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Solution - Rendering large city for animation video cut-scenes

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Destructavator:
I think I've finally figured it out.

I've been playing around with a 3D terrain/world rendering program called Terragen 2, which is designed for large-scale renders of outdoor scenes in photo-realistic quality, and can do movie clips as well by rendering individual video frames and then applying motion blur.

The program also has an OBJ loader which can load static meshes and move/rotate/etc them among animation frames, as well as applying lighting and transparency FX.  It can do this not only as single objects, but also as procedurally-created populations which can be set to automatically sit on top of terrain.

Normally the population render is for trees, plants, vegetation, etc., but I've found it also works for buildings and other imported models.

AFAIK the free version makes renders compatible with GPL Open-Source projects, although the free edition doesn't do animation (only one single frame at a time) and has other limitations.

Here's a quick example with a simple, spartan terrain and no clouds/sky stuff, but just to show off a 3D model of a building in a population.  I got this "factory" model from an open art collection, according to that site this model is public domain IIRC.

...So all I need now is a few good OBJ models of modern buildings of various types, even half a dozen is good, and I can make what looks like a city.

I'm in the process of getting the full version of the software with animation.

Crystan:
Cool! Is it possible to add effects like lasers to the animations so you can make a intro movie with it? Btw. i think this pic is a horror for environmentalists. :D

Destructavator:

--- Quote from: Crystan on October 17, 2010, 01:48:43 pm ---Cool! Is it possible to add effects like lasers to the animations so you can make a intro movie with it? Btw. i think this pic is a horror for environmentalists. :D

--- End quote ---

Yes, when combined with other software tools for non-linear video editing (something I also do work in), that's exactly the idea, yes, as I've been planning for a long time to replace the existing, clunky intro movie that was never really finished.

Combined with Blender, and skill for using both Terragen 2 and Blender effectively, quite a bit is possible.

I also own registered copies of some video editing software, although for the record I've seen a lot of open-source apps really catch up quite a bit in the field.

H-Hour:

--- Quote from: Destructavator on October 17, 2010, 08:44:20 am ---...So all I need now is a few good OBJ models of modern buildings of various types, even half a dozen is good, and I can make what looks like a city.

--- End quote ---

I assume you just want tall, large-city buildings, yeah? I've got a small two-story office business building and a warehouse with a loading platform in 3DSM I could probably export to OBJ, but they're probably not right for a big city.

Destructavator:

--- Quote from: H-Hour on October 17, 2010, 08:29:01 pm ---I assume you just want tall, large-city buildings, yeah? I've got a small two-story office business building and a warehouse with a loading platform in 3DSM I could probably export to OBJ, but they're probably not right for a big city.

--- End quote ---

Actually I need a variety, so what you have would be quite helpful.  Most populated areas on Earth are not deep inner-city, and even the urban areas that I've seen here in the United States have a variety of structures, not just tall skyscrapers.

Country barns and farm buildings would also be good for rural areas, they could be put on the terrain with the same technique.

Most of our planet's surface is really not populated at all, but the Terragen software itself takes care of that with no problem.

Side note:  Do we have simple 3D models for Phalanx base structures?  If so, I could use them to make a base out in the wilderness (or in any other area) for in-game movie clips.

Another side note:  I can also use streets and roads, for running between buildings.

EDIT:  Please note that building models for this type of thing should be simple, as highly detailed meshes with lots of polys will really slow down renders, and the camera won't typically be in that close to them anyways.

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