Ok, so I guess I'm gonna get in trouble...hehe. But I used TG some. Even won a tiny beginer contest. But the real difference I am wondering about is this: When I look at TG renders and Vue renders, the Vue renders seem a bit more, how shall I say it (?), pix-i-ly. Do you agree that some renders in Vue look, hmmmm, like things aren't as "smooth" as they should be? If so, is that a product of lighting choices? Rendering options? Detail? Tks for answers.

It depends on what vue render you're looking at.. There are a lot of smooth Vue renders out there and then there are some that are grainy... I guess, the main question to ask is: what do you want to do with the program???

Its difficult to say which is better or preferred as its not an apple to apple thingy. Both has their ability to do what is best for you. But if you are thinking that procedural textruing looks better with Terragen, it is somewhat true but not that Vue can't do it, you have to exploit the "function/scaling/bmp texture" etc...to really say what Vue can or cannot be better or at least both are good. Like you said..."..lighting choices? Rendering options? Detail?", yes, its how much you experience...and its hard to remember the setting...LOL! Talking about off the moon procedural texture rendering, IMHO...MojoWorld has the best procedural texturing I ever use.

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=768486

The link is to a test picture I did awhile ago. Now, I use maximum quality and 8 sub-rays to get a smooth render. I pay a price in render time. My renders can easily take 24 hours. A recent render plodded through 3 days - think 1% every 3 hours (20+ transparent objects took a lot of time).

Charles

It's never really been fair to compare Terragen with other Landscape generation and rendering programs any more than it's fair to compare Linux with Windows or the Mac OS. Terragen is a freeware program that creates absolutely beautiful skies and atmospheres, but does little else besides some really basic terrain generation. I'm sure if Terragen were a commercial program, its writer would have had the incentive to develop it far beyond its present form, and by now it might even be king of the virtual hill, so to speak. The truth is that with Vue or Bryce or World Builder or WCS you can do a heck of a lot more than just create terrains and render skies. You can import 3D objects, create vegetation, simulate natural forces...heck, with a program like Vue, you can even do an indoor scene that has nothing to do with skies or terrains! You just can't do that with Terragen. As far as render quality goes in Vue, it's always "Speed vs. Quality". Vue is fully capable in extremely high quality renders if you want to let it sit and render for a couple of days. However, if you've just got to get your finished image posted to the Vue gallery in the next 30 minutes...well, you can do that, but you're going to sacrifice quality. The other thing to remember is most people using Vue render to their full screen size, and then wind up reducing the image or compressing the heck out of it in order to get it down to gallery size. This always degrades the quality of the gallery images. All this being said, I have a lot of respect for Terragen. It does what it does very well...it just doesn't do enough to be compared to a program like Vue. -SMT

There is a registered version of Terragen which allow the user to render in unlimited resolution, other than that it is all the same. There are also quite a fes plugins that works with Terragen, namely "Waterworks" with which breaking water edges, level depth, there is also "Forester" which can created distance scattered populated vegetation..and also "Export Only" which allow terrain in Terragen to export LW, obj, 3ds and some others. The creator, Matt Fairclough of Planetsite is actually on contract work with Doc Mojo (I think) and that is why Terragen at the moment is temporary halted at version 0.884. From what I understand from their user list, Terragen user are expectating a version 1 release someday when Matt finished his contract. This program has all my respect and under expert hands, most image created with it, I find it hard to get by with Vue.

Thanks to all for the lengthy and informative responses. Yes, I followed TG for some time. I also knew that Matt is a busy guy and had a lot on his plate (though I didn't know exactly what). It was REALLY nice of him to offer what he was doing for free. And for free, it was/is a really great item! I also know he had plans for adding rocks and plants/trees. But he is buys. Also, I believe he said in a message on his site that he plans to get it to a certain point and sell it for $79 (I believe). Which would also be a very good price if he finished the planned add-ins. As I recall, there were some limitations and problems...not using all the memory as the setting suggested it would (and something else I can't place my finger on. But as said above, about apples and apples...yes, I know Vue has many other things that TG (and even the planned release) doesn't have. Like most, I wish the two things blended together with the best features of each. I LIKE the four (or is it 3?) windows Vue has. It adds much better perspective than TG does. Also, TG could do well to use the same small "draft" window in the upper right like Vue does (instead of having to click the button). It's also easier to place lighting in Vue. I could go on, but since I finally broke down and ordered Vue, it's obvious which program (and its abilities) finally won out. Since I use Poser, it was kind of a given. But I hoped there was a way to improve on the graininess I have seen here and there. Thanks especially to Sitting who posted the URL above (very interesting reading) that I printed out for my notebook. I didn't understand everything, but I don't have the pgm yet. In all the tests that people did and the times posted, I didn't see mention of the PC and memory and processor posted. I certainly hope I don't have to do 12-24 hour renders...hehe. BTW, not sure how many people here browse the Poser forum, but I met (and chatted a bit with) Doc Mojo at Dragon*Con. he showed up wearing a baseball cap with about 8 lights under the bill of varying colors that lit up his face like a rainbow. You had to have been there to appreciate it! I posted a pic of him. PS: Would have replied sooner, but I didn't get any email from R'City that a response had been posted to my queston.

Matt is working for Digital Domain ("Titanic").Terragen is a wonderfull programm , even in the limited version.I started with terragen some years ago,before I got in contact with other 3d programms.I still use it to render sky-textures for cinema 4d xl.But finally the maximum render-quality of terragen is limited in comparison with other programms that were forced to the edge of quality for the final rendering. If Matt isn't working for DD anymore,I'm quiete sure that he did for some time :-))