I luv Terragen! New wallpaper, anyone?

Vladdrac - Intel P4 2.6Ghz 512MB

ShEDeViL - unfortunately, I haven't the spare change to register it yet, and the free version is limited to1280x960 max. Later, I'll be able to make higher res images, but not for now.

Yeah that software is cool. I came up with this on the fly. I love how you can set the memory buffer in the rendering settings. I am going to have to check out some tutorials for this software

Very nice! Yep -- lot's of tutes out there. Here's a good resource to get you going

http://www.terrasource.net/#register

well, i mean, i will register it if i like it

How come it took you 16 hours to render that? I get the highest quality and biggest size image to render in like less than a half hour...and my specs are about the same as yours

It depends on the complexity of the scene...

I've had some 3200x2400 images render in only an hour, and I've had smoe 640x480 mini-images take 2 days to render

Exactly Axe...

This is the 2nd rendering of the original image and the only thing that changed in this image was the zoom settings I modified:


http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom1.jpg

The time came in getting the tropical look to the water and editing the waves and getting the coral to show through via the transparency, and then modifying the surface map for the land took the most time overall. The sky I barely modified except for the clouds to cast shadows.

Each level of detail I added, added to the rendering time. There were about 720,000 quadrilaterals rendered each time and even with a pretty quick processor, I think the last render took close to an hour.

Ok that makes sense....I definately see the difference in the render times take effect in those two pictures.

I guess I have a lot to learn about rendering because some things that I have rendered in 3ds max took way too long for me, so I just deleted the project. Now I see why

Here's the progression if you'd like to see it (trust me, there was very much editing and previews in between):

http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom1.jpg
http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom2.jpg
http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom3.jpg
http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom4.jpg
http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom5.jpg
http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom6.jpg
http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom7.jpg
http://atnopro.com/ozzu/reef/zoom8.jpg

Of, course the final picture is posted at the beginning of this thread. The only "adjustment" I did to the final was to do a quick "auto level" adjustment for contrast in Photoshop -- other than that the rest was done through Terragen.

In 7, is that what the built in foam effect does?

You know ATNO, if you get some kinda spray going (just look at photos of Niagara for some ideas), you could make that look like a SERIOUSLY huge waterfall goin' off to the left.

I think the effect would look even more realistic if there was just a small rock on the left too, make it look like you're following the flow of the water, then it goes around the bend & off the drop where it's currently the end of the world

Awesome!
I've got to give this a try!

Axe -- I think you're spot on. I'd have to add the foam spray (and maybe a rainbow) in Photoshop. I can cut the water level by about 20 or 30 meters and it should show land, but I'd have to reduce the surface map for the coral effect by about the same -- I cut that one close.

Truth is, I haven't the "foggiest" idea how to do the photoshop stuff. I can send you the world, terrain and sruface map files if you want to have a go at it.

Sorry but i am gonna be real here.

You love terragen, but it doesnt love you back. Im not gonna say "Oh thats awsome" and crap like that because to put it bluntly its not.

As a fellow terragen user it pains me to see that this took 16 hours. I am assuming thats render time? If so then thats understandable because these are pretty big...

You need a different camera angle, it seems as though you placed this at the end of the map? It doesnt feel balenced and thats a problem for any artwork. Reading through some of these posts it seems as if you wanted to achive a waterfall effect. The thing is like i just explained, i had no clue that thats whats going on, you need to present that better. Maybe have the camera at another angle so that you can present some of the waterfall, even with the mist and the rainbow i doubt i would have gotten it.

The colours on the mountian are to strong as well, tone those down. The colours are all to vivid and its really hard on the eyes in your final production render. It seems to me that this really started to fall apart around the 6th step, the water is starting to look a little to see through, and the moutian is falling apart already as well. I can see how you want to be able to see the reef but if the water and the moutain dont compliment eachother then you are gonna have problems real fast.

If you look around deviant art you can find some really good stuff just like what you are trying to do here.

I cant say that this is good, and i am sorry about that, i can see some ups and downs but this overall just isnt solid at all. You can grow a lot with the program, its EXTREAMLY easy to get used to as i am sure you know, you just need to see the materials arent working right and know where the colour ajustments are needed.

Sorry if my critique seemed harsh at first, i tried to be as constructive as i could, but it was important that you saw how my first impression was.

-Mike

Well...it's very constructive Mike. Actually -- I sorta feel the same way -- but that was my first "real" attempt at a Terragen render in at least over a year, and the very first time I played in detail with the water and the Surface Map. In truth I had no intention for it to have a "waterfall" look -- that was just sorta how it turned out when I changed the zoom, and I liked the look.

Be assured I will take your critique to heart and work with it more over time. I love this program. If I had the funds immediately available I would register the full verion and go for broke. At the moment, it's a play toy and experimentation with something I've always wanted to do. I've tried similar with Bryce in the past, but could never get it to do what Terregen does.

Thanks much for the post.

//And yes, the 16 hours was mostly render time.

// // btw --you wouldn't happen to be Michiel de Boer, would you?