This class is for everyone who starts out with Terragen 2, regardless if you have worked with Terragen 1 or start from scratch with version 2 of the program.

Learn how to create stunning landscape pictures with the new Terragen 2. This class takes you through all the basics. You'll get familiar with the tab-based interface, and the basics skills.

Terragen is a scenery generator, created with the goal of generating photorealistic landscape images and animations. It is available for Windows and the Mac OS. Terragen 2, Technology Preview comes in two versions, one is is free for personal, noncommercial use while the other "Deep" Edition is available for purchase. This class will be based on the free edition, which has the following limitations compared to the "Deep" Edition:

• No animation
• Render size is limited to 800 x 600 pixels
• Render detail and Anti-aliasing is limited
• Max. 3 populators will be enabled for rendering

Unlike many of it's competitors, Terragen has always had a great cheering, admiring crowd on the sidelines. Personally I have been one of that crowd since version 7... something. I still have adventurous renders from way back. That was the time when we used anything (a black/white picture of a pizza. myself a sonogram of my grand kid) as experimental sources for making height field terrains for exploration in Terragen.

With version 2 there is a big difference. We no longer have a limited terrain, that spans 513 x 513 pixels or whatever size we limited the terrain to yield. Terragen version 2 has gone "global".

LESSON 1
Global environment

When you open Terragen, you will have similar below window displayed on your monitor:

Camera

When you open Terragen 2, there is nothing that actually tells you clearly where you "are" in this 3D world. The code breaker is the upper, right window, which is your 3D pre-view window.

Notice the little, depressed button just below the red circle. It says "View Camera". In effect this is your view, through your camera. Also notice that there is a button right left of this, that is grayed out at the moment. We will come back how to activate this button in a moment. For now, we want to find out how to move the camera from the 0-0-0 position.

First, - what exactly does 0-0-0 mean? Let us have a look at the 3D window with some explanatory arrows on it:.

In fact what we are seeing is a very small part of a planet. The planet has a completely slick surface, which is gray. The first 0 of the 3 zeros represents the position our camera has on the X-axis. The X-axis is Right/Left (or East/West if you prefer) in your 3D presentation of your scene. The second 0 represents the Y-axis - Up/down (or out in space/underneath the surface of your planet). The last 0 represents the Z-axis - or backwards/forward (or if you prefer, South/North). So what we are seeing in the 3D preview window is a fraction of our planet. The X is 5,000 metres (or yards) away. That is 5 kilometres, or a little under 2 miles away. So obviously we can see things that are far away.

This is an important information, because whatever we are going to create on our planet will appear very small.

You will find information about how to move your camera by clicking on the "Help" option on the menu bar at the top of your work place. Then, select "Mouse and Key settings" and click the little + sign next to the "3D Preview". This will bring up

This menu will lead you how to use the 3D preview window. First we will "centre on Point". Click/Hold as near as you can to the "X" in the Preview window. Then Press the "F" key. This will centre your view around the point you clicked the mouse. Now you have two options. You can either "regret" this view, and click the "View Camera" button (or the V-key on your keyboard).

This reverts your view to the previous camera setting, which was 0,0,0 position. In fact, if you want to confirm your new camera position after the Click/Hold "F" operation, you would have to click the "Set Camera" button (or the "C" key on your keyboard)

This is an important knowledge. You can "snoop" around in your landscape, and if you don't like your view, simply click the "View Camera" button (or click the "V" on the keyboard") and you are back to where you were. If you like what you see, confirm it with the "Set Camera" button.

Let us move the camera far back, - we want to see the whole planet.

To move your view along the Y-axis, - this is called translate in the help menu, hold Ctrl+Alt and use the right mouse button. To zoom out and in, hold Shift+Alt and use the left mouse button.

We will zoom out till we see the whole planet. Hold Shift+Alt and drag the mouse upwards. You will have to do this about 6 times. You might have to adjust the height of the view by holding the Ctrl+Alt while dragging the mouse to get the view you want.
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