Planetside Software Forums

Support => Terragen Support => Topic started by: Dune on January 23, 2017, 04:54:47 AM

Title: render element
Post by: Dune on January 23, 2017, 04:54:47 AM
I tried (for the first time) to render a z-depth for focal blurtest by adding a render layer and checking Surface Depth, rendered my thing, but got nothing but the usual (standard and alpha, which, btw was also checked in the render layer by default). What am I doing wrong?
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Kadri on January 23, 2017, 05:46:07 AM

Ulco you haven't checked probably "Extra output images". Then just "Render All To Disk".
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Dune on January 23, 2017, 06:00:20 AM
Right, thanks, Kadri. I just found this out and rerendered, almost finshed, see what I find now...

edit: hmmm... the thus saved tif only shows the normal render. Why is this so complicated?

edit 2; ah, perhaps it's in an alpha layer? Let's check...
Title: Re: render element
Post by: KlausK on January 23, 2017, 06:16:16 AM
Something like this? That is in the Render layer / Data section. "Surface depth".
Cheers, Klaus
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Dune on January 23, 2017, 06:18:56 AM
Yes, I checked that one, then saved the extra output under another name, then rendered all to disk, but what I find in the rendered extra output (or in the main output folder) is just the normal render. I need a grey depth pass.
Title: Re: render element
Post by: KlausK on January 23, 2017, 06:29:09 AM
Hm, try to save the Extra output with the default name, perhaps? temp.IMAGETYPE.%04d.tif - the IMAGETYPE part changes to this "tgSurfDepth".
I have that the TIFF Options to 16 Bits and Compression - None as well. Don`t know if that makes any difference.
That`s it. I am out of obvious things that come to mind...
Cheers, Klaus
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Dune on January 23, 2017, 06:39:40 AM
Thanks, Klaus. I think that's the mistake I made, not using that EXTRA output, but just the first. If this works I know forever (until I get senile).
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Kadri on January 23, 2017, 06:54:32 AM

Just for others to see and test it for themselves.
You have to change the output image folders to ones you want in your hard disk ("Output image filename" and the "Extra output images" checked one).
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Dune on January 23, 2017, 08:34:21 AM
Great, got that to work. Now I have this greyscale image, but how do I apply blur in PS by this image? I've tried using a layer mask, and finally got the pass pasted into it, but then what? Or is there another way?
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Dune on January 23, 2017, 09:07:55 AM
Okay, got that working too, but in an unexpected way. It seems kind of hard to paste an image inside the layer mask itself, but I pasted it into an alpha layer. Then made a layer mask, went to lens blur, chose the alpha layer and applied. Then applying the mask doesn't do anything, but deleting a just added (by the lens blur I suppose) extra alpha channel, made the image blurred. Pfff.
Title: Re: render element
Post by: j meyer on January 23, 2017, 01:18:09 PM
Just to be sure, did you alt+click the layer mask layer to select the mask
before you tried to paste your image?
Title: Re: render element
Post by: masonspappy on January 23, 2017, 06:06:45 PM
Windmill looks kind of warped. Is that intentional?
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Dune on January 24, 2017, 02:45:01 AM
I did, Jochen, found that info on the web. But still it doesn't seem to work all times, strangely. But with the image as alpha it's not needed to go into that little frame, apparently. Mysterious, but workable.
Yes, it's warped intentionally, just testing  ;)
Title: Re: render element
Post by: bobbystahr on March 10, 2017, 01:08:32 PM
All right, now I gotta try elements....this is amazingly photo like and that blur makes it so to me....well done. Like the wiggly canal as well.
Title: Re: render element
Post by: Dune on March 11, 2017, 02:31:17 AM
I found it be extremely simple (once you know) and a very good alternative to blur + GISD, with the known issues.
Title: Re: render element
Post by: bobbystahr on March 11, 2017, 09:26:59 AM
Quote from: Dune on March 11, 2017, 02:31:17 AM
(once you know)


indeed...and that's the key phrase