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I have found on my PC system that DS tends to grab everything it can. I have to change the Affinity settings so that DS doesn't grab all of my CPU processing. Thanks to @L'Adair for telling me about that handy little feature. Before that, I had serious problems with DS freezing up my entire computer even though I have 32 GB of memory. I don't know if MACs have any similar type of process for limiting how much of your resources software can grab, but I'm pretty it would be worth the effort to find out. I have fewer incidents of freezing when I remember to set the Affinity. Unfortunately, with Windows 10, I have to set that every time I load up DS and I forget sometimes. Another thing that helps is clearing the cache and closing out multiple unsaved renders if you do like I do, at times, and stop and start multiple test renders. I have a bad habit of leaving them open for comparison instead of saving them immediately. Just closing those out, frees up resources. If I've been doing that and I'm actually ready for the real render, I'll even close out DS entirely and reload and start with just that fresh render. It seems to help when even purging the DS cache doesn't seem to get rid of what it doesn't need.
I find myself wishing that the scheduler was allowed to run more often during rendering by default. This can be less efficient under certain circumstances (allowing other programs to grab cycles more often, and potentially use memory, etc.), but this can be lessened *if* it's what the user desires by changing the Studio thread's priority (much like setting affinity).
- Greg
I have to shut down my computer and reset the PRAM every time after I use DS. Even after I close DS, my memory is low and when I try to use On1 filters in Photoshop after, I get pop ups that say I don't have enough RAM (I have 32 GB) which is really annoying...
But just to clarify-- checking "memory" in render settings rather than "speed" is the way to go on systems rendering with the CPU, right?
I have Speed checked for Optimization and I run CPU only, no nVidia card.
I first got this when it came out, but as I was out of town, I didn't have a chance to play with it much until today. I've found the preset scenes are slow to render and using the atmosphere prop is also slow. Here's what I did to get haze into the scene in case others can use it as well.
For this example, I loaded the Azone and Bzone props. I then used SinTenero's Randomizer on each until I got something I liked. I used Badlands 008 texture on the Azone, Distant 007 on the Bzone and StratoCumulus for the sky. I used my own camera and moved it to a gully that was off to the side. Added the horse and rider. Iray render with GPU took 5 min 30 secs. Would represent a very clear day as the distant mountains are as sharp as those up close. But because they are equally sharp, there is less sense of distance than I'd like.
I next added the atmosphere prop and 002 Summer Haze material. Render time really took a hit: 7% in 15 min, 16% in 32 min, maxed out at 5000 samples around 60 min (so probably about 30% complete). The summer haze is less than I wanted, but I didn't want to tie up my computer with another slow render using a different texture. The haze was also affecting the foreground more than I'd like.
So instead of the atmosphere prop, I used AoA's depth camera to make a depth mask (rendered in 3DL in just 6 secs). I turned off the limits on the depth camera and used 25 meters for start and 400 meters for end which covered the range I needed and left the foreground unaffected by the haze. I then used a GIMP quickmask to postwork the image using the instructions here (Photoshop instructions in first comment, GIMP in fifth). More manual work for me but faster overall time and I had more control over how to add the fog. I think I'll stick with postwork instead of rendering the atmosphere.
Nice, RGcincy! I love that you gave instructions on what you did. I might have to give that a try. So far, I've only rendered a preset. For my next render, I intend to get creative with the Randomizer, but I haven't gotten back into it yet. Nice idea about the atmosphere. I have that camera, but I've never figured out what you were supposed to do with it once you got the the depth mask. If you are ever in the mood to do a tutorial on using the AoA cameras, hop over to my Lab thread and teach us!
Didn't know about it. I had the AoA camera so it took no time to set it up and I use both Iray and 3DL, so it wasn't a big deal to me to do a 3DL render. Does the Iray depth canvas allow you to set cut-off points?
I gave it a try and both depth and distance canvasses come out all white.Searching online, it seems others have had the same issue. Is there a trick?
I did do an emission canvas which highlighted the sky, which is good to know. I loaded it as a layer in GIMP, selected the black region, expanded the selection by 1 pixel (to get rid of a black line along the sky's edge), then adjusted the opacity of the layer before merging down. This let let me vary the sky independently from the haze map I used before.
The Canvas' are 32bit images. You need to run them through an image processing program (I use Photoshop CC) and use HDR toning to see it properly. Otherwise it will look white.
Ciao
TD
Edit ot add: Here is a quick example of a processed depth map.
Thanks! The version of GIMP I have doesn't have HDR toning - the next version in beta does.
I thought I was having trouble using the TD3 shaders on another object until I realized the UV map of the other object (something I generated in Bryce, I think) was simply terrible; switching to using an Iray Decal solved that problem fast.
Thanks KnittingMommy! I'll keep your offer in mind.
Ok, here you go. The terrain was generated in Bryce, tweaked a bit, then given an Iray decal and a fresh coat of TD3 desert shader. Also TD3 HDRI sky.
(The water is also TD3 water, though I used my Green Sea shader.)
a 3Delight version would be a good thing
And here's the TD3 shaders applied to that free morphing cavern.
(Double size, 13 mb, here: http://willbear.deviantart.com/art/TD3-caverns-633640308 )
Unless I am mistaken the memory setting means that iRay does not put multiple copies of the mesh into the GPU memory for instances, and instead the renderer has to work harder to keep track of where the geometry is, thus the speed drops. My point was that if your scene has no instances at all, then having the optimize for memory setting does no good at all, and you are better off optimizing for speed. Am I wrong here?
Havos: That was my understanding...
I didn't mean to confuse you, Wonderland. Havos is right, of course. I've been using TD3 with Ultrascatter, where the instancing optimization setting is actually relevant.
Oh yeah. I've forgotten to change the setting a few times with Ultrascatter and watched my machine lurch to a halt.
I use 3DL and have been looking at this product.
I have to say, timmins.william... you ROCK! Thanks for all your experimentation. You have helped me make the decision to buy TerraDome... but eee gad! There is so much to choose from, I don't know what to buy.
What do you recommend so I don't unnecessarily drain my bank account.
Also using 3DL you can use procedural gemoetry shaders like AoA's Grass and Rock Shaders.
Haslor: Yeah, I definitely like using grass and rock shaders. Also some of Stonemason's grunge can be useful at times.
dracorn: I honestly don't know, I snatched most of it up fast. ;)
My priority list:
Base TerraDome3 (duh)
Pro-morphs vol 1 (these landscapes have broad applicability, mixed in with others)
The Wounded Land (pretty broadly useful, fairly closely tied with pro-morphs)
Terrashades vol 1 (more shaders is more goodness to play with... but if you have 3DL shaders you're going to be using a lot more, this might be low priority)
The 'it depends' list:
Monumental : Weird big landforms. This REALLY depends on what you want to do -- a 'slumbering giant' or giant faces in the landscape may be really up your alley, or lie unused forever.
Road n rails: Again, this could either be completely vital to your purposes or pointless. I grabbed it up, but I have yet to do much with it. Then again, the parts are handy for other things.
Pro-HDR Skies: Depends on your need for HDR skies. I haven't bothered to get this... yet.
For 3DL folks, some stuff to consider mixing with TD3:
http://www.daz3d.com/grass-shader-for-daz-studio
https://www.daz3d.com/daz-studio-4-natural-ground-shaders (I don't own this, but it looks useful! there are a lot of 'ground shader' options, though tiling may be a problem)
https://www.daz3d.com/grassy-grounds-megapack (actually modeled grass)
https://www.daz3d.com/tiler-shader-for-daz-studio
https://www.daz3d.com/ground-litter-series-pebbles-vol-1
The biggest problem I've run into with 3DL is that with generally simpler shaders, the tiling is more noticeable. Then again, that's a problem with any large scale application of shaders.
It might motivate me enough to start tinkering with elevation and normal-based 3DL shaders. Hrm.
(Ultrascatter can also help by putting stuff in the environment to break up patterns)
Ooo. Getting good, fast results using Shades of Life, without obvious tiling.
This render took 1 minute, 17 seconds.
Bam.
(1 AoA distant light, 1 AoA ambient light, Ocean Wide skydome)
I think it was one of http://www.daz3d.com/shades-of-life-nature shader presets (may have been one of the other Shades of Life, I have three)
I hope this isn't stealing Traveler and Colm's thunder, but I have a free shader that should help with adapting TD3 to 3DL:
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/106626/will-timmins-procedural-shaders#latest
Geeze guys, I take a week off and you go all 3DL on me, LOL
No thunder stealing at all! We support any direction you all want to take TerraDome into!
I am really loving the heck out of these renders, tips, 3DL magick!