers and object generators. Undo is not working yet.

XML population caches: Population caches can be saved to (and loaded from) an XML-based format by choosing a filename with ".popxml" extension.

Prevented a crash that could occur in the Populator if it fails to read a population cache file.

Mac only: Performance should be greatly improved when dealing with any views containing a lot of controls, for example parameter views whether in standalone windows or the main window. It's much quicker to change between layout views or different nodes in the main window.

Fixed a crash that sometimes occurred when loading heightfields, especially when loading multiple heightfields at the same time.

Fixed a bug in "Build HSV Colour" function: If the input colour had a saturation other than 1, its hue would be calculated incorrectly. If this hue was passed through to the output (while modifying saturation or value), the output would have the wrong hue.

Some changes to the how the Progress Dialog works to allow multi-threaded progress reports.

Low level optimisations in the renderer.

Optimisations in some noise functions.

Optimisations in Power Fractal Shader (which also affects Easy Cloud).

Made a change to low-level memory management of scenes and renderers to fix a possible instability.

Fixed a bug in in the Free Non-Commercial Edition that showed a warning about missing some data when a render is finishing.

[Kevin Kipper]

Hi everyone,

The images below illustrate OpenVDB export from the Windows version of Terragen 4, to third party applications. 

In order for some third party applications to match the layout of a Terragen project, you may need to adjust the third party software's camera or imported volumetric asset.  Where possible, I've outlined those modifications below.

In the original Terrgen project, the cloud layer was centered at the origin of the project at an altitude of 4000 metres.

Blender (Z up)
Blender camera's Location X = Terragen camera's Position Z * -1
Blender camera's Location Y = Terragen camera's Position X
Blender camera's Location Z = Terragen camera's Position Y
Blender camera's Rotation X = Terragen camera's Rotation X + 90 degrees
Blender camera's Rotation Y = Terragen camera's Rotation Z
Blender camera's Rotation Z = Terragen camera's Rotation Y + 90 degrees
OpenVDB object rotation X = 90 degrees
OpenVDB object rotation X = 90 degrees

Unreal Engine 5 (Z up)
Requires Sparse Volumetrics, using OpenVDB and NanoVDB plugin and uses a VdbResearchActor as holder for VDB
VdbResearchActor's Rotation X = -90 degrees
VdbResearchActor's Rotation Z = 90 degrees
VdbResearchActor's Scale X = -1
Cinematic Camera Actor Location X = Terragen camera's Position Z *-1
Cinematic Camera Actor Location Y = Terragen camera's Position X
Cinematic Camera Actor Locatrion Z = Terragen camera's Position Y
Cinematic Camera Actor Rotoation Y = Terragen camera's Rotation X
Cinematic Camera Actor Rotation Z = (Terragen camera's Rotation Y * -1) + 180 degrees

Daz Studio
Daz camera's Translate Z = Terragen camera's Position Z * -1
Daz camera's Rotate Y = Terragen camera's Rotate Y * -1

Lightwave 3D (Y up)
LW camera's Heading = Terragen camera rotation Y value
LW camera's Pitch = Terrgen camera rotation X value * -1
null VDB object's Scale X = -1
null VDB object's Heading = 180 degrees

[Kevin Kipper]

Here are rendered images from each of the above mentioned third party software packages.

[a_petrukovich]

Amazing update, been waiting for this feature for a long time. Now it remains to make the same cool shader as in Terragen for Blender

[itsdavidblaker]

Well done!

[WAS]

Seed for the fractal warp shader sounds awesome, not sure what optimizations were done to PFs but it sounds beneficial. I like some updates here. Starts giving incentive to get a maintenance renewal some day.

[RogueNZ]

Big update, thanks team! Good to see Terragen still producing the most pleasing cloud renders for a given input!

[zaxxon]

This is a really big deal, thanks!  VDB export has been on the top of my list for a couple of years. Hopefully this is a start on a series of upgrades! 

[WAS]

Could you do a huge solid @Matt ? Could we get the default shader back as it was, and have all these new features moved to a PBR shader?

Opening old projects  /objects + working in SR is really frustrating with the new default shader. I shouldn't have to fix all my old TGOs and projects cause of this change. And a lot of the time I'm not doing PT unless it's really needed, so the benefits aren't there.

Additionally there is only one roughness, for both Reflectivity and Metalness, but they have their own masking abilities to separate them in the same object. But can't have unique roughness looks for them.

[zaxxon]

I would like to see an option to retain the legacy default shader as well.  Not having used TG in a while, but working to submit an NWDA Contest image, I've had issues getting texture maps to show correctly (or at least like they looked before). If someone wants to start a separate thread to show how to best transition to the newer default that would be much appreciated. Still, thanks again for the VDB export!

[Dune]

I wouldn't mind a new shader for PBR, but I do not have problems with this new default shader. If I open old files and import 'old' objects the settings remain as they were, being roughness, reflectivity and metalness. So I don't understand the need to change any tgo's. At least haven't come across it yet.
What I would like (for speed) is a reflectivity mode in PT that's non-ray or path-traced, but I guess that's impossible.

[WAS]

Old TGOs I have always get errors about missing parameters. For example, they will default to the second option for specular model, not the legacy. So the material does end up looking different. Also, the old way the default looked in PT is changed, to handle PT better, but may not be the desired result, even when using PT>

[Matt]

@WAS or @zaxxon can you start a new topic and show some examples of these differences between versions?

[WAS]

I'd think it'd be self-explanatory, the default shader now handles mentality/reflection better in PT, to be physically correct, but may not be the desired result without comping in SR or something, but wanting PT elements in the rest of the scene.

I'll see if I can make some examples soon. I'm currently tied up for around ~9 hours with my CPU right now to AI.

[RogueNZ]

Just FYI, the Version Check feature in Creative is giving me an error message "For some reason the Software Update version check was unsuccessful. Please try later.". Coming from 4.5.6