planetGenesis 1.8

New planetGenesis 1.8 features...

GUI changes - 

The components are now highlighted by colouring them red. (Thanks to Sid D)
The properties of the noise are selected are displayed on the right hand side. (Thanks to Sid D) 
The joins between components can now be dragged over functions and combiners to insert the function / combiner between the the two joined components.


New Noises -

There's a faster version of Worley noise call FastWorley. The cdownside of using FastWorley is that it is less random than CacheWorley, although I would imagine most people would not notice.  
Linear Sand Dunes. An attempt at linear sand dunes. Note these are perfectly parallel, so need extra work to make them look good.


New functions -
 
Range. It is something like a combination between Clamp and Mask. All inputs below a lower threshold are painted to one value, those between the two thresholds are painted to another value, and those above the upper threshold are painted to a third value. It also has a ramp option which interpolates linearly between two boundary values, based on the input value, thus acting as a softer mask. (Thanks to Colin Paddock)


New Component Type - PostProcess

This type of component was designed to allow the use of algorithms that require the input noise to be calculated for all points before the algorithm can be applied. There are two extra restrictions on their use.

1) They can only be used between the last 'normal' component and the terrain component.

This means you can do...

Noise -> Function -> PostProcess -> PostProcess -> Terrain.

But you can NOT do something like 

Noise -> PostProcess -> Function -> PostProcess -> Terrain.

or

Noise -> PostProcess  -
                        \
Noise -> PostProcess ---  Combiner -> PostProcess -> Terrain.


2) The terrain component does not automatically scale the output of a PostProcess to use the full range of values available to the output format. Instead it use the values 0.0 and 1.0 to represent that range. The PostProcess component 'Accurate Scale' can be used to scale the values with in that range. 


Here's the help stuff.

More detailed instructions can be found at...
http://planetgenesis.sourceforge.net/gui.html


Using planetGenesis is very simple. Most OS's will
now run Java software by double clicking on the 
java program. To run the program from the command line
cd to the directory with the jar file and type

java -jar planetGenesis.jar


Nearly forgot...on Win2000 there's a bug in Direct Draw with some graphic drivers.
If you get regular blue screens or reboots when trying pG...
a) swear at Microsoft for putting graphics stuff in the kernal
b) use the command line and try

java -Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true -jar planetGenesis.jar

a) will get you no where but is good for your karma.
b) should solve the problem.


Now for the Program instructions.
planetGenesis has a simple GUI that looks like a flow chart.

You can move each icon around by click and dragging it.
To join icons together you use shift click and drag.
To add, delete and change icons use the context menu which is 
right click or cmd-click or press and keep down a mouse button 
depending which OS you are using.

To choose what the program outputs, where it saves it
and to actually start the process use the context menu
on the terrain icon, which is the big empty circle
that you start off with.

The preview option requires Java3D to be installed.

Mac OSX
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/java3dandjavaadvancedimagingupdate.html

Linux
http://www.blackdown.org/java-linux/java2-status/java-3d-status.html

Windows and SPARC Solaris
http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/download.html

For more other OS's try.
http://www.j3d.org/download.html


Dave 
Noise -> Function -> PostProcess -> PostProcess -> Terrain.
