Hi folks,

I've never used Terragen or Vue. In fact the last 3D landscape software I used was Mojoworld 3 - which I think came out 5 years ago and has not been updated since.

So what do folks think of the pros and cons of Terragen 2 vs Vue?

Thanks, Jim

I'm not an expert at either software, but IMO Terragen 2 has better quality and realism than Vue 8. For me, Terragen is more difficult to learn than Vue. Vue seems to have a more logical layout and the way everything is set up makes more sense than Terragen. If you could combine the layout and features of Vue with the quality of Terragen that would  be an awesome software. One thing I've learned about both software is there aren't many tutorials available, and if you go to the Terragen forums very little is explained in terms that a beginner can understand. If you have a question they will tell you to do this or do that, but not really go into much detail about what each step does and how it affects the image.  

I've found Terragen to be very potent. It can render photorealistic scenes, which is something I desire.You can operate on huge scales: from smallest pebble, to the largest planet (maybe even stars, if you've got that kinda mojo).

The downsides I know are:

1: The documentation on their web site leaves much to be desired.
2: Tutorials that are easy to follow are rare. Most tutorials only cover rookies.
3: The learning curve will make Rosie 'o Donell look anorectic.

Despite that, I'm gonna buy the software soon enough, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will increase the quality of my art. Check out this thread for more info: Terragen 2.


Good luck!

I can't tell you much about Vue, but i sure do like TG (1 and 2) many of my posts here have used both versions. TG2 is quite versatile in terms of landscapes / planetscapes, with good rendering capabilities, and the ability to import .obj files and a few other formats..... but Fahad does bring up some good cons; no one could say that TG2 is easy to learn. There are some folks who use Vue around here, i think JanL's latest used it

Hi,

Thanks for the info and link to the other thread on Terragen.  I hope to find the try before the summer is over to download the free version of T2 and see how well I do with it.

I tried the first terragen a few days ago, but i found it very confusing and it made me lose interest in the whole series. I had been entranced (is that how its spelled?) by pics on SV using terragen 2 and i wanted to get what i considered the next best thing. I found it akward ( is that how its spelled?) to use. I agree its a its a beautiful renderer, but im wondering, if there is a free version of terragen 2, is it any easier to use, or at least learn?

No, sorry, the free version (for both TG1 and TG2) is essentially the same thing as the paid version, only without some of the fancy features. The planetside forums (i think i linked to them in the thread Fahad mentions above) are an excellent source. While both 1 and 2 have completely different interfaces, neither one is very easy to learn. If you have tried the first one, you might try the 2nd, it has a 'node' based interface, where each node does something to some part of the image, the terrain, clouds, sun, etc. It looks very intimidating, and can be tough to get started, but once you grasp how the nodes work together, at least the basics, it starts moving a lot faster.

BTW the main difference between TG1 and TG2, at least to me, is that TG1 has no way to include any objects (buildings, spaceships, trees) 1 is basically just a terrain renderer, while 2 can import .obj files to render.

Ill have to look at that. Im still skittish (is that how its spelled?) about the series though.