Show Your Atlas Love
by Jacob Dankovchik · in Torque Game Engine Advanced · 08/23/2005 (6:58 pm) · 41 replies
With the new starter.fps for TSE being setup, I've finally been able to fully walk around my Atlas terrains, (I never wanted to port a starter myself..) and I must say, it is absolutely amazing! I never realized just how awesome these terrains truly look until you are on foot walking around at normal size and speed. Theres a special feel that the camera simply can't achieve.
Tonight I made a rugged mountain range with lots of erosion channels. At first I thought the mountains looked a bit small and under-detailed. Then I loaded up the starter.fps and shut my mouth fast. I can explore an amount of detail on foot that I never could've dreamed of before. At the scary thing is, I can easily increase the detail from here if I wanted.
So, I am making this thread for people to show off terrains of their own. I'd like to see everyone's wonderful creations! I have two 30 second videos to offer, myself.
Btw, this was created in L3DT and the videos were compressed using a DivX 5.1.1 codec.
www.planetgargoyle.com/dm/tse.avi
www.planetgargoyle.com/dm/tse2.avi
I'll post some pics in a little bit. Some come on GG peeps, show your stuff with Atlas too!
Tonight I made a rugged mountain range with lots of erosion channels. At first I thought the mountains looked a bit small and under-detailed. Then I loaded up the starter.fps and shut my mouth fast. I can explore an amount of detail on foot that I never could've dreamed of before. At the scary thing is, I can easily increase the detail from here if I wanted.
So, I am making this thread for people to show off terrains of their own. I'd like to see everyone's wonderful creations! I have two 30 second videos to offer, myself.
Btw, this was created in L3DT and the videos were compressed using a DivX 5.1.1 codec.
www.planetgargoyle.com/dm/tse.avi
www.planetgargoyle.com/dm/tse2.avi
I'll post some pics in a little bit. Some come on GG peeps, show your stuff with Atlas too!
About the author
#2
08/23/2005 (7:23 pm)
Wow, that's spiffy. Looks like you got the whole importing terrains thing down pretty good. ;)
#3
08/23/2005 (7:29 pm)
Thats nothing.. You should see what I'm cookin up for ya next! Im rebuilding the Massive, which was my 24 km squared terrain. This one is much more dense and better.. My jaw seriously dropped when I saw the heightmap that was generated. This thing is going to be savage. I made the texture already, I'll set the terrain mesh to build tonight while im sleepin.
#4
So come on GG community! Step up! Surely one of you can defeat me and my terrains! Come and dethrone them!
08/23/2005 (7:51 pm)
Well, as promised, here are some stills of that terrain there. Very high res, so beware!So come on GG community! Step up! Surely one of you can defeat me and my terrains! Come and dethrone them!
#5
Here's what I'm working on, still playing with settings until I get something that looks right:
I'd like to see what others are doing as well!
08/23/2005 (8:56 pm)
Hey Jacob, those shots look great :)Here's what I'm working on, still playing with settings until I get something that looks right:
I'd like to see what others are doing as well!
#7
08/24/2005 (11:22 am)
Yeah, that's a very cool look.
#8
08/24/2005 (12:53 pm)
Think the static meshes need thier specularity and ambience tied into the sun colour there though, they stand out a lot.
#9
08/24/2005 (1:48 pm)
Yah, we didn't add the update that affects the specular lighting for materials yet, that should help. Think I got the ambient matched properly between the meshes and the terrain now...those 16 hr renderings are not cool :)) 
#10
08/24/2005 (6:12 pm)
Very nice guys, very nice. Great to see this stuff put to good use.
#11
Hmm, but wait. Can't see too much in the pic with a view distance of 3,000 meters.. Lets turn that up to 40,000.
This here is the new Massive! 6.4 million trianges and 32,768 meters on each side! This is definatly the largest work of Atlas that I know of yet! As I said, those mountains are actually very large but its hard to tell. And the texture is so crappy cause its only a 4096. I'll get some more stuff of it soon.
08/26/2005 (6:41 am)
Well, here is the newest terrain I've produced. You can't really tell from the picutre, but those mountains are huge! I'll try to get another ingame video of the Orc running around in it.Hmm, but wait. Can't see too much in the pic with a view distance of 3,000 meters.. Lets turn that up to 40,000.
This here is the new Massive! 6.4 million trianges and 32,768 meters on each side! This is definatly the largest work of Atlas that I know of yet! As I said, those mountains are actually very large but its hard to tell. And the texture is so crappy cause its only a 4096. I'll get some more stuff of it soon.
#12
08/26/2005 (8:30 am)
I showed my Atlas love by writing the 'Torque Shader Engine" article on Wikipedia and giving it a screenshot. 
#14
I'm learning the ways of L3DT right now. I can't recommend this program enough for people out there, this thing is GREAT! This is a fjord i just made by HAND, drew it out with L3DT's terrain drawing system in about, 3 minutes. My first hand-drawn terrain.
Obvioulsy I haven't added water yet. ;)
08/26/2005 (10:45 am)
Nice terrain Stefan. What did you make it with?I'm learning the ways of L3DT right now. I can't recommend this program enough for people out there, this thing is GREAT! This is a fjord i just made by HAND, drew it out with L3DT's terrain drawing system in about, 3 minutes. My first hand-drawn terrain.
Obvioulsy I haven't added water yet. ;)
#15
I make all our terrains in Terragen and then hand-edit them in PS, which usually doesn't turn out exactly as I want them.. but the result looks good enough.
The one above is part of a BF terrain, though - and edited/scaled.
What do you make your textures with? Vanderbeck's util?
08/26/2005 (10:53 am)
Wow Jacob, that looks great actually! Didn't know about L3DT.I make all our terrains in Terragen and then hand-edit them in PS, which usually doesn't turn out exactly as I want them.. but the result looks good enough.
The one above is part of a BF terrain, though - and edited/scaled.
What do you make your textures with? Vanderbeck's util?
#16
I'd strongly reccomend trying L3DT. Its currently undergoing quite a few changes too, some really cool updates comming. But you can easily hand-craft terrains and they look great or just use a random generator with certain settings. It works very quickly, everything renders very fast. And best of all, its totally free with NO limitations!
08/26/2005 (11:25 am)
L3DT makes its own textures. It comes with its own library of smaller textures, or you can use your own and it uses them to generate its own full terrain texture. You use whats called a climate file which says which textures to use at which heights, slopes, etc. For that fjord there I used a temperate climate on the lower areas so that placed the grass and sand, then on the mountains used an artic climate to make the snow all over.I'd strongly reccomend trying L3DT. Its currently undergoing quite a few changes too, some really cool updates comming. But you can easily hand-craft terrains and they look great or just use a random generator with certain settings. It works very quickly, everything renders very fast. And best of all, its totally free with NO limitations!
#17
But for textures, I really like how Terragen works. It looks awesome, too.
08/26/2005 (12:05 pm)
Sounds alot like how Terragen does it's texturing. I'd have to give L3DT a go though, didn't know it was free (doh).But for textures, I really like how Terragen works. It looks awesome, too.
#18
08/26/2005 (12:09 pm)
Well L3DT is receiving a bit of an over-haul on its texture setup for next update. The author is puttin in you what refers to as "texture splatting", which seems to blend textures like torque does. Can't wait to see that.
#19
08/26/2005 (1:06 pm)
Sounds like L3DT is the best tool for creating Atlas terrains ATM. Someone should post is as a Tool resource if it hasn't already.
#20
I played with L3DT for a while and I like it, particularly its faster texture renders. I just felt that there were a bit mroe options in terrain creation with terragen, but I might work with it a bit more. I do wish I could incorporate those normal maps that L3DT makes into TSE :))
08/26/2005 (1:22 pm)
I use Terragen myself. I like the level on control you get with the texture generation. Stefan, regarding work with the terragen heightmap in PS, you might want to try this TGA exporter for terragen. It makes it a little easier to edit in PS and return to terragen to get accurate textures, etc.I played with L3DT for a while and I like it, particularly its faster texture renders. I just felt that there were a bit mroe options in terrain creation with terragen, but I might work with it a bit more. I do wish I could incorporate those normal maps that L3DT makes into TSE :))
Associate Joseph Euan