Node Network

The power of Terragen 2 really comes into its own when you get into the node network.

Each element of your scene is actually just one of these little boxes(nodes) that are lined up in series from the bottom of your scene, to the top. (This actually seems backwards from a starting point as the bottom shaders are actually FIRST in your node network).

The terrain nodes should be your first group and port of call. This is where most of the calculations that TG2 does in creating your planet/s happens. As well as adding scene items from the panel button menus along the top of the program window(where most folks will start out their TG adventure), you can also add/create any scene element from directly within the node network, via right-clicking through the handy context menus.

This method is really where you get the most control over the program and, you will find, that you will be able to make TG2 bend in just the way you need it to(most times ;)). Adding a terrain(for example), in the 'panel view', will automaticaly link up that terrain to the shader network in a default manner, that is, from one shader to the next, in logical order. You can watch this happening in the node network as you do it. This isn't always what is wanted, though...

Adding a terrain/shader/etc. from the node network via right-clicking, on the other hand, gives you much more freedom as to where to link this node up in the scene's shader network...

You may, for example, want to create 2 seperate procedural fractal terrains(or surface shaders/lighting/objects/etc.), merge them together and THEN want to link the result of these merged shaders into your main shader node network for the rest of your scene. This is where the real power of Terragen lies, in the scary looking grey area with all the little coloured rectangles in. It isn't really scary, though...

If you are really intimidated by the node network and are not sure of what to put where or, how to link up 'such-and-such' to get the desired results, just WATCH what is happening in this area when you add new shaders/items from the main panel windows. You will notice that when you create a terrain, TG will automatically line this up correctly in the network view, in the terrain group between the appropriate nodes that are there as default. Now that you can see that this is all that happens when you create a new item from the panels, you could try to create a terrain shader node via right-clicking in the network view and connecting it yourself, by pulling the 'wires' from the previous node's output, to that new one and finaly, from that newly created node's output, to the next node in the series.

You will find that you have near-infinite(if not completely infinite) freedom to create and link from the most simple, or the most bizzarre, node setups you can imagine, in just the way you want, to produce the desired result at the end of the scene, where you will click 'Render'.

An image rendered where you have purposely created each and every node in that scene will certainly give a greater sense of achievement and understanding to the user of TG than a render straight 'out-of-the-box' via the 'add terrain', 'add layer', 'add object' buttons, where the work in connecting these to your scene is pretty much all done for you...

I think it was Uncle Ben who said "With great power, comes great responsibility". Terragen 2 GIVES you this great power, for free. It's YOUR responsibility to study where things are being placed in the node network when you create them with the 'simple' 'add-shader' buttons. Only then will you realise that you can spin (node)webs and truly unlock the power of Terragen.

To be continued...