View source for Terragen

{{short description|Scenery generator software}}
{{distinguish|Terrigen}}
{{redirect|Planetside Software|the video game series|PlanetSide}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = Terragen
| logo                   = 
| screenshot             = [[Image:TG2 Deep UI.png|250px]]
| caption                = Terragen 2.0.1.1
| collapsible            = 
| author                 = Matt Fairclough
| developer              = Planetside Software
| released               = 
| latest release version = 4.5.56
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|2021|01|01}}
| programming language   = [[C++]]
| operating system       = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[macOS|Mac OS X]]
| platform               = 
| size                   = 
| language               = 
| genre                  = [[3D computer graphics]]
| license                = [[Commercial software|Commercial]], [[freeware]]
| website                = {{URL|https://planetside.co.uk/}}
}}

'''Terragen''' is a [[scenery generator]] program for [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[macOS|Mac OS X]] developed and published by Planetside Software.  It can be used to create renderings and animations of landscapes.

==History==
<span id="Development"></span>
{{Infobox software
| name                   = Terragen Classic
| logo                   = 
| screenshot             = 
| caption                = 
| collapsible            = 
| author                 = Matt Fairclough
| developer              = Planetside Software
| released               = 
| latest release version = 0.9.43
| latest release date    = {{Start date|2005|09|07}}
| latest preview version = 1.9.99.1
| latest preview date    = {{Start date|2008|07|31}}
| programming language   = 
| operating system       = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[macOS|Mac OS X]]
| platform               = 
| size                   = 
| language               = 
| genre                  = [[3D computer graphics]]
| license                = [[Commercial software|Commercial]], [[Freeware]]
| website                = [http://planetside.co.uk/terragen-classic-windows-download Terragen Classic for Windows]<br>[http://planetside.co.uk/terragen-classic-mac-download Terragen Classic for Mac]
}}

Released in stages (tech preview and [[Software development cycle|beta]]) to a participating community, Terragen 2 was released to pre-purchasers on 2 April 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://forums.planetside.co.uk/ |title=Planetside Forums |access-date=2008-01-02 |archive-date=2008-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106134717/http://forums.planetside.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://dhvterragen.blogspot.com/2009/02/final-release-date-in-march-2009-for.html Pre-purchasers get release early]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Terragen 2 is offered in feature limited freeware and full-featured commercial licenses.

Planetside Software released the first public version of Terragen 2 after more than three years of development of both the core technologies and the program itself.<ref>{{cite book| author1=M. Larsson |author2=M. Wrenninge |author3=Roble |title=ACM SIGGRAPH 2004 Sketches on - SIGGRAPH '04 |chapter=Inter-frame caching for high quality terrain rendering |doi=10.1145/1186223.1186235 |chapter-url=http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1186223.1186235 |page=9 |date=August 2004|isbn=1-58113-896-2 |s2cid=230003 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Matt |last1=Fairclough |author2=M. Wrenninge |author3=M. Larsson |title=ACM SIGGRAPH 2004 Sketches on - SIGGRAPH '04 |chapter=Robust rendering of high resolution terrain: Copyright restrictions prevent ACM from providing the full text for this work |chapter-url=http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1186223.1186236 |doi=10.1145/1186223.1186236 |page=10 |date=August 2004|isbn=1-58113-896-2 |s2cid=23197912 }}</ref> Since then there have been several released updates to both licenses of the software along the development cycle with a series of technology previews and a beta release. The "final" build was released on April 23, 2009, and more updates, including feature modules, are expected to be released later.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=2940.0 |title=Beta Release announcement |access-date=2010-02-03 |archive-date=2009-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608150417/http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=2940.0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Planetside released Terragen 3 in August 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Terragen 3|url=http://terragen3.com/|publisher=Planetside Software|access-date=24 September 2014|archive-date=12 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012041847/http://terragen3.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> Version 3.1 was released in February 2014. Version 4 was released in 2016.

[[Image:Glassy.jpg|thumb|250px|A highly reflective lake, showing off the possibility for photorealistic renders in Terragen Classic]]
[[Image:Julia island2.jpg|thumb|250px|Julia island from Terragen Classic. It can be combined with other tools (here land-mapping as a [[Julia set]]).]]

==Terragen Classic==
Terragen Classic is popular among amateur artists, which can be attributed to it being [[freeware]], its intuitive interface, and its capability to create [[photorealistic]] landscapes when used skillfully. It can also use [[Digital elevation model|DEM]] (digital elevation model) files, and other graphic surface maps for rendering.

A commercial version of the software is also available and is capable of creating larger terrains, renders with higher [[image resolution]], larger [[terrain]] files, and better post-render [[Spatial anti-aliasing|anti-aliasing]] than the freeware version.

The terrain is generated from a two-dimensional [[heightmap]]. The program contains facilities for importing and exporting heightmaps to images, for use in other programs.

==Use in media==
Rendering software contributed by PlanetSide proprietor Matt Fairclough was used by [[Digital Domain]] for effects in ''[[Star Trek Nemesis]]''.  Terragen Classic was used in ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]'', [[The Wicker Man (2006 film)|the 2006 remake]] of ''The Wicker Man'', games, and many TV commercials.<ref>[http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/tgd/index.shtml Terragen 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716095832/http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/tgd/index.shtml |date=2009-07-16 }}, Planetside.co.uk</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetside.co.uk/content/view/24/40/|title=About us: Matt Fairclough, Proprietor and Lead Developer|publisher=Planetside Software|quote=From 2000 to 2003 Matt was also a Technical Director at [[Digital Domain]] in Venice, California. He is credited in [[The Time Machine (2002 film)|The Time Machine]], [[Star Trek: Nemesis]], and [[The Day After Tomorrow]]. Matt initiated the development of Digital Domain's proprietary terrain renderer which was used in the films Stealth, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima and other films and TV commercials. Much of its core technology went on to become Planetside Software's Terragen 2.|access-date=2010-02-11|archive-date=2009-12-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216184302/http://www.planetside.co.uk/content/view/24/40/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.planetside.co.uk/|title=Planetside Home: Change the landscape with Terragen|publisher=Planetside Software|quote=Terragen has been used to create visual effects for many films including [[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]] and [[The Wicker Man (2006 film)|The Wicker Man]], dozens of games and countless TV commercials|access-date=2004-05-16|archive-date=2007-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206145732/http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/tgd/tgd.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

An image from what is now known as Terragen Classic appeared on the April 16, 2001, cover of ''[[Newsweek]]'', and Terragen was used for animations in [[Brandy (entertainer)|Brandy Norwood]]'s "What About Us?" [[music video]].  The classic version was also used by numerous artists, such as [[Joan Fontcuberta]] ("Orogenesis" series),<ref>[http://www.icp.org/site/c.dnJGKJNsFqG/b.2041581/k.A837/Joan_Fontcuberta.htm Joan Fontcuberta.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403185853/http://www.icp.org/site/c.dnJGKJNsFqG/b.2041581/k.A837/Joan_Fontcuberta.htm |date=2008-04-03 }} New York: International Center of Photography. Retrieved 10 July 2008.</ref> and the French photographer Mathieu Bernard-Reymond ("Vous êtes ici" series and "Pôle" series).  Terragen Classic was used to create [[Skybox (video games)|skybox]]es for 3D [[video game]]s such as ''[[Serious Sam]]''.

The software was used by Devastudios to create the mountainous scenery in the intro used by [[Paramount Pictures]] for its centennial anniversary in 2012, alongside [[Autodesk Maya]], with ''[[Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol]]'' in 2011, which would be carried on for [[Paramount Players]], [[Paramount Television Studios]], [[Paramount Animation]] (under supervision of [[Reel FX]] and ATK PLN), [[Paramount+]] and their parent company, [[Paramount Global]] (now known as [[Paramount Skydance|Paramount Skydance Corporation]]), with the latter two being done by Loyalkaspar and Bigstar, based on their work.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Paramount's 100th Anniversary Logo Created With Terragen|url=https://planetside.co.uk/featured-projects/paramounts-100th-anniversary-logo-created-with-terragen/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=Planetside Software|date=3 October 2016|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026012002/https://planetside.co.uk/featured-projects/paramounts-100th-anniversary-logo-created-with-terragen/|url-status=live}}</ref> Devastudios also used the software for the sky and clouds in the 2021 and 2023 [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] logos with ''[[Locked Down (film)|Locked Down]]'' and ''[[Wonka (film)|Wonka]]'', respectively, alongside the [[Academy Color Encoding System]] (ACES) and [[Adobe Inc.|Adobe]] Substance 3D Painter for the latter, which would later be carried on for [[Warner Bros. Television]], [[New Line Cinema]] and [[Warner Bros. Pictures Animation]].

== See also ==
* [[E-on Vue]]
* [[VistaPro]]
* [[Picogen]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons|Terragen|Terragen}}
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*[http://www.planetside.co.uk/ Planetside's Terragen website]
*[https://www.lucbianco.fr/ Luc Bianco’s Terragen gallery]

{{3D software}}
{{Fractal software}}

[[Category:Freeware 3D graphics software]]
[[Category:Global illumination software]]
[[Category:Fractal software]]