I only am using the Vue4 demo as I'm awaiting delivery of the program, but I'm surprised how little control you have over the exact form of the landscape. The many settings may be great for randomizing and creating interesting accidents, but if you have a definite idea of what you want it seems very difficult to achieve. And to edit a picture you've created also seems extremely difficult, say, for example, if a hill in the background should be a bit higher or lower to make the rendered image really work beautifully. You have to go back to the terrain editor and hope for the best? Is this situation because of the demo? How do people handle this situation? There's a great many tutorials available and I'll be looking at them once I receive the program but if anyone could point to one in particular I'd appreciate it very much.

You can give any shape to your terrain in the editor. Just use Airbrush, affects .... and and and... so many features there. To resize a terrain, just do it in one of the 4 windows. You better have a look at the tuts. See this one "first steps with Vue 4" at Guitta

I have to agree with pisacces that using the terrain editor in Vue to get more than a happy accident is difficult at best. I can never seem to get the terrain I want, but usually have to work around the terrain I can get. Yeah, you can use the airbrush and various modes, but the painting is rather inexact. Lately, I've resorted to using a modeler to get the exact shape I want rather than the terrain editor. The TE works great for mountains and such, but if you are looking for exact landscaping (like around a house), I've found the modeler to be a godsend...

So which modeler do you use ShadowWind? --And I think what also might be useful in the TE would be the ability to rotate the point of view, not just zoom in & out.

You can rotate the terrain, just grab it with your right mouse button and do it!! You also may click on options and shape your terrain in there. Or add a bitmap or use a bitmap insteed of the terrain and so fort. :-)Guitta

Thanks Guitta, that helps. I suppose all this is explained in the manual when I get my program. I'm especially interested now in using a bitmap and/or modeler to develope my terrains.

Whilst accepting Gebe's remarks about the range of tools available in the terrain editor, I have to agree with ShadowWind that it can be a rather blunt instrument, particularly if you are trying to recreate an actual real-world terrain. I know Mikeangelo also had to work very hard at this in his images of real scenes. If I were to tackle this sort of project, I would be inclined to pursue the external modeller route. Some of my own terrains have been created with nothing more complex than painting the grayscale heightfield map using PSP7.

Yes Flycatcher, that's what I meaned when I spoke about bitmaps:-). I often create just grey scales in Corel and then use it in the terrain editor. The editor is a really "rich" feature, even without bitmaps. You can create waves ans foam and objects and lots of other things:-) Guitta

Sorry Guitta - I somehow managed to completely miss the last two short posts on this thread before replying! And I agree - the TE is indeed feature-rich and can be used very successfully for all those things and more, it just isn't the last word in precision if you want to model a natural terrain to an exact specification.

Wow, using grayscale bitmaps (in PSP7)is so easy. Thanks everyone for your help!