Readme.txt for Terragen v0.8.11 This version of Terragen is Copyright © 2000 M.P.Fairclough and may only be redistributed according to the requirements specified in the file Redist.txt. Use of this software is subject to the conditions in the License Agreement. Registration is compulsary for commercial use, as specified in the License Agreement. See http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/register.shtml for information about registering and registration requirements. ============================================================ MAJOR NEW FEATURES FOR v0.8 =========================== * Larger terrains (up to 4097x4097 for registered users, 513x513 for everyone else) * Real world scale adjustment (ie. specify terrain size, cam position etc. in metres) * Planet curvature, on any size of planet (optionally can be disabled for easier compositing) * Anti-aliasing (with 'ultra' settings for registered users) * Shadows and sunbeams from clouds ( http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/images/transpennine.jpg ) * Improved surface map textures (closer to the "realism" of v0.6 while maintaining the flexibility of v0.7) * Allows plug-in terrain accesories (importers, exporters, generators etc.) * Other plug-in capabilities (surface map, water, terrain effects, and more to come) * A PDK (Plug-in Develop Kit) will soon be available ( http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/dev/ ) ------------------------------------------------------------ IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS WHEN USING TERRAGEN v0.8.11 ==================================== IMAGES ====== Images are now saved at 24-bit depth, whatever your display depth is set to. The image size is unlimited in the registered version (limited to 1280x960 in the unregistered version). ------------------------------------------------------------ WORLD FILES =========== World files now contain all scene information and render settings, except for the terrain. The terrain must be saved and loaded separately. ------------------------------------------------------------ SKY AND CLOUDS ============== The cloud layer display will not always accurately represent the properties of the cloud layer. The density controls will not update the display. Please use the 'Update View' button. If areas of the rendered image are being left black, it is because the cloud layer is not covering enough of the sky. You can fix this by increasing 'Sky Size'. See 'Other Known Bugs / Problems' Cloud Layers are now saved with world files and/or atmosphere files. There are still problems with the 3D clouds, so it is unadvisable to enable the '3D' option in normal circumstances. 3D clouds are only worth using if you have 'cloud accuracy' set very high (in Render Settings). For 2D clouds this will not have much noticeable effect, but it adds a huge amount of detail to 3D clouds. ------------------------------------------------------------ RENDER SETTINGS =============== Render Settings can be found by clicking on the appropriate button in the Render Control window. The Atmospheric Accuracy setting can be changed, but high accuracy settings mean longer rendering times. To achieve the shortest possible render times, do not set the accuracy higher than the middle setting, even for full renders. However, in some scenes a higher accuracy may be needed. Increase the Atmospheric Accuracy if you notice strange dark bands or lines in areas of clear sky. ------------------------------------------------------------ LANDSCAPE ========= Surface maps can now be saved. They are also saved with world files, and surface map data can be loaded from world files. Surface map data can also be loaded into or saved from a surface layer, because layers are themselves mini surface maps. In this version there is no preview of the overall surface map. You will need to render image previews to see the results. Apologies for the removal of this feature - it will be re-included in future versions. A simpler, less daunting method of controlling surface distribtion is under development, but the advanced options will still be present. Terrains can now be exported as LightWave 3D objects (*.LWO) Note that the rightmost column and topmost row of the terrain does not get saved. This is partly due to a limitation of the LightWave object format. Full detail is preserved, and elevation points are separated by 1 unit. ------------------------------------------------------------ ANIMATION ========= Animations can be rendered by using a script to inform Terragen of camera motion, etc. ------------------------------------------------------------ OTHER KNOWN BUGS / PROBLEMS =========================== If you find that regions of the image are being left black, this is because the clouds and landscape are only rendered over certain areas of the image. If areas are being left black, you should try increasing the 'Sky Size' of the cloud layer. It is advisable to keep the sky size as small as possible without leaving black areas, as this helps to keep the rendering times as short as possible.