We're excited to announce that Terragen 4 is now in development, and we want to show you some of the first renders from our amazing alpha testers and the dev team. Terragen 4 is going to be faster, more interactive and easier to use and we can't wait to show you more. Check out Terragen4.com (http://terragen4.com) for weekly updates and info on new features, plus behind-the-scenes content from our development team.
And if you like what you see, you can reserve your copy of Terragen 4.0 today by buying or upgrading to Terragen 3 with a 1 year maintenance plan. We're currently targeting the second quarter of 2016 for the release of Terragen 4.0 and by buying now you get the best price and the quickest possible update. You can find our product maintenance options in the Planetside Software Online Store. If you're upgrading from Terragen Classic or Terragen 2, you'll need to be logged-in to your account in our online store. Then just look for the specially-marked Upgrade products and add the Maintenance Add-on on the product page before you check out. Please note that only versions with Animation allow the maintenance add-on.
If you already own Terragen 3, then just wait for the announcement of upgrade pricing which will happen closer to release next year. As a licensed owner of Terragen 3 you will certainly be entitled to a fair discount.
- Oshyan
You don't know how happy I am to see that volumetric rendering is being improved, fantastic! They all look great :D
Quote from: Oshyan on December 11, 2015, 06:43:36 PM...As a licensed owner of Terragen 3 you will certainly be entitled to a fair discount.
- Oshyan
This is great news!
The new clouds will make you weep... OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. :D
- Oshyan
Going by what you are saying, what is being reviled so far is but a small foretaste of what is to come with the new clouds.
QuoteOK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration
Not if its as easy as it is good. I will F-ing cry
Quote from: Oshyan on December 13, 2015, 04:01:36 PM
The new clouds will make you weep... OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. :D
- Oshyan
I can't wait to find out whether it's an exaggeration or not ;)
Hey guys,
We've posted our first video to terragen4.com (http://terragen4.com). Ray Traced Realtime Preview, Part 1. Check it out!
(http://i.giphy.com/JMXTlWzMXTqVi.gif) (http://terragen4.com/ray-traced-realtime-preview-part-1/)
Matt
Quote from: Matt on December 18, 2015, 12:22:31 AM
Hey guys,
We've posted our first video to terragen4.com (http://terragen4.com). Ray Traced Realtime Preview, Part 1. Check it out!
Matt
Nice!
Fantastic! It reminds me of what Modo's realtime preview can do.
Quote from: Chris on December 18, 2015, 01:25:38 AM
Fantastic! It reminds me of what Modo's realtime preview can do.
3D Coat has something similar, though that's an object creation program. Great to see it makes it's way to Terragen.
"Preview, Part 1. Check it out!"
I really did get that feeling that you get when something makes you happy :)!
Its basically a whole new program :o
But it brings up the question, will it work like that (the link) on my system? What are the specs of the demo machine?
Also,
HOLLY CRAP!! THATS BAD ASS!
Quote from: Upon Infinity on December 18, 2015, 01:32:30 AM
Quote from: Chris on December 18, 2015, 01:25:38 AM
Fantastic! It reminds me of what Modo's realtime preview can do.
3D Coat has something similar, though that's an object creation program. Great to see it makes it's way to Terragen.
Right, i remember seeing that as well some time ago. This is the right direction to go without a doubt. It makes is so much more easy to see what a user wants before final.
It was recorded on a fast machine, but don't let that put you off. It's a Dual E5-2630 v3 @ 2.4GHz. It remains interactive on slower systems too, just taking longer to refine to a certain level of quality. Much of the code was written and tested on a 3-year-old Core i7 (2600 @ 3.4GHz) with 12 Gb and it performs well on that machine too. The demo machine had 32 Gb but didn't need it. I expect the ray-traced preview to be useful on a wide range of systems when it is released.
Matt
Very nice. I am actually quite impressed by the speed. Even if the machine has 26 threads at 2.4Ghz.
I assume (correct me if i'm wrong), that as with the existing micropolygon preview renderer, core speed is going to be an important factor as well... I am confident it will perform as good on 8 or 16 threads at a higher clock.
Looking forward to it!
When T3 came out, I threw in the towel and called it the end for my hobby of digitally rendered landscapes, probably forever. I was still struggling with T2 and to me I just couldn't see my starting over from scratch.
I got notice via email of the pending release of Terragen 4 and got somewhat curious. There is the promise of it being easier to use, and an erosion plug-in is included. I am pensive about getting T3, then upgrading to 4. And I know there won't be a discount for my being a T2 owner, so one of my questions is of the price of T4 upon its release.
Also I'd like to know how much easier will it be to use. T2 to me was (and still is) so complicated, I felt I needed a mathematics degree to understand it. Will there be some kind of user's guide? Believe me, I need someone to literally hold my hand when it comes to procedurals.
Terragen is unmatched when it comes to landscape rendering, and the Planetside team has always given top-notch support. My problem has never been with either - it has always been with myself and my limitation of comprehending. So I would like to know more of what to expect. There is a chance I may get back into the game.
Thanks!
The previewer looks sweet :) Curious how much real difference i will see on my own system in comparison to TG 3.
I think there is no GPU involved ? Will it be,in TG4 ?
Rich, the User Interface will be similar to Terragen 2 and 3, but we're working on some changes that would make it easier to use (simpler methods for editing some things, faster preview to get better feedback on your changes, etc.). Documentation is always a work-in-progress with our tiny team, but certainly there are more resources now than when you were first trying TG2 and 3. In particular Martin's TG getting started videos: http://www.cgscenery.com/basic/
And GeekAtPlay's set of video tutorials:
http://geekatplay.com/terragen-tutorials.php (the Discover Terragen set is available to watch for free on YouTube)
I'm also planning to do a video for Renderosity that will help Terragen Classic users learn how to use Terragen 3/4. With the new ray-traced preview shown earlier in this thread I think working with TG4 will be a lot more pleasant than any previous version of Terragen.
Pricing is not finalized yet, but we are not planning a large price increase, so you can view Terragen 3 pricing as fairly representative.
Kadri, what are your system specs? I've got an overclocked i7 quad core at 4.2Ghz - which is fast but it's a few years old and only 4 cores - and the ray-traced preview works very well for me. It does not use the GPU currently but that may be possible in the future, in which case it could be even faster. :D
- Oshyan
Oshyan, i have a quad I7 2600K -not overclocked- with 32 GB RAM.
I know that GPU support is quite another thing but it would be nice because i have a Nvidia GTX970 that works nicely with some other software for example.
I've arranged a little forum exclusive for you guys. :D Here's a video of the new ray-traced preview running on my Core i7 2600k at 4.2Ghz (overclocked). You can imagine that even on a non-overclocked quad core the performance would be quite good.
- Oshyan
Amazing... :o
That looks nice, thanks Oshyan.
Waiting for cloud preview now.You know some other guys are curious too about that like in the Lightwave forum ;)
thanks for the fast answer guys. Its good news.
I have a non-overclocked quad core so i suppose i'm good enough.
Great Stuff - looking forward to this.
My quad isn't overclocked, but it is overworked. :-\
Really excited to see the iterative rendering. I hoped you'd add it at some point but always thought it would require a renderer rewrite so didn't think it would be in TG4 - great! This will be a huge time saver.
Are you planning on adding some frame buffer improvements? I really love how some render engines allow to change exposure, contrast and tone mapping (like highlight compression) after the render is finished in an interactive way. Also, just like it's really important in landscape photography, having a Kelvin color balance paramter would be awesome. In some lighting conditions, it's really nice to be able to balance against too much blue or orange with a simple color temperature parameter, having it work in an interactive way on the preview and the final render would be even more useful.
Also, any improvements to the render engine and shadows? Well defined contact shadows as well as accurate GI are hard to achieve in TG and shadowed areas quickly look very flat which makes it hard or even impossible to get rid of the CG look.
All will be revealed in time, but I think it's safe to say that at least some of your wishes may come true. ;)
- Oshyan
Quote from: Oshyan on December 20, 2015, 11:24:53 PM
All will be revealed in time, but I think it's safe to say that at least some of your wishes may come true. ;)
- Oshyan
Its almost christmas, Oshyan, any more info coming for the holiday? A little nugget or two is quite fun. I am one of those people who enjoys the previews of movies long before the film is released.
By the way, I saw Star Wars today. I am sure I saw some TG work, I will be curious to know if I am right about which shots were what. They all looked great though. On the other side of it, the movie was really terrible, sorry. But the FX work was really good as usual.
Looking forward to Avatar2 ;)
There is probably little to no doubt the planets were all Terragen but the terrains, we shall know soon enough.
We're all taking it easy over Christmas Badger, but there will be more info soooon. :)
- Oshyan
Oh yeah, Planetside Staff deserve Xmas holidays too ;-)
David
Despite the fact that I have not done much with TG3 for some time (work and wife pressures!) I have just placed an order for the upgrade...the new renders look great and I am sure I will weep when I create a render with those lovely fluffy now clouds!! Can't wait to get the upgrade...in Q2....
Compared to the old 3D preview, it looks fantastic! My 12 core should give me reasonable performance I hope!
We've got a new video and info on Terragen 4's lens effects up at Terragen4.com. Have a look!
http://terragen4.com/lens-effects/
- Oshyan
like that water one a bunch! is the vignette part of it too or is that post something or other?
Excellent addition for the new Lens Effects. I figured there was something going on in that area like a new blooming effect but i was hesitant to state anything.
Quote from: TheBadger on January 15, 2016, 10:09:24 PM
like that water one a bunch! is the vignette part of it too or is that post something or other?
Not sure what you mean about the vignette. No post processing on the mountain water scene (or any of them for that matter).
- Oshyan
The impression of lens vignetting may be caused by the bloom of the highlights making the center of the frame appear brighter than the edges ... ?
OK, so you do see it too then, mhall? Oshyan sometimes makes me think I am imagining things.
Haha. :) Yes, I do.
;D ok good.
By the way, i rather liked it. So no complaining at all was meant. It looks good. And I do like that it comes from a natural result of the light rather than being added.
Shut up and take my money! ;)
Looks great. Again, can't wait.
Are the flares always added at rendertime or is there a way to apply as a post-effect so you could save the original file and the flares separately? This would be a big plus for me.
I'd still love to see the tone mapping options exposed as paramters and color balance based on K temperature. Not that I can't do that in post but having the controls in the frame buffer (updating live on paramter changes) would help to nail the look down in TG without much post to do afterwards. I know, I've asked for this before...
Either way, the flares look great :D
Quote from: pokoy on January 19, 2016, 06:09:35 AM
Are the flares always added at rendertime or is there a way to apply as a post-effect so you could save the original file and the flares separately? This would be a big plus for me.
You'll be able to do this in the final release.
Quote
I'd still love to see the tone mapping options exposed as paramters and color balance based on K temperature. Not that I can't do that in post but having the controls in the frame buffer (updating live on paramter changes) would help to nail the look down in TG without much post to do afterwards. I know, I've asked for this before...
I want to add more controls like this. Maybe not in 4.0, but perhaps later on.
Matt
I have been looking at the leaves in the scene 1 image and I was wondering if Terragen 4 has new Leaf Rendering Technology.
Question. Can the Lens Effects be applied to other celestial objects?
No new "leaf rendering technology". That's an Xfrog Oak model I believe (I can get the specific model name if you're interested).
The lens effects are applied across the entire image so if you had, for example, a very bright planet or moon in your sky, you'd see a glow (and perhaps even a "starburst" if it was crazy-bright, like a star/sun).
- Oshyan
Thank You. I more or less figured everything would be effected but i wanted to make certain before jumping to a conclusion.
Hello everyone,
Very impressed with Terragen 4 Clouds, i am coming from Vue, never used Terragen before. New Terragen 4 clouds will be an immediate trigger to migrate from Vue, i think it is very common issue with realistic Cumulus clouds, can you guys please post more overviews of the new cloud system, specifically complicated clouds like Cumulus, Cumulonimbus etc... In other words, will it will be possible to design and render clouds like this:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Cumulusmediocrissweden.jpg
http://coclouds.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/single-fluffy-cumulus-cloud-sunny-day-2012-07-26.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Cumulus_cloud_forming_anvil_shape.jpg
Thank you
Welcome to the forum :)
I think all of those cloud types will be possible. In fact those shapes are possible with Terragen 3 already, but it can be difficult to make them look realistic because of the lighting. The new light scattering algorithm in TG4 will make it easier to make these look good. In terms of modeling the shapes, we hope to be able to introduce some new cloud creation techniques for TG4, but we haven't done that yet so I don't want to make any promises just yet. Even so, we're very interested in developing easier-to-use cloud creation tools in future, so this is an area where you should keep an eye on Terragen.
Matt
Hi, it would be good that we can export the cubes as an object in FBX format, as I often used to make houses where castles.
Ok... The lense effects make it for me... where must I send the money?...
I hope not tooooo much money because I will need a reserve for pixelplow. I'll have to rerender all my star trek animations ... ;)
But serious:
- How much faster will rendering with the new version be? Is there any number?
- Didn't I see it or are there no price- or upgrade-offers until now?
We'll share more details of the render time improvements in the future. The speed-up can vary quite a lot, from 30% faster to, er, 300% (really!) in some specific cases. :D Most of the improvements are in scenes that use a lot of imported 3D models, so basically raytracing is faster. The really big performance gains are in situations where shadows in atmosphere or clouds are being calculated from a 3D object.
You should be able to login to your account at http://planetside.co.uk/store-login and see upgrade options in the online store. Unless you're running Terragen 3 Creative, which we haven't added to the upgrade options quite yet.
- Oshyan
Sorry for the late reply - Matt, thanks for considering the ideas.
Just wanted to say how fantastic the addition of the ozone factor is. I've always wondered how to achieve certain light moods for sunsets and it seems this one helps a lot with this. Another exciting improvement, well done!
OK OK, I tried to just sit here and not ask. They will get to saying what they are doing when they get to it, I told my self. But in a self delusional self important way, I want to believe I can somehow influence events around me. So...
vector output & rectangular noise?
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f6/3b/e3/f63be358a72302ff0f7563ded01e9f96.jpg
Is it possible to save from the Ray Traced Preview?
Will there be PBR imported material possibilities?
We do intend to let you save images from the ray-traced preview. PBR material import is not currently planned, but it's something we're considering for the future.
- Oshyan
For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, check out the Ray-traced Preview demo video Part 2: http://terragen4.com/ray-traced-realtime-preview-part-2/
Just posted today. :)
- Oshyan
It's lovely, Oshyan, so I'm hoping for control on the size (like LARGE) I can save from this beautiful ray-traced view.
Print screen to screen capture? I know it is crude but it could be a minor solution.
Good to see it in realtime, Oshyan ;) This is really an enormous step forward!
I have a question. I don't have Terragen before me right now, so I don't remember the name of this option, but a while back you added this extra feature to the GI settings that can strengthen the shadow and the bright areas. GI light bounce or something.
This looks to be added when the rendering is finished. Sometimes I can see that I wished I used a stronger or weaker effect, but it's not so cool to start the whole rendering from the beginning. Would it be possible to have a feature that can control this when the image is done without rendering the whole image again?
Quote from: sjefen on February 15, 2016, 03:49:27 PM
I have a question. I don't have Terragen before me right now, so I don't remember the name of this option, but a while back you added this extra feature to the GI settings that can strengthen the shadow and the bright areas. GI light bounce or something.
This looks to be added when the rendering is finished. Sometimes I can see that I wished I used a stronger or weaker effect, but it's not so cool to start the whole rendering from the beginning. Would it be possible to have a feature that can control this when the image is done without rendering the whole image again?
You're referring to the new GISD (GI Surface Details).
Actually, at render time already some of the GISD is applied (of course only when GISD is enabled).
I don't know why and if it's intrinsically necessary for the implementation to do that. Only Matt knows.
I support your idea though. Very much, actually.
I have a bit of concern about the feasibility though, because it will probably mean a lot of info needs to be stored in memory.
GI surface details is exactly what I'm referring to.
Thank you ;)
I'm going to give up beer for a week so I can afford to buy this when it's out!
Quite a sacrifice!! ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Oshyan on February 12, 2016, 01:56:09 PM
For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, check out the Ray-traced Preview demo video Part 2: http://terragen4.com/ray-traced-realtime-preview-part-2/
Just posted today. :)
- Oshyan
Was getting existed about the forth coming release again, and came back to this thread to look again. Was curious if there will be any difference in the improved ray tracing from what is shown in the link quoted, and if those shadows were created by an object (say imported buildings or something) rather than the terrain and clouds. Hope that question makes sense.
Also, Holy crap again! Those new images in the new link are very cool! this is getting better and better. If my system can run it any place close to the demo, 3D will be fun again.
I'm actually not sure what your question is Badger. The video is all about the realtime ray-traced preview, not final rendering. Shadows can be cast by terrain geometry or imported objects, both work well.
- Oshyan
QuoteShadows can be cast by terrain geometry or imported objects, both work well.
Ah, good. it looked good to me, and I was just curious if it would look the same with objects is all. To tell you the truth, I am very happy about what I am seeing here. For one, I spend much more time looking at the preview then renders, so the better the preview the nicer it is for me.
Really it looks like I will have to render much less to know where I am with TG4, so thats great. I loath doing test renders just to check simple things, and the update looks like a complete fix for that.
Yes, that's exactly what it does for you Badger. The work process is now much faster and smoother with the responsive preview. It's quite a big shift.
- Oshyan
Quote from: Oshyan on April 02, 2016, 07:48:04 PM
Yes, that's exactly what it does for you Badger. The work process is now much faster and smoother with the responsive preview. It's quite a big shift.
- Oshyan
Hi Oshyan,
In the comments of the Ray Trace Preview Part 1 video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjufUZp6cTA), Planetside states that the demo was done on a Dual E5-2630 v3 @ 2.4GHz. That's a total of 76.8 Ghz. Would my i7 5930K OC 4Ghz, total @ 48Ghz give around 50-60% the performance shown in the video?
Cheers
Don't worry, it will be fine. ::)
I have an i7 4770K at 4.3GHz and it is as fast as in the video. CPU frequency plays a big role here!
Cheers!
Has anyone had an opportunity to look at Luc Bianco's Terragen 4 cloud test page at his web site? The top image shows very well the overblown sun glare, cloud highlights AKA silver lining and multiple light scattering from that particular angle. Along the bottom parts of the clouds in the shadows there are particular details that are of interest as well.
Especially the backlit clouds are really nice. It takes some getting used to the new clouds, but they are a major step forward. Haven't had much time to experiment myself, though.
Indeed. The cloud pack I was working on will have to wait. I want to use the new shader for this pack. I still want to do a Mesocyclone hopefully soon. Very tall Cumulonimbus is on the list as well.
The shaping of clouds is still very hard.
Quote from: Dune on May 27, 2016, 05:59:54 AM
The shaping of clouds is still very hard.
That is not very reassuring, however I am not going down that easily.
This is a fair point actually. Someone suggested to me recently how awesome it would be if we could say fill a teddy bear-shaped model with cloud, hiding the model so we get a teddy bear cloud. Both of us could do it in other software within an hour or so, but getting that effect in TG itself could be handy.
Some simple box modeling tool would do the trick 😉
Hi Oshyan,
Thought I would log on for any updates as to GA for TG4 - and realised that we are almost at the end of Q2 (assuming Jan to Dec). What is the current status of the update?
Thanks.
Jonathan.
Sorry folks, we've been in "heads down, get 'er done" mode. Lots to do. We're still planning to squeeze a release into June, working on a new website, etc. I know I said this a few weeks ago, but we'll have another terragen4.com "features" post soon, followed a little later with more info on the release. Soooon! I promise. :)
- Oshyan
Alright guys, here's the latest news update: Warp Speed: Engage! :D
http://terragen4.com/warp-speed-engage-faster-rendering/
- Oshyan
This looks encouraging.
Those are some very interesting differences.
How many computer cores and threads will T4 handle?
Theoretically unlimited. Above 32 threads you start to see diminishing returns of performance, but as long as you're working with physical (non-hyperthread) cores, you should see increasing performance past 32 threads.
- Oshyan
Thank You, Oshyan. I have 2 Dual Hex Core Computers, so of course that is 12 cores per machine with 24 total threads each.
As you say cores more important than threads is true of many software that I have, but some will not recognize past 4 cores and thus the reason I asked.
Looks like you accommodated for that nicely!
Thanks!!
"I know I said this a few weeks ago, but we'll have another terragen4.com "features" post soon,
followed a little later with more info on the release. Soooon! I promise. :) - Oshyan
« Last Edit: June 07, 2016, 10:11:38 PM by Oshyan »
So....any news - he whispers very cautiously - ?
cheers, Klaus
The "Warp speed" post was what I was referring to at that time. But of course as we near the end of June we'll be posting an update, and you'll all get to try out TG4 yourself soon...
- Oshyan
Thanks Oshyan
I guess I am simply concerned about forking out the funds in time to take advantage of the special offer to buy TG4.
cheers, Klaus
Quote from: Oshyan on June 25, 2016, 02:51:15 AM
But of course as we near the end of June we'll be posting an update, and you'll all get to try out TG4 yourself soon...
- Oshyan
;D ;D ;D ;D
We'll make an announcement *before* the pre-sale pricing offer ends. You'll have a chance to jump on it before it goes away.
- Oshyan
THIS is good news! Thank you.
cheers, Klaus
Terragen 4 Open Beta is live! http://terragen4.com/beta
- Oshyan