Hi List, Thanks and thanks to all for the data.
Seems a lot of this ground was covered with Marks post Oct and those supreme landscape jpgs he posted. Terragen versus World-Machine may be an issue but maybe it's only one many. Bumps, Displacements, etc. The rocket science at this stage is beyond my time resources to even get close to. I have "stolen" the various procedures posted, of course, and they are in that bulging file called "how-to-in-RS". I will keep my own solution for the time being which is to set up as complex sds or analytic surfaces as I think the machine will attempt and then simply mangle the default values of my favourite materials (eroded, brushing and dirt as the most robust, go anywhere, do anything band-aids in the box), and try to end up with something that sort of maybe looks semi-Ok ... "in the dusk with the light behind her" as the opera goes. The WM thing, for me, was the 8k x 8k pixel file size which is slightly smaller than I would prefer but I could live with it, anyway it's what caught my eye. Thanks again Neil Cooke ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aidan O Driscoll" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2005 1:58 AM Subject: Re: WorldMachine and RS and Displacement and Height maps ... ADDENDUM > > Hi Guys, > > Forgot this. > > RE - CONVERT THE TARGA TO A JPG. I used the free XNVIEW APP to do this, but > any graphics app should be able to do same > > Aidan > > At 13:54 28/10/2005, you wrote: > >Hi George and all, > > > >Spent some time last night in the IRC with Timo and Boris working out what > >to do with Height Maps / Height Fields exported out of World Machine, or > >apps of that ilk. In my case I did a test and Exported out of WM as a TGA. > > > >STOP - CONVERT THE TARGA TO A JPG. Strangely I have found that if I use a > >TGA first out, in the Shader in RS, it does not work. If I initially load > >a JPG version all is fine. Then replace it with the Targa - IT THEN SEEMS > >TO WORK WITH TARGA. A bug Maybe? Not Sure ... After you have got through > >below and know what I mean, try it. > > > >SO, I then launched RS, and created a new VSL Material with just a Bump > >Map VSL object inside a Surface Geometry Shader. > > > >DO NOT USE THE WIZARD TO CREATE A BUMP MAP - IT DONT WORK, as Timo said, > >quiet eloquently - its F**ked. > > > >Instead do this: > > > >1. Open a new project > >2. Go to the MATERIALS Tab in the Select Window [ usually Left side strip > >under File menu on default environment ] > >3. Right click in between AND NOT ON the default Materials. Select PURGE > >to clear out the defaults and create a blank space. > >4. Right click again and select NEW, VSL MATERIAL > >5. The Material Preview Square appears - Double Click this > >6. AVOID THE WIZARDS - Just click / tick advanced > >7. Select the Material Folder object [ top left in the Shaders tab under > >the word Shaders ] > >8. Now right click this and select New, Shader > >9. A Sub Object Appears Called Surface properties - we need to change this > >10. Look further down the screen underneath the VSL OBJECTS Section at > >Shader Type > >11. Click the little down arrow to see the contents of the drop box > >and Select SURFACE GEOMETRY instead > >12. Now look back up the screen - the Sub Object has changed to SURFACE > >GEOMETRY > >13. Next we look at the VSL OBJECTS section. From here Drag and Drop the > >BUMP OBJECT into the Surface Geometry Sub Folder > >14. You should now have: > > > >Material > >I_____Surface Geometry > > I_____________Bump Height=Bump [ Map coords ] > > > > > >15. Look under the Vsl Objects section and you will see the Bump Object > >Properties. At this stage all you need to do is load your saved JPG Height > >Map image into the File section. > >16. Once loaded, way up top left above the ADVANCED tick box TICK PREVIEW. > >You should now see your Bump Height Map Preview > >17. IMPORTANT - Below in the Bump Mapping Properties, under Vsl Objects, > >set the Bump Height to something like 0.01. Remember this number. I also > >realise you cannot see the Bump in the preview anymore just a smooth > >sphere, dont worry. Change back to 0.1 again and its back. 0.01 is a low > >height, too low to be visible in the preview. > >18. Close the Material Properties window > >19. In the Select Window switch over to the GEOMETRIC OBJECTS Tab, the > >first one left of the Materials tab > >20. Select the SDS Tab above left and now click on the SDS Rectangle, > >before accepting and / or drawing, we need to increase the resolution of > >the rectangle. Change the U and V from default 2 to 10. > >21. Before Drawing, go to the top view > >22. Now drag out your Rectangle from above > > > >NEARLY THERE > > > >23. Under the GEOMETRIC OBJECTS Tab you should have ROOT and a Subdiv > >object [ the rectangle ]. Double click the Sub Div Object to go to its > >properties. > >24. Look down to the RENDERING SUBSECTION - Max Displacement. Its at > >0.0000 at the moment. Change this to the same Number you used in step 17 > >above - 0.01 > >25. Close the Object Property Window. Make sure the SubDiv Object is still > >selected and go across to the Materials Tab to our VSL Material we created > >earlier. > >26. Right click the Material, MAP and PARALLEL. > >27. Still in the top view - click the top left of the Rectangle Mesh and > >drag out to the bottom right of same to apply the Parallel Map. > >28. Now go back to the Front view and ALT RIGHT MOUSE in the view until > >you have a perspective view you like. NOW HIT THE RENDER BUTTON > >29. You should now see a Displaced HEIGHT MAP on your rectangle. > > > >WHAT IS A DISPLACEMENT MAP? Well from what I understand it physically > >alters the geometry of the surface to the 'shape' of the Height Map as > >opposed to applying just a bump map which gives the illusion, but does not > >change the geometry. Shadows will work with the displaced surface ... I > >Think, over to the guru's! > > > >30. Mess around with the 0.01 figure - increase / decrease and see what > >you get. Remember higher amounts of displacement takes longer to render > >AND if you change the number make sure you do so for both the Rectangle > >Object Properties [ rendering, max disp ] and the Material Properties [ > >Bump Height ] > > > > > >Phew, loads of steps, but I did this in a way that made no assumptions of > >knowledge. I realise this may be too simple for Guru's, but its written > >for us grunts down in the trenches :) > > > >Cheers > >Aidan > > > > > >At 20:22 27/10/2005, you wrote: > >>Hi Mark, List, > >> > >> > BTW: see http://www.world-machine.com for some fascinating new landscape > >> > simulation software! > >> > >>Is the interface with RealSoft real easy? > >> > >>Neil Cooke > >> > >> > >>----- Original Message ----- > >>From: "Mark Heuymans" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >>To: <[email protected]> > >>Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 2:15 AM > >>Subject: Re: back online finally > >> > >> > >> > At 06:43 PM 10/26/2005 -0400, you wrote: > >> > > >> > >Hi List : > >> > > > >> > > Not dead . My computer was , for 2 1/2 months however . Myself , I > >> > >spent that time mostly out of town , 1 month on vacation and 1 1/2 months > >> > >on another Hydro generator rebuild project . Home once and a while on > >> > >Sundays and the time I did put toward getting the virus's out was mostly > >> > >wasted ... they turned out to be on the network as well . > >> > > > >> > > Anyway , I hope all is well with everyone here , and that all had an > >> > >enjoyable summer and a nice autumn , so far . > >> > > > >> > > Thousands of emails to catch up on now that that out of town project > >> > >has ended and I'm finally back online , with a good firewall this time ! > >> > > > >> > >Cheers > >> > >Garry Curtis > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > Welcome back, I was just getting worried... ;) > >> > > >> > SP2 has been out for a while now but it's been very quiet on this list > >> > lately. Maybe SP2 solved so many problems there are no issues left? > >> > > >> > BTW: see http://www.world-machine.com for some fascinating new landscape > >> > simulation software! > >> > > >> > > >> > cheers, > >> > Mark Heuymans > >> > > >> > >
