cubic envirerment (sky box) textures
by Gordon West (ToKrZ) · in Technical Issues · 09/12/2001 (3:04 am) · 11 replies
I recently started making cubic envirement maps (sky box) textures and was wondering what techniques, and aplications others were using to create them with. Curently I have had some success making a solid texture then mapping it to a cube using spherical mapping type and then taking a screen shot of each side in order to get my six textures like the v12 in T2 uses. Are there other methods to get a seamless texture?
Using a spherical map on a cube seems to get me the propper fisheye effect required for the illusion of deph...
sample:
http://www.planettribes.com/extreme/images/screens/skysample.jpg
Gordon West (ToKrZ)
WebMaster Mappers Extreme
http://www.planettribes.com/extreme
Using a spherical map on a cube seems to get me the propper fisheye effect required for the illusion of deph...
sample:
http://www.planettribes.com/extreme/images/screens/skysample.jpg
Gordon West (ToKrZ)
WebMaster Mappers Extreme
http://www.planettribes.com/extreme
About the author
#2
Get either Bryce, VistaPro or Terragen. Place a camera at the origin of the world.
Make sure the camera has a 90 degree field of view, then point it in all six directions (forward, left, right, back up and down) basically, aligning it on the X,Y,Z,-X,-Y,-Z axes.
Render the view at each of the directions and save each one to a file.
Create a .dml file in the same way as the existing skyboxes.
Its as easy as that really. Ive found I tend to prefer Terragen for sky box generation, but thats really an aesthetic reason.
One other suggestion, DONT include any landscape in the render, and try and fade the horizon of the image to the general texture colour of landscape your creating the skybox textures for (it helps to blend things and you can fog a bit at the join to make the sky and the land blend well).
Phil.
09/12/2001 (11:38 am)
My own recommendations:Get either Bryce, VistaPro or Terragen. Place a camera at the origin of the world.
Make sure the camera has a 90 degree field of view, then point it in all six directions (forward, left, right, back up and down) basically, aligning it on the X,Y,Z,-X,-Y,-Z axes.
Render the view at each of the directions and save each one to a file.
Create a .dml file in the same way as the existing skyboxes.
Its as easy as that really. Ive found I tend to prefer Terragen for sky box generation, but thats really an aesthetic reason.
One other suggestion, DONT include any landscape in the render, and try and fade the horizon of the image to the general texture colour of landscape your creating the skybox textures for (it helps to blend things and you can fog a bit at the join to make the sky and the land blend well).
Phil.
#3
when use Bryce, instead of 90, you should use 112.5 as the FOV. cuz there was a bug in the older version of Bryce, that teh camera FOV you specified aren't the actually FOV. as a result, all version bryce have the same problem.
09/13/2001 (9:29 pm)
hmmm....when use Bryce, instead of 90, you should use 112.5 as the FOV. cuz there was a bug in the older version of Bryce, that teh camera FOV you specified aren't the actually FOV. as a result, all version bryce have the same problem.
#4
01/23/2002 (6:16 pm)
Yep Ive now used both terragen bryce and adobe and psp to make them and bryce is definitly the way to go if your willing to invest the time to do it right.
#5
we are either taking photos and using stitcher...
really good results....
or use the reflect/refract map to generate them in max.
automates the lineing up and cropping of each view.
basically whenever you apply the map it makes a skybox (environment cube) anyway, if you choose from file it will it will save them out for you super!
01/23/2002 (8:02 pm)
no way.... they create cheese.......we are either taking photos and using stitcher...
really good results....
or use the reflect/refract map to generate them in max.
automates the lineing up and cropping of each view.
basically whenever you apply the map it makes a skybox (environment cube) anyway, if you choose from file it will it will save them out for you super!
#6
01/24/2002 (6:12 pm)
Sticher? what exactly is Sticher what does it do, and how isit used and could you supply any more detail on using 3dsmax as u mentioned?
#7
basically an opengl sphere, the radius is tuned to the focal length of the photos. It automates stitching photos together, pixel recognition recognises patterns and quickly aligns images. it then colour corrects all the images based on the image you select as the correct exposure... (it really quick)
max enviroments, ___
www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=2024
there you go
01/25/2002 (2:21 am)
stitcher:basically an opengl sphere, the radius is tuned to the focal length of the photos. It automates stitching photos together, pixel recognition recognises patterns and quickly aligns images. it then colour corrects all the images based on the image you select as the correct exposure... (it really quick)
max enviroments, ___
www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=2024
there you go
#8
I'd like to see what they used for Halo though :))
Phil.
01/25/2002 (3:16 am)
Well, terragen will do it for me. Bryce is fine too. I just want a nice looking cloud background.I'd like to see what they used for Halo though :))
Phil.
#10
darkhand.webhop.org/DoP/news.htm
01/25/2002 (3:40 am)
Phil, look at the news in our website. Our mapper did the cloud 'by hand' and put them in a terragen screen.darkhand.webhop.org/DoP/news.htm
#11
im hoping to see that cel shading with those skies...
weeehhh
you had a great idea frank! honestly :)
01/25/2002 (6:09 pm)
looks great frank :)im hoping to see that cel shading with those skies...
weeehhh
you had a great idea frank! honestly :)
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