LemonNado
09-30-2006, 01:54 AM
Hi all, I ran across an interesting plugin this week and thought I make a video tut about it. Due to the fact that I noobed out on the lighting till today I think it's better to simply release the bit's and pieces I found and make it short and sweet as a post.
The result is great. It's a bit like a VUE C4D integration with one benefit. It's freeeeeee!
Well, as long as you don't buy the pro license of one of the progs...
http://www.onesmall.com/stuff/artifacts.jpg
(The crappy shadow is THE problem I am having...)
Alright.... long story short... as promised...
What you need is:
1. Terragen
http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/
The demo works perfect. However, the price for the registered version is also affordable if use dictates.
2. Terra4d
http://www.terra4d.net/
This is the cool plugin. If you can read German or you can manage to follow the tutorial on the terra4d site, then go no further. I simply sketch out my own experience with this combo in the following lines.
In case you wish to read on...
I installed both products without a hitch on my PC and C4D 9.6.
When I load or create a Landscape from scratch in Terragen then I have to save that in the following way:
1. render it (I recommend a video format...) and save the pic in a place where you will find it again.
2. save the world file in that same spot. (The function to do that is self explanatory).
3. Save the terrain file. (The function to do that is also self explanatory).
It's a bit odd that all this is not saved at once but considering that the terrain is 'simply' a greyscale and the world file contains camera, water level, athmospheric info it becomes a bit more transparent why it is how it is.
Now, when all three files are saved, then fire up C4D. I hope the plugin is in the plugin directory already. Otherwise you need it NOW!
First, set the output to the size of the render you made in terragen.
In the empty scene, create a new material. Open it up and assign the rendered pic to the color channel and check off all the options except color. I think the only other optin at that stage is specular... if not... switch them all off, except for color. Also set sampling to 'none'. That prevents that the texture will be modified.
Create a Objects->Scene->Sky and drop the material onto it.
Adjust the material projection to frontal.
Test render and it should look like that render made in terragen. If the render looks like Elvis, then you have selected the wrong image again.
Next you have to initiate function 1. (import terrain) in the Terra4D Plugin
Load the .ter file you saved before. Don't touch anything in the viewport...
Drop the material onto the Terra4D Object.
Adjust the material projection in the Tag to frontal.
Add a compositing tag for this geomatry and disable Cast Shadow and check compositing background.
Now we initiate step two of the plugin which is: Create Scene.
A Menu Pops up and we open the Option tab and select: Import World Data.
Load the .tgw file we saved before.
Push the Create button.
A few new Objects are being generated and a window should pop up which tells us to add a target tag to the camera. Let's do that and drop the generated Terra4D Camera target into the Cameras target object slot (I always wanted to write that!). Well, just make sure the target tag knows about the target null.
I usually ctrl drag a copy of the camera. In case I mess up something... I have the original. If it is for a still I could also protect the camera with a tag but that is a bad move for animations....
Anycase, on we go.
NOW... tada.... we switch to that camera in the viewport via Cameras->Scene Cameras->Terra4d Camera.
The Terra4D Water Plane can be dissabled for editor and renderer at this stage as we have no use for it right now. But it represents the original water level elevation in the scene.
A render should show the scene as it was in Terragen with the ability to correctly pose all sorts of cool things onto the geometry using the compositing shadow catcher.
That's it folks! I hope you have fun with the Landscaping!
Cheers and have a great weekend.
Lemo
PS:Oh.... one last thing.... I am not getting any 'nice' shadows out of it and it is driving me CRAZYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. So.... errrrr... If someone can find a way how to cast softer sadows than the crapola shadow I can produce (barf) then PLEASE do not keep it for yourself!
PPS: If you don't wish to mess with Terragen and just try the plugin then here are the files necessary to do so:
http://www.onesmall.com/stuff/LemosWorld.tgw
http://www.onesmall.com/stuff/WorldRender.jpg
http://www.onesmall.com/stuff/WorldTerrain.ter
Enjoy! And post a pic of your adventures!
PPPS:Hope all works, if not, let me know and I edit the post.
The result is great. It's a bit like a VUE C4D integration with one benefit. It's freeeeeee!
Well, as long as you don't buy the pro license of one of the progs...
http://www.onesmall.com/stuff/artifacts.jpg
(The crappy shadow is THE problem I am having...)
Alright.... long story short... as promised...
What you need is:
1. Terragen
http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/
The demo works perfect. However, the price for the registered version is also affordable if use dictates.
2. Terra4d
http://www.terra4d.net/
This is the cool plugin. If you can read German or you can manage to follow the tutorial on the terra4d site, then go no further. I simply sketch out my own experience with this combo in the following lines.
In case you wish to read on...
I installed both products without a hitch on my PC and C4D 9.6.
When I load or create a Landscape from scratch in Terragen then I have to save that in the following way:
1. render it (I recommend a video format...) and save the pic in a place where you will find it again.
2. save the world file in that same spot. (The function to do that is self explanatory).
3. Save the terrain file. (The function to do that is also self explanatory).
It's a bit odd that all this is not saved at once but considering that the terrain is 'simply' a greyscale and the world file contains camera, water level, athmospheric info it becomes a bit more transparent why it is how it is.
Now, when all three files are saved, then fire up C4D. I hope the plugin is in the plugin directory already. Otherwise you need it NOW!
First, set the output to the size of the render you made in terragen.
In the empty scene, create a new material. Open it up and assign the rendered pic to the color channel and check off all the options except color. I think the only other optin at that stage is specular... if not... switch them all off, except for color. Also set sampling to 'none'. That prevents that the texture will be modified.
Create a Objects->Scene->Sky and drop the material onto it.
Adjust the material projection to frontal.
Test render and it should look like that render made in terragen. If the render looks like Elvis, then you have selected the wrong image again.
Next you have to initiate function 1. (import terrain) in the Terra4D Plugin
Load the .ter file you saved before. Don't touch anything in the viewport...
Drop the material onto the Terra4D Object.
Adjust the material projection in the Tag to frontal.
Add a compositing tag for this geomatry and disable Cast Shadow and check compositing background.
Now we initiate step two of the plugin which is: Create Scene.
A Menu Pops up and we open the Option tab and select: Import World Data.
Load the .tgw file we saved before.
Push the Create button.
A few new Objects are being generated and a window should pop up which tells us to add a target tag to the camera. Let's do that and drop the generated Terra4D Camera target into the Cameras target object slot (I always wanted to write that!). Well, just make sure the target tag knows about the target null.
I usually ctrl drag a copy of the camera. In case I mess up something... I have the original. If it is for a still I could also protect the camera with a tag but that is a bad move for animations....
Anycase, on we go.
NOW... tada.... we switch to that camera in the viewport via Cameras->Scene Cameras->Terra4d Camera.
The Terra4D Water Plane can be dissabled for editor and renderer at this stage as we have no use for it right now. But it represents the original water level elevation in the scene.
A render should show the scene as it was in Terragen with the ability to correctly pose all sorts of cool things onto the geometry using the compositing shadow catcher.
That's it folks! I hope you have fun with the Landscaping!
Cheers and have a great weekend.
Lemo
PS:Oh.... one last thing.... I am not getting any 'nice' shadows out of it and it is driving me CRAZYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. So.... errrrr... If someone can find a way how to cast softer sadows than the crapola shadow I can produce (barf) then PLEASE do not keep it for yourself!
PPS: If you don't wish to mess with Terragen and just try the plugin then here are the files necessary to do so:
http://www.onesmall.com/stuff/LemosWorld.tgw
http://www.onesmall.com/stuff/WorldRender.jpg
http://www.onesmall.com/stuff/WorldTerrain.ter
Enjoy! And post a pic of your adventures!
PPPS:Hope all works, if not, let me know and I edit the post.