I am in contact with Terragen user Luc Bianco and we recently discussed the merits of Vue as he owns a copy V6 and was willing to learn it. Our discussion made me realize Terragen really excels in making rocky landscapes (among many other things).

Like other programs (Mojoworld according to Luc), Terragen uses procedural surfaces.

The rocks, in the latest of Luc's images, are made with this feature

Another example from his gallery

You will note that the procedural engine is used to generate displacements in correlation with colors and other surface attributes. Displacements can occur in any direction, not only vertical like terrains.

Is there a way to achieve similar results in Vue?

I tried to make an image with a rockslide using a Vue procedural terrain, but the resolution is far from enough and large procedural terrains are a hell to work with.

So I think the trick is to use procedural displacements in materials. Do you think it could do the trick? Has anyone succeeded in getting realistic rocks this way?

Look here
I think I have, and yes, material displacement is the key here. You can crerate fake stones this way, and use an alpha channel to place it unevenly. Material displacement goes in all directions, or you can limit it to up direction only.

Did you use displacement materials for this one?

Also, I am concerned about the second image. Maybe applying material displacement to large rock shaped meshes may be the path to creating overhangs such as this one?

I have tried, but the main problem is that I want large displacement features AND smaller bumps on top of it.

Terragen 2 lives by procedural displacements. If you try it, you will see that in almost every node  you have at least one fractal perturbing something! The only apples to apples comparison is TG2 with Vue+displacement materials (which unfortunately on my computer means an almost sure crash, the only problem I have with Vue6).

Bye!!!

P.S.: Luc Bianco looking into Vue... hmm, quite a piece of information...

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P.S.: Luc Bianco looking into Vue... hmm, quite a piece of information...

That is quite amazing....he must have reached the point in TG2 where the frusteration has set in and is longing for a finished application, not a beta...LOL...we mustn't let this get around...heh heh heh

Offrench, you can use the same material twice, in layers, One with displacement, the one on top of it with smaller bump. And play with opcaity.
And yes, I used displcement on the foreground terrain materials.

I wrote to Luc about Vue as we were discussing on one of my images. He then started to work a bit in Vue... then went back to Terragen and made this image:

Before using Terragen, Luc used Bryce, just as I did and we started exchanging emails about it. This was probably in 1999/2000.

As for the layers, I have tried a bit, but this will probably need many tries before I get what I want.

Luc's work is so good, it hurts (literally).

What I'm missing in Vue are realistic fractales, yes Vue's fractals are nice but Terragen seems to have more realistic capabilities there, especially as seen in the clouds. Why can't we make thunderhead clouds with fractals using Spectral clouds?

Also, to achieve Terragen-like results you need to turn Vue's atmosphere settings upside down and I've released some atmos that achieve similiar results. Terragens atmosphere though sometimes look a little too dull and lifeless imo.

Agree with TG atmos, it's a lot harder to get dramatic lighting than in Vue.