Terragen Documentation from Planetside Software - User contributions [en]

Bottom Toolbar

2019-03-14T03:36:25Z

BFlasher:

At the bottom of the Terragen user interface is the bottom toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

[[File:UI-BottomBottomToolBar.jpg|border|900px|The bottom toolbar]]
 

== Project Settings ==
Click the Project Settings button to open the Project window.

[[File:UI-BottomBar-ProjectWindow.jpg|border|The Project window]]
 

This window gives you access to several access to several settings that let you control details and information about the current project. They are as follows:
* '''Name:''' The name of the project.
* '''Written by program:''' The name of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Written by version:''' The version number of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Author:''' The author of the project.
* '''Comments:''' Any details you would like to add about the project.
* '''Current frame:''' The frame that's currently selected on the timeline. If you set a value here, the marker on the timeline will update accordingly.
* '''Start frame:''' The start frame is where your animation will begin. In most cases, animations start at frame 1, but you may find it useful to start at another frame.
* '''End frame:''' The last frame of your animation. You can set this to any value you wish. The start and end frames are how the length of the animation is defined. For a 10 second animation, for example, at 30 frames per second, you would set the "Start frame" to 1, and the "End frame" to 300.

Like a node settings window, values that are changed here take effect immediately. There is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing the settings here, close the window.

== Show and Hide Playback Controls ==

The button indicated with a clock icon shows and hides the playback controls. These are the controls to the right of the clock icon.

== The Playback Controls ==

[[File:UI-BottomBar-PlaybackControls.jpg|border|900px|The playback controls]]
 

The leftmost field on the playback controls is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 0. You can manually type a value here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.

Next to the frame number display are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here are similar to those used in many other applications, particularly video editing applications. Arrows facing backward move back in the timeline, and arrows facing forward move forward in the timeline. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. When you change the current frame, the 3D Preview will update to reflect the settings of the new frame. (Note that no animation is defined in the default scene, so no changes will be visible.)

In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the Play button, which will automatically move through the entire timeline in real time. This will display any existing animation in the 3D Preview, though it will be rendered with the same limited detail that the 3D preview pane is set to display.

To the right of the arrow controls is the timeline. You can use the timeline to quickly move to a part of the animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar.

== Errors and Warnings ==

In the far right corner of the bottom toolbar, you'll find the errors and warnings display. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings" icon will bring up the Errors and Warnings window. This window will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

Bottom Toolbar

2019-03-14T03:25:54Z

BFlasher:

At the bottom of the Terragen user interface is the bottom toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

[[File:UI-BottomBottomToolBar.jpg|border|900px|The bottom toolbar]]
 

== Project Settings ==
Click the Project Settings button to open the Project window.

[[File:UI-BottomBar-ProjectWindow.jpg|border|The Project window]]
 

This window gives you access to several access to several settings that let you control details and information about the current project. They are as follows:
* '''Name:''' The name of the project.
* '''Written by program:''' The name of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Written by version:''' The version number of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Author:''' The author of the project.
* '''Comments:''' Any details you would like to add about the project.
* '''Current frame:''' The frame that's currently selected on the timeline. If you set a value here, the marker on the timeline will update accordingly.
* '''Start frame:''' The start frame is where your animation will begin. In most cases, animations start at frame 1, but you may find it useful to start at another frame.
* '''End frame:''' The last frame of your animation. You can set this to any value you wish. The start and end frames are how the length of the animation is defined. For a 10 second animation, for example, at 30 frames per second, you would set the "Start frame" to 1, and the "End frame" to 300.

Like a node settings window, values that are changed here take effect immediately. There is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing the settings here, close the window.

== Show and Hide Playback Controls ==

The button indicated with a clock icon shows and hides the playback controls. These are the controls to the right of the clock icon.

== The Playback Controls ==

[[File:UI-BottomBar-PlaybackControls.jpg|border|900px|The playback controls]]
 

The leftmost field on the playback controls is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 0. You can manually type a value here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.

Next to the frame number display are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here are similar to those used in many other applications, particularly video editing applications. Arrows facing backward move back in the timeline, and arrows facing forward move forward in the timeline. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. When you change the current frame, the 3D Preview will update to reflect the settings of the new frame. (Note that no animation is defined in the default scene, so no changes will be visible.)

In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the Play button, which will automatically move through the entire timeline in real time. This will display any existing animation in the 3D Preview, though it will be rendered with the same limited detail that the 3D preview pane is set to display.

The 'Timeline' comes next, a long slider that can be dragged to “scrub” through the animation and move quickly to a general part of an animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar, respectively.

== Errors and Warnings ==

In the far right corner of the bottom toolbar, you'll find the errors and warnings display. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings" icon will bring up the Errors and Warnings window. This window will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

File:UI-BottomBar-PlaybackControls.jpg

2019-03-14T03:25:34Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

Bottom Toolbar

2019-03-14T03:18:51Z

BFlasher:

At the bottom of the Terragen user interface is the bottom toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

[[File:UI-BottomBottomToolBar.jpg|border|900px|The bottom toolbar]]
 

== Project Settings ==
Click the Project Settings button to open the Project window.

[[File:UI-BottomBar-ProjectWindow.jpg|border|The Project window]]
 

This window gives you access to several access to several settings that let you control details and information about the current project. They are as follows:
* '''Name:''' The name of the project.
* '''Written by program:''' The name of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Written by version:''' The version number of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Author:''' The author of the project.
* '''Comments:''' Any details you would like to add about the project.
* '''Current frame:''' The frame that's currently selected on the timeline. If you set a value here, the marker on the timeline will update accordingly.
* '''Start frame:''' The start frame is where your animation will begin. In most cases, animations start at frame 1, but you may find it useful to start at another frame.
* '''End frame:''' The last frame of your animation. You can set this to any value you wish. The start and end frames are how the length of the animation is defined. For a 10 second animation, for example, at 30 frames per second, you would set the "Start frame" to 1, and the "End frame" to 300.

Like a node settings window, values that are changed here take effect immediately. There is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing the settings here, close the window.

== Show and Hide Playback Controls ==

The button indicated with a clock icon shows and hides the playback controls. These are the controls to the right of the clock icon.

== The Playback Controls ==

[[File:UI-BottomBar-PlaybackControls.jpg|border|The playback controls]]
 

The leftmost field on the playback controls is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 0. You can manually type a value here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.

Next to the frame number display are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here are similar to those used in many other applications, particularly video editing applications. Arrows facing backward move back in the timeline, and arrows facing forward move forward in the timeline. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. When you change the current frame, the 3D Preview will update to reflect the settings of the new frame. (Note that no animation is defined in the default scene, so no changes will be visible.)

In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the Play button, which will automatically move through the entire timeline in real time. This will display any existing animation in the 3D Preview, though it will be rendered with the same limited detail that the 3D preview pane is set to display.

The 'Timeline' comes next, a long slider that can be dragged to “scrub” through the animation and move quickly to a general part of an animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar, respectively.

== Errors and Warnings ==

In the far right corner of the bottom toolbar, you'll find the errors and warnings display. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings" icon will bring up the Errors and Warnings window. This window will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

Bottom Toolbar

2019-03-14T03:05:36Z

BFlasher: /* The playback controls */

At the bottom of the Terragen user interface is the bottom toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

[[File:UI-BottomBottomToolBar.jpg|border|900px|The bottom toolbar]]
 

== Project Settings ==
Click the Project Settings button to open the Project window.

[[File:UI-BottomBar-ProjectWindow.jpg|border|The Project window]]

This window gives you access to several access to several settings that let you control details and information about the current project. They are as follows:
* '''Name:''' The name of the project.
* '''Written by program:''' The name of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Written by version:''' The version number of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Author:''' The author of the project.
* '''Comments:''' Any details you would like to add about the project.
* '''Current frame:''' The frame that's currently selected on the timeline. If you set a value here, the marker on the timeline will update accordingly.
* '''Start frame:''' The start frame is where your animation will begin. In most cases, animations start at frame 1, but you may find it useful to start at another frame.
* '''End frame:''' The last frame of your animation. You can set this to any value you wish. The start and end frames are how the length of the animation is defined. For a 10 second animation, for example, at 30 frames per second, you would set the "Start frame" to 1, and the "End frame" to 300.

Like a node settings window, values that are changed here take effect immediately. There is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing the settings here, close the window.

== Show and Hide Playback Controls ==

The button indicated with a clock icon shows and hides the playback controls. These are the controls to the right of the clock icon.

== The Playback Controls ==

To the right of the 'Project Settings' button is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 1. You can manually type values here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.
Next to the 'Frame number display', are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here may be familiar if you are accustomed to video editing, and they are also similar to that used in many other applications. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline, respectively. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. Arrows facing backward move backward in the timeline, and forward facing arrows move forward. Once you change the current frame number, the '3D Preview' will update to reflect the settings of the curent frame. In the default scene no animation is defined so no changes will be visible. In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the 'Play button', which will automatically move through the entire timeline in realtime. This will display any existing animation in the '3D Preview', though it will be rendered with limited detail based on the rendered detail already present in the preview when you press the 'Play button'.
The 'Timeline' comes next, a long slider that can be dragged to “scrub” through the animation and move quickly to a general part of an animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar, respectively.
Finally, on the far-right, is the 'Errors and warnings display'. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings display' will bring up the 'Errors and warnings window' which will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

Bottom Toolbar

2019-03-14T03:05:22Z

BFlasher:

At the bottom of the Terragen user interface is the bottom toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

[[File:UI-BottomBottomToolBar.jpg|border|900px|The bottom toolbar]]
 

== Project Settings ==
Click the Project Settings button to open the Project window.

[[File:UI-BottomBar-ProjectWindow.jpg|border|The Project window]]

This window gives you access to several access to several settings that let you control details and information about the current project. They are as follows:
* '''Name:''' The name of the project.
* '''Written by program:''' The name of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Written by version:''' The version number of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Author:''' The author of the project.
* '''Comments:''' Any details you would like to add about the project.
* '''Current frame:''' The frame that's currently selected on the timeline. If you set a value here, the marker on the timeline will update accordingly.
* '''Start frame:''' The start frame is where your animation will begin. In most cases, animations start at frame 1, but you may find it useful to start at another frame.
* '''End frame:''' The last frame of your animation. You can set this to any value you wish. The start and end frames are how the length of the animation is defined. For a 10 second animation, for example, at 30 frames per second, you would set the "Start frame" to 1, and the "End frame" to 300.

Like a node settings window, values that are changed here take effect immediately. There is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing the settings here, close the window.

== Show and Hide Playback Controls ==

The button indicated with a clock icon shows and hides the playback controls. These are the controls to the right of the clock icon.

== The playback controls ==

To the right of the 'Project Settings' button is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 1. You can manually type values here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.
Next to the 'Frame number display', are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here may be familiar if you are accustomed to video editing, and they are also similar to that used in many other applications. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline, respectively. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. Arrows facing backward move backward in the timeline, and forward facing arrows move forward. Once you change the current frame number, the '3D Preview' will update to reflect the settings of the curent frame. In the default scene no animation is defined so no changes will be visible. In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the 'Play button', which will automatically move through the entire timeline in realtime. This will display any existing animation in the '3D Preview', though it will be rendered with limited detail based on the rendered detail already present in the preview when you press the 'Play button'.
The 'Timeline' comes next, a long slider that can be dragged to “scrub” through the animation and move quickly to a general part of an animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar, respectively.
Finally, on the far-right, is the 'Errors and warnings display'. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings display' will bring up the 'Errors and warnings window' which will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

Bottom Toolbar

2019-03-14T02:58:15Z

BFlasher:

At the bottom of the Terragen user interface is the bottom toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

[[File:UI-BottomBottomToolBar.jpg|border|900px|The bottom toolbar]]
 

== Project Settings ==
Click the Project Settings button to open the Project window.

[[File:UI-BottomBar-ProjectWindow.jpg|border|The Project window]]

This window gives you access to several access to several settings that let you control details and information about the current project. They are as follows:
* '''Name:''' The name of the project.
* '''Written by program:''' The name of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Written by version:''' The version number of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Author:''' The author of the project.
* '''Comments:''' Any details you would like to add about the project.
* '''Current frame:''' The frame that's currently selected on the timeline. If you set a value here, the marker on the timeline will update accordingly.
* '''Start frame:''' The start frame is where your animation will begin. In most cases, animations start at frame 1, but you may find it useful to start at another frame.
* '''End frame:''' The last frame of your animation. You can set this to any value you wish. The start and end frames are how the length of the animation is defined. For a 10 second animation, for example, at 30 frames per second, you would set the "Start frame" to 1, and the "End frame" to 300.

Like a node settings window, values that are changed here take effect immediately. There is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing the settings here, close the window.

To the right of the 'Project Settings' button is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 1. You can manually type values here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.
Next to the 'Frame number display', are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here may be familiar if you are accustomed to video editing, and they are also similar to that used in many other applications. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline, respectively. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. Arrows facing backward move backward in the timeline, and forward facing arrows move forward. Once you change the current frame number, the '3D Preview' will update to reflect the settings of the curent frame. In the default scene no animation is defined so no changes will be visible. In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the 'Play button', which will automatically move through the entire timeline in realtime. This will display any existing animation in the '3D Preview', though it will be rendered with limited detail based on the rendered detail already present in the preview when you press the 'Play button'.
The 'Timeline' comes next, a long slider that can be dragged to “scrub” through the animation and move quickly to a general part of an animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar, respectively.
Finally, on the far-right, is the 'Errors and warnings display'. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings display' will bring up the 'Errors and warnings window' which will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

Bottom Toolbar

2019-03-14T02:57:38Z

BFlasher:

At the bottom of the Terragen user interface is the bottom toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

[[File:UI-BottomBottomToolBar.jpg|border|900px|The bottom toolbar]]
 

== Project Settings ==
Click the Project Settings button to open the Project window.

[[UI-BottomBar-ProjectWindow.jpg|border|The Project window]]

This window gives you access to several access to several settings that let you control details and information about the current project. They are as follows:
* '''Name:''' The name of the project.
* '''Written by program:''' The name of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Written by version:''' The version number of the program that created this project. It is filled in with the correct value by default.
* '''Author:''' The author of the project.
* '''Comments:''' Any details you would like to add about the project.
* '''Current frame:''' The frame that's currently selected on the timeline. If you set a value here, the marker on the timeline will update accordingly.
* '''Start frame:''' The start frame is where your animation will begin. In most cases, animations start at frame 1, but you may find it useful to start at another frame.
* '''End frame:''' The last frame of your animation. You can set this to any value you wish. The start and end frames are how the length of the animation is defined. For a 10 second animation, for example, at 30 frames per second, you would set the "Start frame" to 1, and the "End frame" to 300.

Like a node settings window, values that are changed here take effect immediately. There is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing the settings here, close the window.

To the right of the 'Project Settings' button is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 1. You can manually type values here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.
Next to the 'Frame number display', are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here may be familiar if you are accustomed to video editing, and they are also similar to that used in many other applications. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline, respectively. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. Arrows facing backward move backward in the timeline, and forward facing arrows move forward. Once you change the current frame number, the '3D Preview' will update to reflect the settings of the curent frame. In the default scene no animation is defined so no changes will be visible. In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the 'Play button', which will automatically move through the entire timeline in realtime. This will display any existing animation in the '3D Preview', though it will be rendered with limited detail based on the rendered detail already present in the preview when you press the 'Play button'.
The 'Timeline' comes next, a long slider that can be dragged to “scrub” through the animation and move quickly to a general part of an animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar, respectively.
Finally, on the far-right, is the 'Errors and warnings display'. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings display' will bring up the 'Errors and warnings window' which will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

File:UI-BottomBar-ProjectWindow.jpg

2019-03-14T02:57:32Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

File:UI-BottomBottomToolBar.jpg

2019-03-14T02:57:30Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

Bottom Toolbar

2019-03-06T05:04:11Z

BFlasher:

At the bottom of the Terragen user interface is the bottom toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

The Bottom Toolbar
Beginning on the left, the 'Project Settings' button gives you access to several settings to control details and information about the current project. You can set the 'Name' of the project, program name and version (both filled in correctly by default), 'Author', and a short 'Comment'. You can also set the 'Current frame', 'Start frame', and 'End frame'.
The 'Start frame' and 'End frame' controls are particularly important to animations. In most cases your animation will start at frame 1, though in some cases starting at other frame numbers would be useful. The 'End frame' is usually changed much more frequently, as it defines the last frame, and thus the length of your animation (in combination with the 'Start frame'). You can set the 'End frame' to any value you wish. For a 10 second animation for example, at 30 frames per second, you would use 'Start frame' 1, 'End frame' 300. Like a 'Node settings' window, values that are changed here take effect immediately and there is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing these settings, simply close the window.
To the right of the 'Project Settings' button is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 1. You can manually type values here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.
Next to the 'Frame number display', are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here may be familiar if you are accustomed to video editing, and they are also similar to that used in many other applications. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline, respectively. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. Arrows facing backward move backward in the timeline, and forward facing arrows move forward. Once you change the current frame number, the '3D Preview' will update to reflect the settings of the curent frame. In the default scene no animation is defined so no changes will be visible. In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the 'Play button', which will automatically move through the entire timeline in realtime. This will display any existing animation in the '3D Preview', though it will be rendered with limited detail based on the rendered detail already present in the preview when you press the 'Play button'.
The 'Timeline' comes next, a long slider that can be dragged to “scrub” through the animation and move quickly to a general part of an animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar, respectively.
Finally, on the far-right, is the 'Errors and warnings display'. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings display' will bring up the 'Errors and warnings window' which will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

The Node Network

2019-02-28T06:16:05Z

BFlasher:

Below the 3D preview is a view of the local Node Network, which shows all the nodes and connections local to the currently selected node, group, or layout. As described in the Terragen Conventions section, Terragen's scene structure is based around the concept of “networking” separate pieces called "nodes" to form a whole scene. This is a very powerful way to create scenes, but it’s also quite complex and not immediately intuitive for many people. In many cases, you can ignore the Node Network altogether and focus your scene building efforts in the Node Lists and context menus. For now we'll cover the basics of navigation and use of the Node Network view. Complete details on use of the Node Network and manipulation of nodes can be found in the In-Depth Node Network section.

While you may not delve into manual editing in the Node Network at first, it is still useful to watch how the network changes as you manipulate things in the Node Lists. You will see that the network moves to show you the device you currently have selected in the Node List, and you can see how new devices are positioned and connected into the network.

[[File:UI-NodeNetworkPane.jpg|border|900px|The Node Network]]
 

Navigation in the Node Network is similar to working in the 3D preview. Hold Alt and drag to move your view around in the network. Use Alt + Left Click to drag the view up, down, left or right. Use Alt + Right Click to drag a rectangle around an area of the network you wish to zoom in on. Use Alt + Middle Click to zoom in and out. Alternatively, you can zoom in and out with the mouse wheel.

Navigating in the Node Network is simple. However, manipulating the flow of information between nodes to achieve the desired result takes significant knowledge about each node. Information about that will be covered in other articles.

Bottom Toolbar

2019-02-28T05:53:24Z

BFlasher: Created page with "At the very bottom of the TG2 user interface is one final toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important se..."

At the very bottom of the TG2 user interface is one final toolbar. Most of the controls here are specific to animation functions, although there are several other important settings.

The Bottom Toolbar
Beginning on the left, the 'Project Settings' button gives you access to several settings to control details and information about the current project. You can set the 'Name' of the project, program name and version (both filled in correctly by default), 'Author', and a short 'Comment'. You can also set the 'Current frame', 'Start frame', and 'End frame'.
The 'Start frame' and 'End frame' controls are particularly important to animations. In most cases your animation will start at frame 1, though in some cases starting at other frame numbers would be useful. The 'End frame' is usually changed much more frequently, as it defines the last frame, and thus the length of your animation (in combination with the 'Start frame'). You can set the 'End frame' to any value you wish. For a 10 second animation for example, at 30 frames per second, you would use 'Start frame' 1, 'End frame' 300. Like a 'Node settings' window, values that are changed here take effect immediately and there is no “apply” or “ok” button. When you are done changing these settings, simply close the window.
To the right of the 'Project Settings' button is a display of the current frame number, defaulting to 1. You can manually type values here to skip to a specific frame, use the frame controls to the right, or even drag on the timeline to change frame numbers. The frame number display will change as the current frame is adjusted.
Next to the 'Frame number display', are controls for moving through the animation timeline. The icons here may be familiar if you are accustomed to video editing, and they are also similar to that used in many other applications. The buttons featuring double arrows with lines skip to the beginning and end of the timeline, respectively. The single arrow with a line moves a single frame backward or forward in the timeline. Arrows facing backward move backward in the timeline, and forward facing arrows move forward. Once you change the current frame number, the '3D Preview' will update to reflect the settings of the curent frame. In the default scene no animation is defined so no changes will be visible. In the middle is a single right-facing arrow, the 'Play button', which will automatically move through the entire timeline in realtime. This will display any existing animation in the '3D Preview', though it will be rendered with limited detail based on the rendered detail already present in the preview when you press the 'Play button'.
The 'Timeline' comes next, a long slider that can be dragged to “scrub” through the animation and move quickly to a general part of an animation. Click and drag the position indicator on the slider to move the current frame, or click directly on the slider to jump 10 frames at a time, either forward or back, depending on whether your cursor is to the right or left of the slider bar, respectively.
Finally, on the far-right, is the 'Errors and warnings display'. The red circle signifies errors, with the number next to it showing how many have occurred since the start of the current program session. The yellow triangle and exclamation point next to it signifies warnings, again with a counter. An “error” is a serious problem, which may be something like a missing file or a critical render problem. A “warning” is less serious and therefore less likely to have a significant impact on the scene. Clicking the “Errors and warnings display' will bring up the 'Errors and warnings window' which will give you more detailed descriptions of any errors and warnings that have occurred so far.

The Node Network

2019-02-28T05:52:48Z

BFlasher: Created page with "Below the 3D preview is a view of the local Node Network, which shows all the nodes and connections local to the currently selected node, group, or layout. As described in the..."

Below the 3D preview is a view of the local Node Network, which shows all the nodes and connections local to the currently selected node, group, or layout. As described in the Terragen 2 Conventions section, TG2's scene structure is based around the concept of “networking” separate pieces called Nodes to form a whole scene. This is a very powerful way to create scenes, but it’s also quite complex and not immediately intuitive for many people. In many cases you can ignore the 'Node Network' altogether and focus your scene building efforts in the 'Node Lists' and context menus. For now we'll cover the basics of navigation and use of the 'Node Network' view. Complete details on use of the 'Node Network' and manipulation of nodes can be found in the In-Depth Node Network section of this guide.
While you may not delve into manual editing in the 'Node Network' at first, it is still useful to watch how the network changes as you manipulate things in the 'Node Lists'. You will see that the network moves to show you the device you currently have selected in the 'Node List' and you can see how new devices are positioned and connected into the network.

The local Node Network view
Navigation in the 'Node Network' is similar to working in the '3D Preview'. Holding Alt and clicking and dragging the mouse buttons will move your view around in the network. Alt+Left Mouse will “pan,” moving your view side-to-side or up-and-down. Alt+Right Mouse allows you to drag a zoom rectangle which will define the area you will zoom to. This section of the network will be enlarged once you release the right mouse button. Alt+Middle Mouse and dragging allows you to zoom in and out more incrementally. Finally, if you have a mouse wheel you can zoom in and out by scrolling it.
Using the 'Node Network' view is deceptively simple. Navigation comprises just a few controls, and manipulating the nodes themselves is also accomplished in very simple ways. It is in the flow of information through the network and the interaction of settings for each node that complex results arise. As this section focuses on the User Interface overview, this will end our look at the 'Node Network' view for now. You can learn more about the node network and how to manipulate the nodes themselves in the In-Depth Node Network section later in this guide.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-28T05:49:34Z

BFlasher: /* The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar */

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

Note that changing your view in the 3D preview window won't automatically update the current render camera. To update the current render camera to your current view, you must click the '''Copy this view to the current render camera''' button, which will be discussed in the '''3D Preview Bottom Toolbar''' section.

== The 3D Preview Top Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview top toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview top toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview top toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

==== The Measurement Tool ====

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

==== The Painted Shader Tool ====

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.

Clicking the '''Painted Shader''' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is '''Start painting shader''', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the "Create and paint new shader" option. To begin a painting session, select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session, the Painted Shader button displays different options. You can switch between "Paint mode" and "Erase mode". Paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and Erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas. You can also use the "Stop painting shader" button to stop your painting session.

After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like "Brush size", "Brush falloff", "Flow", and "Colour". Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the 3D preview, a yellow dashed circle is displayed ,denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the Falloff setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window, you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the left mouse button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want. Note, however, that "Undo" does not undo specific strokes. Rather, it Undo reverts the scene to a state prior to beginning your Painted Shader session. You can use the Eraser mode to remove strokes created in error. More on the use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth sections.

A helpful technique when using the Painted Shader tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the Pause button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.

== Rendering Status ==

The rightmost item on the 3D preview top toolbar is a display of the current status of the 3D preview rendering.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg|border|The rendering status]]
 

Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginning with "Rendering... detail 5", then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show "Finished rendering".

== Mini Compass ==

In the upper-left corner of the 3D preview pane is a mini compass.

[[File:UI-MiniCompass.jpg|border|The mini compass]]
 

The top of the compass will always show the orientation of your current view; the compass will rotate as you move the camera.

Any lights in the scene are represented on the compass by small yellow circles.

== Exposure Slider ==

In the lower left of the 3D preview pane is the exposure slider.

[[File:UI-ExposureSlider.jpg|border|The exposure slider button]]
 

When you press this button, it will open the exposure slider tool. This tool allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera, making it brighter or darker.

== The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar ==

The toolbar on the bottom of the 3D preview pane includes of a number of camera controls. It also displays the xyz coordinates of the mouse pointer if the mouse pointer is in the 3D preview pane.

[[File:UI-BottomToolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview bottom toolbar]]
 

=== About the Coordinate Display ===

At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters ("m") or kilometres ("km") and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees.

Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can copy these values, which is useful for certain node settings. Right-click in the preview and select Copy Altitude, Copy Coordinates, or Copy Slope Angle depending on what information you need. Then use the paste button to paste the date into an appropriate node field. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window by selecting View > 3D Preview Location.

=== Camera Control Buttons ===

From left to right, the camera control buttons on this toolbar are:
* Copy this view to the current render camera
* Select different cameras or viewpoints
* Reset view camera position
* Set the camera's "look at" point
* Set the camera's "orbit" point
* Enable or disable "Free Orbit Mode" when orbiting

==== Copy this view to the current render camera ====

The render camera doesn't automatically update when you're navigating in the 3D preview. This allows you to move about freely and survey the scene without worrying about changing your render camera. When you want to update the render camera to what you see in the 3D preview (the "Perspective view" camera), click this button. This will sync the render camera and perspective view camera to the same view.

==== Select different cameras or viewpoints ====

The 3D preview provides access to a standard set of cameras which are not linked to any camera node. Click this button to open a list of these views. The views are "Perspective view", "Top view", "Bottom view", "Front view", "Back view", "Left view" and "Right view". You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'.

==== Reset view camera position ====

This button provides several options for resetting the view shown in the 3D preview. You can "Reset to current render camera", "Centre on focus point" (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), "Centre on object or shader", or "Centre on origin" (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must click "Copy to current render camera" if you wish to use this view when you render.

==== Set the camera's "look at point" ====

This button specifies the preview's “look at point”. This is a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at" point. When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the "Reset view camera position" button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.

==== Set the camera's "orbit" point ====

The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. This button allows you to set the orbit point in much the same way that you would set the camera's "look at" point. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the orbit point. Click to set the point.

==== Enable or disable "Free Orbit Mode" when orbiting ====

This button activates "Free Orbit Mode". This mode allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-28T05:40:57Z

BFlasher: /* The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar */

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

Note that changing your view in the 3D preview window won't automatically update the current render camera. To update the current render camera to your current view, you must click the '''Copy this view to the current render camera''' button, which will be discussed in the '''3D Preview Bottom Toolbar''' section.

== The 3D Preview Top Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview top toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview top toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview top toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

==== The Measurement Tool ====

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

==== The Painted Shader Tool ====

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.

Clicking the '''Painted Shader''' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is '''Start painting shader''', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the "Create and paint new shader" option. To begin a painting session, select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session, the Painted Shader button displays different options. You can switch between "Paint mode" and "Erase mode". Paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and Erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas. You can also use the "Stop painting shader" button to stop your painting session.

After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like "Brush size", "Brush falloff", "Flow", and "Colour". Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the 3D preview, a yellow dashed circle is displayed ,denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the Falloff setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window, you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the left mouse button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want. Note, however, that "Undo" does not undo specific strokes. Rather, it Undo reverts the scene to a state prior to beginning your Painted Shader session. You can use the Eraser mode to remove strokes created in error. More on the use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth sections.

A helpful technique when using the Painted Shader tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the Pause button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.

== Rendering Status ==

The rightmost item on the 3D preview top toolbar is a display of the current status of the 3D preview rendering.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg|border|The rendering status]]
 

Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginning with "Rendering... detail 5", then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show "Finished rendering".

== Mini Compass ==

In the upper-left corner of the 3D preview pane is a mini compass.

[[File:UI-MiniCompass.jpg|border|The mini compass]]
 

The top of the compass will always show the orientation of your current view; the compass will rotate as you move the camera.

Any lights in the scene are represented on the compass by small yellow circles.

== Exposure Slider ==

In the lower left of the 3D preview pane is the exposure slider.

[[File:UI-ExposureSlider.jpg|border|The exposure slider button]]
 

When you press this button, it will open the exposure slider tool. This tool allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera, making it brighter or darker.

== The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar ==

The toolbar on the bottom of the 3D preview pane includes of a number of camera controls. It also displays the xyz coordinates of the mouse pointer if the mouse pointer is in the 3D preview pane.

[[File:UI-BottomToolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview bottom toolbar]]
 

=== About the Coordinate Display ===

At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters ("m") or kilometres ("km") and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees.

Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can copy these values, which is useful for certain node settings. Right-click in the preview and select Copy Altitude, Copy Coordinates, or Copy Slope Angle depending on what information you need. Then use the paste button to paste the date into an appropriate node field. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window by selecting View > 3D Preview Location.

=== Camera Control Buttons ===

From left to right, the camera control buttons on this toolbar are:
* Copy this view to the current render camera
* Select different cameras or viewpoints
* Reset view camera position
* Set the camera's "look at" point
* The point the camera orbits about is set when you click in the view
* Enable or disable "Free Orbit Mode" when orbiting

==== Copy this view to the current render camera ====

The render camera doesn't automatically update when you're navigating in the 3D preview. This allows you to move about freely and survey the scene without worrying about changing your render camera. When you want to update the render camera to what you see in the 3D preview (the "Perspective view" camera), click this button. This will sync the render camera and perspective view camera to the same view.

==== Select different cameras or viewpoints ====

The 3D preview provides access to a standard set of cameras which are not linked to any camera node. Click this button to open a list of these views. The views are "Perspective view", "Top view", "Bottom view", "Front view", "Back view", "Left view" and "Right view". You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'.

==== Reset view camera position ====

This button provides several options for resetting the view shown in the 3D preview. You can "Reset to current render camera", "Centre on focus point" (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), "Centre on object or shader", or "Centre on origin" (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must click "Copy to current render camera" if you wish to use this view when you render.

==== Set the camera's "look at point" ====

This button specifies the preview's “look at point”. This is a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the "Reset view camera position" button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.

The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-28T05:28:30Z

BFlasher: /* The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar */

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

Note that changing your view in the 3D preview window won't automatically update the current render camera. To update the current render camera to your current view, you must click the '''Copy this view to the current render camera''' button, which will be discussed in the '''3D Preview Bottom Toolbar''' section.

== The 3D Preview Top Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview top toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview top toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview top toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

==== The Measurement Tool ====

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

==== The Painted Shader Tool ====

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.

Clicking the '''Painted Shader''' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is '''Start painting shader''', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the "Create and paint new shader" option. To begin a painting session, select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session, the Painted Shader button displays different options. You can switch between "Paint mode" and "Erase mode". Paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and Erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas. You can also use the "Stop painting shader" button to stop your painting session.

After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like "Brush size", "Brush falloff", "Flow", and "Colour". Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the 3D preview, a yellow dashed circle is displayed ,denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the Falloff setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window, you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the left mouse button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want. Note, however, that "Undo" does not undo specific strokes. Rather, it Undo reverts the scene to a state prior to beginning your Painted Shader session. You can use the Eraser mode to remove strokes created in error. More on the use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth sections.

A helpful technique when using the Painted Shader tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the Pause button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.

== Rendering Status ==

The rightmost item on the 3D preview top toolbar is a display of the current status of the 3D preview rendering.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg|border|The rendering status]]
 

Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginning with "Rendering... detail 5", then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show "Finished rendering".

== Mini Compass ==

In the upper-left corner of the 3D preview pane is a mini compass.

[[File:UI-MiniCompass.jpg|border|The mini compass]]
 

The top of the compass will always show the orientation of your current view; the compass will rotate as you move the camera.

Any lights in the scene are represented on the compass by small yellow circles.

== Exposure Slider ==

In the lower left of the 3D preview pane is the exposure slider.

[[File:UI-ExposureSlider.jpg|border|The exposure slider button]]
 

When you press this button, it will open the exposure slider tool. This tool allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera, making it brighter or darker.

== The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar ==

The toolbar on the bottom of the 3D preview pane includes of a number of camera controls. It also displays the xyz coordinates of the mouse pointer if the mouse pointer is in the 3D preview pane.

[[File:UI-BottomToolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview bottom toolbar]]
 

=== About the Coordinate Display ===

At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters ("m") or kilometres ("km") and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees.

Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can copy these values, which is useful for certain node settings. Right-click in the preview and select Copy Altitude, Copy Coordinates, or Copy Slope Angle depending on what information you need. Then use the paste button to paste the date into an appropriate node field. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window by selecting View > 3D Preview Location.

=== Camera Control Buttons ===

From left to right, the camera control buttons on this toolbar are:
* Copy this view to the current render camera
* Select different cameras or viewpoints
* Reset view camera position
* The camera's 'look at' point is set when you click in the view
* The point the camera orbits about is set when you click in the view
* Enable or disable "Free Orbit Mode" when orbiting

==== Copy this view to the current render camera ====

The render camera doesn't automatically update when you're navigating in the 3D preview. This allows you to move about freely and survey the scene without worrying about changing your render camera. When you want to update the render camera to what you see in the 3D preview (the "Perspective view" camera), click this button. This will sync the render camera and perspective view camera to the same view.

==== Select different cameras or viewpoints ====

The 3D preview provides access to a standard set of cameras which are not linked to any camera node. Click this button to open a list of these views. The views are "Perspective view", "Top view", "Bottom view", "Front view", "Back view", "Left view" and "Right view". You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'.

==== Reset view camera position ====

In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.

Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-28T05:05:15Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

Note that changing your view in the 3D preview window won't automatically update the current render camera. To update the current render camera to your current view, you must click the '''Copy this view to the current render camera''' button, which will be discussed in the '''3D Preview Bottom Toolbar''' section.

== The 3D Preview Top Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview top toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview top toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview top toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

==== The Measurement Tool ====

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

==== The Painted Shader Tool ====

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.

Clicking the '''Painted Shader''' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is '''Start painting shader''', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the "Create and paint new shader" option. To begin a painting session, select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session, the Painted Shader button displays different options. You can switch between "Paint mode" and "Erase mode". Paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and Erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas. You can also use the "Stop painting shader" button to stop your painting session.

After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like "Brush size", "Brush falloff", "Flow", and "Colour". Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the 3D preview, a yellow dashed circle is displayed ,denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the Falloff setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window, you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the left mouse button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want. Note, however, that "Undo" does not undo specific strokes. Rather, it Undo reverts the scene to a state prior to beginning your Painted Shader session. You can use the Eraser mode to remove strokes created in error. More on the use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth sections.

A helpful technique when using the Painted Shader tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the Pause button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.

== Rendering Status ==

The rightmost item on the 3D preview top toolbar is a display of the current status of the 3D preview rendering.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg|border|The rendering status]]
 

Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginning with "Rendering... detail 5", then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show "Finished rendering".

== Mini Compass ==

In the upper-left corner of the 3D preview pane is a mini compass.

[[File:UI-MiniCompass.jpg|border|The mini compass]]
 

The top of the compass will always show the orientation of your current view; the compass will rotate as you move the camera.

Any lights in the scene are represented on the compass by small yellow circles.

== Exposure Slider ==

In the lower left of the 3D preview pane is the exposure slider.

[[File:UI-ExposureSlider.jpg|border|The exposure slider button]]
 

When you press this button, it will open the exposure slider tool. This tool allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera, making it brighter or darker.

== The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar ==

The toolbar on the bottom of the 3D preview pane includes of a number of camera controls. It also displays the xyz coordinates of the mouse pointer if the mouse pointer is in the 3D preview pane.

[[File:UI-BottomToolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview bottom toolbar]]
 

=== Camera Control Buttons ===

From left to right, the camera control buttons on this toolbar are:
* Copy this view to the current render camera
* Select different camera or viewpoints
* Reset view camera position
* The camera's 'look at' point is set when you click in the view
* The point the camera orbits about is set when you click in the view
* Enable or disable "Free Orbit Mode" when orbiting

==== Copy this view to the current render camera ====

This

It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-27T05:59:16Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

Note that changing your view in the 3D preview window won't automatically update the current render camera. To update the current render camera to your current view, you must click the '''Copy this view to the current render camera''' button, which will be discussed in the '''3D Preview Bottom Toolbar''' section.

== The 3D Preview Top Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview top toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview top toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview top toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

==== The Measurement Tool ====

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

==== The Painted Shader Tool ====

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.

Clicking the '''Painted Shader''' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is '''Start painting shader''', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the "Create and paint new shader" option. To begin a painting session, select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session, the Painted Shader button displays different options. You can switch between "Paint mode" and "Erase mode". Paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and Erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas. You can also use the "Stop painting shader" button to stop your painting session.

After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like "Brush size", "Brush falloff", "Flow", and "Colour". Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the 3D preview, a yellow dashed circle is displayed ,denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the Falloff setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window, you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the left mouse button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want. Note, however, that "Undo" does not undo specific strokes. Rather, it Undo reverts the scene to a state prior to beginning your Painted Shader session. You can use the Eraser mode to remove strokes created in error. More on the use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth sections.

A helpful technique when using the Painted Shader tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the Pause button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.

== Rendering Status ==

The rightmost item on the 3D preview top toolbar is a display of the current status of the 3D preview rendering.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg|border|The rendering status]]
 

Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginning with "Rendering... detail 5", then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show "Finished rendering".

== Mini Compass ==

In the upper-left corner of the 3D preview pane is a mini compass.

[[File:UI-MiniCompass.jpg|border|The mini compass]]
 

The top of the compass will always show the orientation of your current view; the compass will rotate as you move the camera.

Any lights in the scene are represented on the compass by small yellow circles.

== Exposure Slider ==

In the lower left of the 3D preview pane is the exposure slider.

[[File:UI-ExposureSlider.jpg|border|The exposure slider button]]
 

When you press this button, it will open the exposure slider tool. This tool allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera, making it brighter or darker.

== The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar ==

The toolbar on the bottom of the 3D preview pane includes of a number of camera controls. It also displays the xyz coordinates of the mouse pointer if the mouse pointer is in the 3D preview pane.

[[File:UI-BottomToolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview bottom toolbar]]
 

=== Camera Control Buttons ===

It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-27T05:13:44Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

== The 3D Preview Top Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview top toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview top toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview top toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

==== The Measurement Tool ====

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

==== The Painted Shader Tool ====

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.

Clicking the '''Painted Shader''' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is '''Start painting shader''', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the "Create and paint new shader" option. To begin a painting session, select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session, the Painted Shader button displays different options. You can switch between "Paint mode" and "Erase mode". Paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and Erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas. You can also use the "Stop painting shader" button to stop your painting session.

After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like "Brush size", "Brush falloff", "Flow", and "Colour". Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the 3D preview, a yellow dashed circle is displayed ,denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the Falloff setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window, you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the left mouse button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want. Note, however, that "Undo" does not undo specific strokes. Rather, it Undo reverts the scene to a state prior to beginning your Painted Shader session. You can use the Eraser mode to remove strokes created in error. More on the use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth sections.

A helpful technique when using the Painted Shader tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the Pause button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.

== Rendering Status ==

The rightmost item on the 3D preview top toolbar is a display of the current status of the 3D preview rendering.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg|border|The rendering status]]
 

Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginning with "Rendering... detail 5", then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show "Finished rendering".

== Mini Compass ==

In the upper-left corner of the 3D preview pane is a mini compass.

[[File:UI-MiniCompass.jpg|border|The mini compass]]
 

The top of the compass will always show the orientation of your current view; the compass will rotate as you move the camera.

Any lights in the scene are represented on the compass by small yellow circles.

== Exposure Slider ==

In the lower left of the 3D preview pane is the exposure slider.

[[File:UI-ExposureSlider.jpg|border|The exposure slider button]]
 

When you press this button, it will open the exposure slider tool. This tool allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera, making it brighter or darker.

== The 3D Preview Bottom Toolbar ==

The toolbar on the bottom of the 3D preview pane includes of a number of camera controls. It also displays the xyz coordinates of the mouse pointer if the mouse pointer is in the 3D preview pane.

[[File:UI-BottomToolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview bottom toolbar]]
 

In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

File:UI-BottomToolbar.jpg

2019-02-27T05:13:05Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

File:UI-MiniCompass.jpg

2019-02-27T05:13:04Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

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File:UI-ExposureSlider.jpg

2019-02-27T05:13:02Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

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The 3D Preview

2019-02-27T04:35:45Z

BFlasher: /* Rendering Status */

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

== The 3D Preview Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

==== The Measurement Tool ====

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

==== The Painted Shader Tool ====

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.

Clicking the '''Painted Shader''' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is '''Start painting shader''', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the "Create and paint new shader" option. To begin a painting session, select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session, the Painted Shader button displays different options. You can switch between "Paint mode" and "Erase mode". Paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and Erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas. You can also use the "Stop painting shader" button to stop your painting session.

After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like "Brush size", "Brush falloff", "Flow", and "Colour". Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the 3D preview, a yellow dashed circle is displayed ,denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the Falloff setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window, you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the left mouse button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want. Note, however, that "Undo" does not undo specific strokes. Rather, it Undo reverts the scene to a state prior to beginning your Painted Shader session. You can use the Eraser mode to remove strokes created in error. More on the use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth sections.

A helpful technique when using the Painted Shader tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the Pause button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.

== Rendering Status ==

The rightmost item on the 3D preview toolbar is a display of the current status of the 3D preview rendering.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg|border|The rendering status]]
 

Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginning with "Rendering... detail 5", then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show "Finished rendering".

== Mini Compass ==

Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-25T03:49:09Z

BFlasher: /* The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool */

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

== The 3D Preview Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

==== The Measurement Tool ====

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

==== The Painted Shader Tool ====

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.

Clicking the '''Painted Shader''' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is '''Start painting shader''', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the "Create and paint new shader" option. To begin a painting session, select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session, the Painted Shader button displays different options. You can switch between "Paint mode" and "Erase mode". Paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and Erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas. You can also use the "Stop painting shader" button to stop your painting session.

After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like "Brush size", "Brush falloff", "Flow", and "Colour". Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the 3D preview, a yellow dashed circle is displayed ,denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the Falloff setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window, you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the left mouse button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want. Note, however, that "Undo" does not undo specific strokes. Rather, it Undo reverts the scene to a state prior to beginning your Painted Shader session. You can use the Eraser mode to remove strokes created in error. More on the use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth sections.

A helpful technique when using the Painted Shader tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the Pause button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.

== Rendering Status ==

The rightmost item on the 3D preview toolbar is a display of the current status of the 3D preview rendering.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg|border|The rendering status]]
 

Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginning with "Rendering... detail 5", then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show "Finished rendering".

Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

File:UI-PreviewPane-RenderStatus.jpg

2019-02-25T03:47:28Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

The 3D Preview

2019-02-25T02:21:22Z

BFlasher: /* The 3D Preview Toolbar */

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

== The 3D Preview Toolbar ==

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg|border|The 3D preview toolbar]]
 

The 3D preview toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of the 3D preview toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|800px|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is "Start painting shader", which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.

Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

File:UI-PreviewPane-toolbar.jpg

2019-02-25T02:21:03Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

The 3D Preview

2019-02-25T02:18:13Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

== The 3D Preview Toolbar ==

The 3D preview toolbar has a number of controls that allow you to change what you see in the 3D preview, as well as tools for interacting with your scene.

=== Turning Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting On and Off ===

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

=== Pause and Reset ===

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

=== The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool ===

On the far right of this toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-25T02:12:26Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

On the far right of this toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

The Painted Shader tool and the associated "Painted shader" node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the "Painted shader" node.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-25T01:50:17Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

On the far right of this toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg|border|The Measurement Tool in use]]
 

The Painted Shader tool and the associated Painted shader node are among the most powerful systems in Terragen. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene simply by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, and even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements: the paint strokes created with Painted Shader tool, and the Painted shader node.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

File:UI-PreviewPane-MeasureToolInUse.jpg

2019-02-25T01:46:29Z

BFlasher: File uploaded with MsUpload

File uploaded with MsUpload

The 3D Preview

2019-02-25T01:36:25Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

On the far right of this toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

The Measurement Tool in use
The 'Painted Shader' tool and the associated Painted shader node are one of the most powerful systems in TG2. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene simply by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements – the Painted shader and paint strokes created in the preview window with the use of the 'Painted Shader' painting tool.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg

2019-02-25T01:28:39Z

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File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg

2019-02-25T01:28:36Z

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File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg

2019-02-25T01:28:36Z

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The 3D Preview

2019-02-25T01:28:06Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon. These enable and disable Shaders, Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-Elements.jpg|border|900px|The 3D preview element controls]]
 

To the left on the preview pane toolbar are the Pause and Reset buttons. Since the 3D preview is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. Pause can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The Reset button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-PauseReset.jpg|border|900px|The Pause and Reset buttons]]
 

On the far right of this toolbar are the Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons. These are signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|900px|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

We'll cover the Measurement Tool first, because it is simpler. The Measurement Tool enables measurement mode, which allows you to measure the distance between two points in the 3D preview by clicking on them. In measurement mode, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Click in the 3D preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points, and the distance will be displayed in the Measure window. The Measure window also allows you to restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, and clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). You can use the normal camera navigation controls in measurement mode, so if you wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can move the camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up Measure window, or click the Measurement Tool button again.

[[File:UI-PreviewPane-RulerAndPaintedShader.jpg|border|900px|The Painted Shader and Measurement Tool buttons]]
 

The Measurement Tool in use
The 'Painted Shader' tool and the associated Painted shader node are one of the most powerful systems in TG2. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene simply by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements – the Painted shader and paint strokes created in the preview window with the use of the 'Painted Shader' painting tool.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-04T05:26:58Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ===

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon, which enable and disable Shaders,
Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

To the left on the top toolbar are the 'Pause' and 'Reset' buttons. Since the '3D Preview' is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. 'Pause' can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The 'Reset' button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.
On the far right of this toolbar are the 'Painted Shader' and 'Measurement Tool' buttons, signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively. We'll cover the 'Measurement Tool' first, because it is simpler. Clicking the 'Measurement Tool' button will enable a measurement system that allows you to measure the distance between two points in the '3D Preview' simply by clicking. When enabled, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Simply click in the preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points and distance will be displayed in the 'Measure' window. You can also restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, as well as clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). During measurement you can use the normal camera navigation controls, so if you have switched into measurement mode and wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can still move your camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up 'Measure' window, or click the 'Measurement Tool' button again.

The Measurement Tool in use
The 'Painted Shader' tool and the associated Painted shader node are one of the most powerful systems in TG2. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene simply by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements – the Painted shader and paint strokes created in the preview window with the use of the 'Painted Shader' painting tool.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-04T05:26:11Z

BFlasher:

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ==

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

=== Navigating with the Navigation Control Tool ===

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon, which enable and disable Shaders,
Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

To the left on the top toolbar are the 'Pause' and 'Reset' buttons. Since the '3D Preview' is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. 'Pause' can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The 'Reset' button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.
On the far right of this toolbar are the 'Painted Shader' and 'Measurement Tool' buttons, signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively. We'll cover the 'Measurement Tool' first, because it is simpler. Clicking the 'Measurement Tool' button will enable a measurement system that allows you to measure the distance between two points in the '3D Preview' simply by clicking. When enabled, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Simply click in the preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points and distance will be displayed in the 'Measure' window. You can also restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, as well as clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). During measurement you can use the normal camera navigation controls, so if you have switched into measurement mode and wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can still move your camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up 'Measure' window, or click the 'Measurement Tool' button again.

The Measurement Tool in use
The 'Painted Shader' tool and the associated Painted shader node are one of the most powerful systems in TG2. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene simply by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements – the Painted shader and paint strokes created in the preview window with the use of the 'Painted Shader' painting tool.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

2019-02-04T05:03:02Z

BFlasher: /* = Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands */

== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ==

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera.

* '''Alt+Middle Mouse Button:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera forward and back.

* '''Alt+Rick Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to move the camera left, right, up, or down.

You can also adjust the camera with the navigation control tool located in the upper-right corner of the 3D Preview pane.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_button.png|border|900px|The navigation control button]]
 

When you click this icon, the tool will expand to show a variety of control options.

[[File:FirstScene_-_Nav_control_tool_expanded.png|border|600px|The expanded navigation control tool(upper right)]]
 

Some of these controls may be familiar to you if you have experience with other 3D applications. The controls are as follows:

{|
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_horiz.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Horizontal movement (left, right, back, forward):''' Drag inside the circle to move in a given direction. Click at the top of the circle to move forward, click on the left side to move left, etc. The closer to the center of the circle your cursor is when you click, the slower and more precise your movement will be. Once you’ve clicked within the circle, you can drag the cursor around to adjust the movement speed or direction.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_altitude.png|border|90px|Horizontal movement controls]]
|'''Altitude:''' Move the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_tilt.png|border|90px|Tilt controls]]
|'''Tilt:''' Angle the camera up or down.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_bank.png|border|90px|Bank controls]]
|'''Bank:''' Bank the the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_rotate.png|border|90px|Rotation controls]]
|'''Rotate:''' Rotate the camera right or left.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_zoom.png|border|90px|Zoom controls]]
|'''Zoom:''' Zoom in or out.
|-
|[[File:FirstScene_-_Navtool_speed.png|border|90px|Movement speed controls]]
|'''Movement speed:''' Sets the speed of all the movement controls in the navigation control tool.
|}

 

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon, which enable and disable Shaders,
Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

To the left on the top toolbar are the 'Pause' and 'Reset' buttons. Since the '3D Preview' is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. 'Pause' can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The 'Reset' button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.
On the far right of this toolbar are the 'Painted Shader' and 'Measurement Tool' buttons, signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively. We'll cover the 'Measurement Tool' first, because it is simpler. Clicking the 'Measurement Tool' button will enable a measurement system that allows you to measure the distance between two points in the '3D Preview' simply by clicking. When enabled, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Simply click in the preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points and distance will be displayed in the 'Measure' window. You can also restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, as well as clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). During measurement you can use the normal camera navigation controls, so if you have switched into measurement mode and wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can still move your camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up 'Measure' window, or click the 'Measurement Tool' button again.

The Measurement Tool in use
The 'Painted Shader' tool and the associated Painted shader node are one of the most powerful systems in TG2. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene simply by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements – the Painted shader and paint strokes created in the preview window with the use of the 'Painted Shader' painting tool.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

The 3D Preview

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== About the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview shows a preview of your current scene. It provides a simplified yet accurate view that renders quickly. The preview will update with every change you make to the settings of your scene, including any node settings.

[[File:FirstScene_-_3D_preview_pane.png|border|900px|The 3D preview]]
 

== Navigating in the 3D Preview ==

The 3D preview defaults to the perspective of the current render camera. You can freely change the camera perspective using either mouse and keyboard commands or the navigation tool.

=== Navigating with Mouse and Keyboard Commands ==

The controls for navigating with the mouse and keyboard are as follows:

* '''Alt+Left Click:''' Hold down these buttons and drag the mouse to rotate the camera. Drag down to rotate the camera up, drag up to rotate the camera down, drag right to rotate the camera right, and drag left to rotate the camera left.

The elements displayed in the 3D preview depend on the layout you're in. For example, in the Terrain layout, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting are disabled. This speeds up the preview and gives you a clear view of your landscape. You can control which elements are shown at any time with the 3 middle buttons on the top toolbar signified by a green sphere, a cloud shape, and a sun icon, which enable and disable Shaders,
Atmosphere, and Lighting respectively. When enabled, these buttons will appear depressed and shaded.

To the left on the top toolbar are the 'Pause' and 'Reset' buttons. Since the '3D Preview' is constantly updating to show you the results of every change, it is always taking CPU resources. If you have a lot of changes in mind and want to wait until you are finished with them, you may wish to pause the preview rendering until you are finished. 'Pause' can also be useful when using the Painted shader and painting in the preview window. The 'Reset' button simply resets the preview and begins rendering from scratch, which can be useful if you want to immediately trigger a refresh of the preview for any reason.
On the far right of this toolbar are the 'Painted Shader' and 'Measurement Tool' buttons, signified by a paintbrush and ruler, respectively. We'll cover the 'Measurement Tool' first, because it is simpler. Clicking the 'Measurement Tool' button will enable a measurement system that allows you to measure the distance between two points in the '3D Preview' simply by clicking. When enabled, a measurement window will pop up with a display of the distance between the currently selected points, as well as some additional controls. Simply click in the preview to define the first point of your measurement, then move to your destination point and click again. You will see a yellow line extend between the two points and distance will be displayed in the 'Measure' window. You can also restrict the measurement axis to x, y, or z, as well as clear the current measurement points (note that you may need to reset the preview window to remove the display of the current measurement). During measurement you can use the normal camera navigation controls, so if you have switched into measurement mode and wish to measure something outside of the current view, you can still move your camera to accommodate that. To exit measurement mode, either close the pop-up 'Measure' window, or click the 'Measurement Tool' button again.

The Measurement Tool in use
The 'Painted Shader' tool and the associated Painted shader node are one of the most powerful systems in TG2. The Painted shader allows you to control virtually any aspect of your scene simply by painting in the preview window. You can create terrain shapes, control texture distribution, even create customized cloud shapes. The painting system relies on two elements – the Painted shader and paint strokes created in the preview window with the use of the 'Painted Shader' painting tool.
Pressing the 'Painted Shader' button brings up a menu of options. In its non-active state, the only option is 'Start painting shader', which has a sub-menu allowing you to either select an existing Painted shader to paint into, or create a new one and begin painting. Your existing Painted shaders will be listed at the top of this menu, above the 'Create and paint new shader' option. To begin a painting session simply select either an existing Painted shader, or create a new one with the menu option.
Once in a painting session the 'Painted Shader' button displays different options. You can switch between 'Paint mode' and 'Erase mode', where paint mode applies the current brush settings (specified in the Painted shader itself), and erase mode uses the same brush settings, but applies an inverse effect to your paint strokes, removing existing painted areas where you apply the erase effect. You can also use the 'Stop painting shader' button to stop your painting session.
After paint mode is enabled, the settings window for the selected Painted shader will be opened, allowing you to adjust settings like 'Brush size', 'Brush falloff', 'Flow', and 'Colour'. Please refer to the Node Reference for complete information on all Painted shader settings. In the '3D Preview' a yellow dashed circle is displayed denoting the maximum area of your paint brush. The actual size of the painted stroke will be affected by the 'Falloff' setting in the Painted shader. As you move the cursor around the preview window you will also see terrain polygons highlighting under the cursor position. This denotes the rough center of the painted shader, and thus the center of the area at which the stroke would begin. To start painting, click the Left Mouse Button and drag. You can make as many strokes as you want, however note that 'Undo' does not undo specific strokes. Rather it will simply revert the scene to a state prior to beginning your 'Painted Shader' session. You can use the 'Eraser mode' to remove strokes created in error. More on use of the Painted shader is covered in the Node Reference and Shaders In-depth section later in this guide.
Finally, to the right of the 'Painted Shader' and “Measurement Tool' buttons is a display of the current update status of the '3D Preview'. Since the preview is rendered progressively, it is helpful to know what detail level the preview is currently displaying. The detail level will be displayed numerically, beginnign with 'Rendering... detail 5', then doubling to 10, 20, 40, and finally 80. To save time and CPU resources, the preview has a set limit on the maximum detail, so once 80 is completed it will stop updating until another change is made. When rendering has completed, the update status will show 'Finished rendering'.
A helpful technique when using the 'Painted Shader' tool is to allow the preview to fully compute to maximum detail, then press the 'Pause' button and begin painting. This allows for maximum detail in viewing your painted strokes, and also prevents the preview from updating while you're painting which can make painting consistent strokes more difficult.
Below the top toolbar in the upper-left is a mini-compass which shows both your current camera orientation (the top of the compass icon) and the position of any lights in the scene (represented by small yellow circles). Below that is a button to access the exposure slider, which allows you to adjust the exposure value of the current camera. In the upper-right is a button which accesses a navigation panel. Finally, at the bottom is a toolbar which contains the camera selection button and other controls, as well as a display of numerical coordinate data about the scene.
The '3D Preview' is the primary way you will move the camera(s) in your Terragen 2 scenes. You can easily move the current view with the appropriate hotkeys, or use the navigation panel in the upperright. Refer to the 'Help Menu' under 'Mouse and Key Settings' for a list of hotkeys for your platform. With the Windows defaults, most movement actions are accomplished by holding down Alt, then clicking and dragging with one of the mouse buttons in the 3D view. Alt+Left mouse button controls Rotation ("Orbit"), the Middle mouse button controls Forward and Backward motion (like Zooming), and the Right button moves you Up and Down and Side-to-side (a bit like “panning” or "translation"). You can also move forward and backward with finer control by using the mouse wheel.
In the upper-right of the '3D Preview' is a small circle with 4 arrows at the sides. When clicked, this pops open the 'Navigation Panel', a set of visual navigation controls which allow you to manipulate your camera's view with more precision, control, and options. Mouse over each control for a tooltip that will tell you how it affects the camera's position (note: you may need to turn on 'Show Special Tooltips' in the 'General' section of the 'Preferences', accessed from the 'Edit menu'). You can also refer to the User Interface Reference for complete details on the 'Navigation Panel'. You can open the 'Navigation Panel' in a separate floating window with the 'Navigation Window' option on the 'View' menu.
It is important to be aware that changing the current view with either of these methods will not change the current camera position and orientation, as defined in the current Camera node in your scene. Instead it affects the 'Perspective view', one of a set of standard cameras provided by the '3D Preview' which are not linked to any camera node. These views are 'Perspective view', 'Top view', 'Bottom view', 'Front view', 'Back view', 'Left view' and 'Right view'. You can access each of these views by clicking the 'Select Camera' button second from the right on the toolbar at the bottom of the '3D Preview'. Clicking this button will open a list of available views, including 'Current render camera'.
In order to set the render camera view to that which you have specified in the '3D Preview', you must use the 'Copy to current camera' button at the far left of the bottom toolbar in the '3D Preview'. This button will highlight whenever changes are made to the current view which are not reflected in the current camera. Pressing this button will sync the perspective camera with the current render camera. If you do not copy your current view to the render camera before you begin a render, your render will use the existing camera position and may not match your preview perspective.
At the bottom of the preview window is a set of 4 numbers labeled “x,” “y,” “z,” and “slope.” These will only appear when your mouse is positioned over the preview window. The x, y, and z figures indicate the current position of the scene element (usually the terrain) under the mouse cursor in the preview. Coordinates are measured in metric units, usually meters (‘m’) or kilometres (‘km’) and are relative to the coordinate origin. Slope indicates the slope of the terrain in that area and it is measured in degrees. Move the mouse around in the 3D preview and you will see the values update. These numbers can be extremely helpful in placing objects or fine-tuning surface mapping. The slope readout can be particularly useful in determining surface placement and distribution. In addition, you can easily copy these values into relevant settings in a particular node by right-clicking in the preview and selecting to copy the desired data (altitude, coordinates, or slope angle), then using the 'Paste button' next to an appropriate setting in a node. You can open this coordinate display in a separate floating window with the '3D Preview Location' option on the 'View' menu.
In addition to the 'Copy to current render camera' and 'Select Camera' buttons, the bottom toolbar includes several other useful functions. Next to 'Select Camera' is the 'Reset Camera' button, which provides several options for resetting the view shown by the '3D Preview'. You can 'Reset to current render camera', 'Centre on focus point' (the focus point is set with the next button on the toolbar), 'Centre on object or shader', or 'Centre on origin' (the coordinate origin: 0,0). Remember that, like any change in the view shown in the preview window, you must press 'Copy to current render camera' to save your view in the current camera in order to use it in rendering.
Next is the 'Look at point' button, which specifies the preview's “look at point,” a point in the scene toward which the camera will be oriented. Click the button then point and click on any part of the scene. You will see the polygon under your cursor highlight in yellow to indicate which polygon will be selected as the “look at point.” When you click, your camera will re-orient toward the selected point. This point is maintained throughout a session and you can use the command on the 'Reset Camera' button menu to recall your view to this point at any time.
The last two buttons on the 'Bottom Toolbar' are both related to the camera “orbit” mode. The first allows you to select the “orbit point” in much the same way as the “look at point” function described above. The orbit point defines the point which the camera will reference when orbiting. The next and final button simply activates “Free Orbit Mode,” which allows the camera to roll freely during orbit movements, rather than being fixed to the original roll orientation. This is particularly useful when navigating with the camera at points far from the coordinate origin, for example on the other side of a planet, where the original roll value will not be parallel to the planet's surface.
For further information on all functions and settings for the '3D Preview' please see the User Interface Reference.

Node Properties

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BFlasher:

The Node Properties pane displays the settings for the currently selected node. When no node is selected in the current layout, this area will be blank. The node settings can also be opened in a separate window by double-clicking a node in the node network.

[[File:UI-NodePropertiesPane.jpg|border|800px|The Node Properties pane]]
 

== Node Properties Layout Conventions ==

Node properties windows are laid out in a standard way across all node types. Setting names are generally specified in a text label to the left of the setting.

[[File:UI-NodePropretiesPane-FieldLabel.jpg|border|Field label]]
 

Setting controls often include both a numerical entry field, in which you can enter almost any number, and a slider control which has a more limited range. If you use the slider to select a value, the numerical field will update to reflect the same value, and vice versa. The range of most sliders is within the suggested values for that setting. However, you can set values beyond the suggested range by entering a number directly in the numerical entry field.

When coordinates are displayed, they are usually not separately labeled, but they are always shown in the same order: the standard X, Y, Z. (Remember that Y is the vertical axis in Terragen.)

[[File:UI-NodePropretiesPane-XYZCoord.jpg|border|X, Y, and Z coordinate fields]]
 

In some cases only two coordinates are shown, X and Z. This is in cases where only horizontal adjustment is possible (as in the heightfield shader).

Coordinate controls usually provide a coordinate copy/paste button to the right. Using this button, you can copy the entire coordinate set into another similar set of coordinates in another node. This can be useful for syncing the position of multiple objects, for example. You can also paste coordinate data copied from another location into this node's coordinates, for example a coordinate set copied from a point in the 3D Preview.

Complex nodes with a large number of settings are usually arranged into tabs, with properties that have a common or similar purpose grouped together on appropriately named tabs. Click a tab to select it.

[[File:UI-NodePropretiesPane-Tabs.jpg|border|Properties tabs]]
 

== Standard Node Settings ==

There are several controls and settings that are common to the majority of nodes.

=== Name Field ===

All nodes have a unique name, displayed in the Name field. By default, nodes will be named after their node type, followed by a sequential number. The numerical suffix is automatically generated when a node with a duplicate name is detected. You can rename a node to almost anything you want, though you cannot not use the '''/''' character, and you cannot use a name that is already in use by another node.

=== Buttons to the Right of the Name Field ===

To the right of the Name field are three buttons.

[[File:UI-NodePropretiesPane-ButtonsRightOfName.jpg|border|The buttons to the right of the Name field]]
 

The first button is the "Perform an action" button, which has two options related to the node network. The options are as follows:

* '''Edit internal network:''' Open the internal network of the currently selected node. This will open in the Node Network pane to the right. Most nodes do not have internal networks, in which case a blank network will be shown. However, advanced users sometimes use the internal network to allow better organization in complex networks.

* '''Centre node in network:''' Center the node network view around this node.

The next button to the left of the name field is the Shader Preview button. This opens a preview of the current shader in a new 3D preview window. Keep in mind that not all nodes can be previewed, so the preview may appear blank. The shader preview window has all the same controls and functionality of the 3D Preview, but it is specific to the node it was opened from.

On the far right, with a “?” icon, is the 'Help button'. This function takes you to the relevant node reference page that describes the details of the current node type.

Most nodes also have the Enable setting. This controls whether the current node is enabled or disabled. When disabled, the flow of information through the network will bypass this node and it will have no effect on the scene. The scene is processed as if the node does not exist.

=== Animation Functions ===

Next to many settings is an Animation button.

[[File:UI-NodePropretiesPane-AnimationImportButton.jpg|border|The Animation button]]
 

This button opens a pop-out menu with various options. The options are as follows:

* '''Import animation file:''' Import an animation file. All keyframes in the imported file will be loaded. You can also add keyframes for the current setting manually

* '''Set animation key:''' This will set a keyframe for the values in the current setting at the currently selected frame.

* '''Remove animation key:''' Remove the current keyframe. You must be on a frame that has a keyframe.

* '''Delete animation:''' Remove all keyframes. Be careful: this will delete all keyframes from all settings, not just the current one!

You can find out more about how to animate in the Animation section of the Terragen documentation.

=== Floating Window Controls ==

There are some controls that appear only when the node properties are opened in a floating window rather than in the Node Properties pane.

[[File:UI-NodePropretiesPane-InFloatingWindow.jpg|border|The node properties in a floating window]]
 

When opened in a new window rather than in the Node Properties pane, all nodes will have an Edit menu at the top of the window. This simply provides the basic edit controls of cut, copy, paste, delete, and undo. All of these functions can also be accessed through the normal hotkeys.

An additional setting only present when node settings are opened in a new window is the Stay Open button. Normally the node settings opened in a floating window will close automatically when either a new node is opened, or when you switch layouts. The Stay Open button prevents the window from closing automatically.

== Settings Shared by Several Nodes ==

There are a few additional settings and controls that are shared by several nodes, but are not present in all of them.

=== Colour Attributes ===

Certain nodes operate with one or more colour attributes. For these attributes, several colour controls are provided.

[[File:UI-NodePropretiesPane-ColourField.jpg|border|The colour field and controls]]
 

The numerical entry field and the value slider both control only the lightness of the chosen color. To select a specific color, you must click on the color swatch on the far right (a light blue in this example image). This will bring up the standard color picker for your operating system.

Note that the lightness control is the most accessible color control because lightness is a the most frequently adjusted option when modifying colors for realistic integration into a landscape scene.

=== Mask Functions ===

At the bottom of most nodes are controls for the mask functions.

[[File:UI-NodePropretiesPane-MaskControls.jpg|border|The mask controls]]
 

These allow you to use one node to control the distribution or coverage of another. For example, you could use an imported grayscale image, like an erosion map created in another application, to control the distribution of a surface layer. You can use most nodes as the input for the mask shader of another node.

The "Mask by shader" checkbox enables the blending effect. The field to the right displays the name of the currently selected mask shader (if any).

"Invert mask" inverts the greyscale values of the mask shader input.

"Fit mask to this" attempts to “fit” the mask shader input to the “area” of this node. For example, if you are using an image map of 500x500 pixels as the mask shader input for a heightfield that covers 16x16km, this option will stretch the image map to 16x16km.

The Heightfield shader has an additional "Blend by heightfield" function that operates in the same way, but only accepts heightfield data as input. The surface layer node has an additional "Blend as coverage" option which treats the mask shader input as a coverage mask, rather than a normal mask shader.

The "Assign shader" button pops up a list of options. The top option is to “go to” the currently assigned mask node, which opens up the settings of that node for editing. Below that is an "Assign shader" option. This provides an organized list of nodes in the scene from which you can select your preferred shader node. Finally, you have the option of creating a new shader node of a specified type. The "Create new shader" menu mirrors many of the options available on the normal shader creation menu, however nodes that cannot act as shader nodes for the current node are excluded from the list.

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