[WIP] High quality skyboxes

[Quanon 263]

 

Glad you like it

 

I could try to make such a tutorial, but I don't have that much time right now and I've never written a tutorial before so don't expect anything in the near future.

And I don't think that I understand Terragen either xD Most of the time I spend working with Terragen is spent with endless Google searches for some of those non-existing TG tuturials...

 

For now I'd recommend a tutorial like this one http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=7733.0 (I used another one but I can't find that :/ )

and checking out the official TG wiki. http://www.planetside.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page It's sadly pretty incomplete but there are good descriptions for some shaders/nodes, explaining all the settings. And sometimes, as seen here http://www.planetside.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Planet_Atmosphere there are visual comparisons that help quite a lot.

And downloading scenes from other people to play around with helps too, as does try and error in general^^

 

 

Sorry

 

Manny thanks for those tutorials, should get me started on the right track

[Sith Holocron 2,478]

Oh, and I did a quick test to see if the city models I found work for Taris and if my computer can handle many buildings and it seems like Taris won't be a problem. And unlike the Kashyyyk test, I'll share this one with you

Might I suggest while you're working on your Taris skybox, that you keep Brotherhood of Shadow: Solomon's Revenge in mind? You see . . . that mod has an additional skybox for Taris that has a sunset color theme to it.

 

 

 

It would be nice to have the same quality across both Taris skyboxes.

[Kexikus 995]

Might I suggest while you're working on your Taris skybox, that you keep Brotherhood of Shadow: Solomon's Revenge in mind? You see . . . that mod has an additional skybox for Taris that has a sunset color theme to it.

 

It would be nice to have the same quality across both Taris skyboxes.

 

I'll keep it in mind. It shouldn't be too much work once I've done the standard skybox.

The problem is that I still need to figure out a way to have an evening sky while the lighting on the buildings still matches the 3d buildings... But once I'll get there I can make the BoS:SR skybox too.

[Red Hessian 9]

Is it just me, or is there a visible line in the middle of the first Dantooine screenshot (the one with more dramatic rain clouds)? It looks like it divides the lighter from the darker clouds. It's a bit of an eyesore.

[Mephiles550 227]

Is it just me, or is there a visible line in the middle of the first Dantooine screenshot (the one with more dramatic rain clouds)? It looks like it divides the lighter from the darker clouds. It's a bit of an eyesore.

I see it too, but it really shouldn't be that noticeable in game when you're not placing the majority of your focusing on the skybox alone.

[Kexikus 995]

That line wont be visible in the final Version. What you see in the screenshots above are only low quality tests to see if the skybox looks good in-game.

[Kexikus 995]

I present to you: Taris

(or atleast a low quality test of only the skybox texture itself^^)

 

 

The interesting part is of course the background. It's a bit hard to see due to the 2d bulidings in front of it, so here's one of the textures itself for you to see the beauty of Taris' skyline

 

 

 

 

 

In vanilla, there are no bulidings on the skybox texture itself, only two layers of 2d buildings in front of it. But I decided that I'd like to have more depth for the cityscape so I added bulidings to the sky. And I will also replace the original 2d buildings.

[milestails 264]

Yes it feels like there is more depth.

[Red Hessian 9]

Looking good! And yes, it really adds a ton of depth.

[Sith Holocron 2,478]

Have a link to what you're replacing the 3d buildings with?

[Kexikus 995]

Have a link to what you're replacing the 3d buildings with?

 

I won't replace any 3d buildings^^

The 2d bulidings will be replaced with something I render in Terragen and edit in Photoshop, hoping to get something useful. For that render I'll use one or both of those models: http://tf3dm.com/3d-model/martian-colonial-city-96468.html http://tf3dm.com/3d-model/milenium-city-57237.html

The second one I also used for the skybox shown in my last post.

[Sith Holocron 2,478]

The buildings in the second one (Martian City) look more like Coruscant styled buildings. I would go with the first package.

 

Update: Unless you use the Martian ones really far away, behind the other pack.

[Kexikus 995]

I agree with you on that one, but I might still have to use them, simply because the "millenium city" model has a really weird shape with lots of free space that I might need to fill somehow. I'll have to see what I end up with.

[Jorak Uln 458]

I like the coloring you gave the buildings. Now - without that blue tint - the combination of that grey towers shimmering golden in the sunlight gives it a huge amount of flair. Would it be possible to implement different sun positions for the different skyboxes like in Vanilla Kotor? 

 

[Kexikus 995]

I like the coloring you gave the buildings. Now - without that blue tint - the combination of that grey towers shimmering golden in the sunlight gives it a huge amount of flair. Would it be possible to implement different sun positions for the different skyboxes like in Vanilla Kotor? 

 

There is only one skybox for Taris in vanilla KotOR and I tried to copy it's sun position.

[Kexikus 995]

I could use some help

 

And here's why:

Yesterday I did a quick test to see if rendering the buildings in Terragen could work. And it does, as seen in this picture:

 

The colours are obviously wrong and some of the buildings are cut off in the middle, but fixing that is no big deal.

There is however a bigger problem: Those bulidings don't look Tarisian at all... and that's where I could use some help. If anyone knows of any free models that look like Tarisian buildings, let me know. Or if anyone wants to make like 2 or 3 different buildings for me to use, that'd be great too.

And if not, I'll have to find some other solution

[Mephiles550 227]

I don't think there's that much of a problem as long as the majority of the buildings in that render look like Tarisian-style buildings, which they do. A few unique buildings here and there are no problem. Like you said though, the colors do need adjusting.

Looks great so far. I'll be looking forward to this.

[Jorak Uln 458]

I could use some help

 

And here's why:

Yesterday I did a quick test to see if rendering the buildings in Terragen could work. And it does, as seen in this picture:

 

The colours are obviously wrong and some of the buildings are cut off in the middle, but fixing that is no big deal.

There is however a bigger problem: Those bulidings don't look Tarisian at all... and that's where I could use some help. If anyone knows of any free models that look like Tarisian buildings, let me know. Or if anyone wants to make like 2 or 3 different buildings for me to use, that'd be great too.

And if not, I'll have to find some other solution

I think most important for a realistic scenery is, if you look at the vanilla tower on the near right, that you make the proportions right and therefore distances believable: That means - the nearest towers should be almost same size , and the ones behind slowly matching the ones of the back.

I know its just a test, but especially when you look at the horizon and compare, the small ones added in front are way too many and should be bigger. *hope that wasnt too harsh*

 

About my files, i did some tests for the interiors and wanted to solve some issues first, can you wait a few days longer?

[Quanon 263]

I could try and dig up the taris buildings from the modules models themselves. You know cut them out and then export them out to a format Terragen can use?

Like that things will match, textures, the models themselves...

[Kexikus 995]

I think most important for a realistic scenery is, if you look at the vanilla tower on the near right, that you make the proportions right and therefore distances believable: That means - the nearest towers should be almost same size , and the ones behind slowly matching the ones of the back.

I know its just a test, but especially when you look at the horizon and compare, the small ones added in front are way too many and should be bigger. *hope that wasnt too harsh*

 

About my files, i did some tests for the interiors and wanted to solve some issues first, can you wait a few days longer?

 

I didn't really care about any proportions when making that test. I only wanted to know whether or not I can use Terragen to create that texture.

But once I make the real one, I'll keep in mind what you said. Although it could be a little difficult, since it's only one texture used several times (4 times or so in the picture above).

 

And no problem. I'm in no hurry, since progress on Taris has basically stopped anyway :/

 

I could try and dig up the taris buildings from the modules models themselves. You know cut them out and then export them out to a format Terragen can use?

Like that things will match, textures, the models themselves...

 

If you could do that, it'd be amazing

The formats Terragen can use would be .tgo or .obj. Let me know if you'll indeed try this and if I can help in any way.

[Quanon 263]

Found a set of buildings, the ones you can seer from inside the round apartments hallways.

I'm fixing them and applying smooth groups. That sort of info gets lost when compiling with MDLops.

 

Not sure how to go about transpareny for the windows. I know how it works in 3Ds Max, but not for Terragen.

Will have to google that.

 

 

[Kexikus 995]

Found a set of buildings, the ones you can seer from inside the round apartments hallways.

I'm fixing them and applying smooth groups. That sort of info gets lost when compiling with MDLops.

 

Not sure how to go about transpareny for the windows. I know how it works in 3Ds Max, but not for Terragen.

Will have to google that.

 

Amazing Thank you very much already.

About the windows: Couldn't you just use a simple texture that's not actually transparent but looks like windows? Just like the one seen on the right of my last screenshot.

And if I might add a small request: Would it be possible to remove that platform leading to nowhere? I'm just asking since the random placement of the buildings in the final scene could lead to quite a few walkways just hanging there in the end^^

[Quanon 263]

Amazing Thank you very much already.

About the windows: Couldn't you just use a simple texture that's not actually transparent but looks like windows? Just like the one seen on the right of my last screenshot.

And if I might add a small request: Would it be possible to remove that platform leading to nowhere? I'm just asking since the random placement of the buildings in the final scene could lead to quite a few walkways just hanging there in the end^^

Removing the platforms isn't too difficult. I'll tweak the window texture; as now the windows are in a blue tint, not sure if that's the look you want.

Consider those tweaks done

[Kexikus 995]

White Windows with a touch of yellow would probably ne best. Again just as they are seen above^^

 

Edit: I have no idea how much work it'd be but a second model with only a single house to fill gaps would be really useful, so I thought I'd ask you ir you want to make one^^

[Sith Holocron 2,478]

Should the coloring of the windows somewhat reflect the whatever the color of the sky?