Best 3D Terrain Generation Software

making environments is one of the most timec consuming tasks for a 3D artist and in my opinion it is ridiculous to create everything from scratch especially if you are working under a deadline that's why in today's video we'll explore and discuss some of the best tools that can help you make the process more streamlined and efficient so without further Ado let's Jump Right In to start things off we're going to talk about Gia a self-proclaimed leader interin generation software for both VFS and game development and you know what they've got the technology and reputation to back that claim proven by its frequent use in the industry in Productions such as Star Wars Jedi series what I like the most about Gaia is how it offers the best of the Two Worlds I mean from one side it is an advanced software that can be used to create all sorts of gorgeous terrains which in theory can be anything and anything you could imagine whether it be deserts Snowy Mountains Rocky terrains or anything else in between coupled with a strong Foundation of texture generation but then from the other side it also comes with a userfriendly interface that is both simple and minimalistic in addition to a standard realtime preview of the terrains that can reach 16 million polygons and a free version that you can try for yourself now from a technical perspective the way Gaia works is through what we call a node based workflow similar to what we can find in software such as blender this means that we can create breathtaking terrains by combining and mixing a group of boxes that we call nodes each with its own unique features and details that can be adjusted for example there are nodes for mountains rivers cracks and even a group of noise nodes to create different terrain details as an alternative to Gaia we have World creator and let me tell you they are almost at the same level in terms of quality and could potentially challenge it for the number one spot in the field however they are fundamentally different tools let me explain the main difference is that instead of nodes worth creator has a site panel similar to that we can find in Photoshop with a layer based structure and a clear hierarchy that we can use to establish the terrain details shapes colors and more for example we have the global layer that features the primary elements of the Landscapes such just picking the base shape type like dunes or mountains as well as how details we want the Landscapes to be now I know what you are probably thinking you are saying that this workflow is more limited but hear me out it is definitely easier but I wouldn't call it more limited thanks to the presence of filters that we can stack as much as we want on top of each other and we do this to add all sorts of details to our surfaces such as erosion canyons and rock effects in addition to a manual terrain sculpting mode to either sculpt the basic shapes of the terrain or adjust the procedurally generated landscape using the different range of brushes and tools the software provides obviously this is not to take any credit away from Gaia because they are just two totally different software but it all comes down to personal choices but is this the case for the next software before we continue have you ever found it hard to create believable or realistic terrains in side lender do you sometimes struggle to populate your environment or apply realistic environment textures maybe add grass vegetation water and so on if this is the case well the true terrain Atom from trva effects is one of the best solutions for that true terrain is a complete terrain Creation Suite tailor made exactly for you blender users it allows you to effortlessly create terrains using height Maps adding materials snow grass dirt rocks and so on with more than 160 plus seamless textures actually the addon offers also 320 plus assets 29 height maps and four types of water the uses a streamlined process where you can create your environments or terrains step by step by building the terrain itself applying shaders adding assets such as rocks and trees and then adding water bodies all the assets are extremely of high quality and they are very realistic so if you're interested you will find all the necessary links in the description now back to the video another interesting software that has been around for a long time is called W machine and it has been the top choice for ter generation in video games and VFX production for nearly a decade and once again like many other software in this Niche follows a node based approach so as we can see nodes are the Undisputed solution for terrain generation but what makes this one different well let's see for starters it follows once again the usual structure that we have already presented with a UI that is divided into a section where you can combine multiple noes together such as noise natural filters and add things like erosion and snow or even a water system and textures you know all the expected regular features but what makes it different you might say well what sets it apart is the presence of a layout system so basically the way it functions is that we have a height map layout feature where we can Define the shape and size of the terrain by manually drawing it as well as the ability to control the terrain by specifying where the different elements are situated for example imagine designing a continent then specifying where the mountains or valleys are going to be in addition to roads rivers and so on so generally speaking the software offers a good combination of procedural generation and manual adjustment with a free non-commercial Ed version that you can download and start using it and learn with it right now also back in the day view was very popular among 3D artists and VFX Studios especially but it is now a software that I find to be less popular at least less than what it should be from first clance even though the user interface looks like it is all over the place with multiple open windows at once if you start to get the hang of it Things become relatively simple what's different about view is the many possibilities it offers to work with for instance it has a node-based workflow as the core of the program while still having a manual sculpting mode and painting features for the creation of both realistic and surreal shapes it also has the ability to import real world satellite data to generate terrains and build your landscape on it the satellite data for example can be further enhanced with the procedural nodes to add let's say different different types of fractals erosion and all sorts of geological features which can be further extended with the manual sculpting mode making it an interesting tool that balances and mixes multiple workflows together but if you want something different there is theen which is a no-based industry standard terrain generation software created by Planet Side it was in fact used in Hollywood movies such as the Avengers and Captain Marvel and at this moment in time I'll be hon honest the user interface is a bit more intimidating and old school compared to the other tools we have shown but I think you won't regret it if you want to see what it offers the software is equipped with a gigantic collection of nodes which are divided into stuff like terrains water and atmosphere and they are all similar to the other software in terms of what they can offer and what they can do and the functions they have but what makes it different is the presence of its for realism capabilities in addition to at mosphere simulation and R tracing previews that we can take advantage of to create animations within the software without the help of any third party program but the next software isn't less interesting which is instant Thea I know this is going to be repetitive but it is another node-based software for creating an editing realistic terrains in a fast and easy manner just like the others I guess nodes are just way too good it seems or maybe just necessary I would say now what's the deal with this software from a technical perspective well it is true that it didn't reinvent the wheel since most of his features are fairly standard for this type of software such as the ring generation nodes or the masks and erosion nodes which are used to control various aspects of the terrain's appearance or features but despite all of that I think it is a solid tool that is as good as the rest and most importantly it can get the job done one thing that is different about this software however is its instant ad real engine and Houdini Bridge which allows us to edit the terrain in instat Tera and make them ready an embal engine with one click or to export the terrain to Houdini to be able to further edit it there so while the software has nothing different these Bridges can still be the key reason to pick it depending on how often you use the software but it is still solid as a standalone tool regardless finally we have geogen by Jenga effects The Mastermind Behind Popular 3D software like Ember genen geogen is currently in its close Alpha but it will be soon available to the public basically while the software hasn't been released yet but from what I can see it seems to be an easy and simple to ous solution with an ENT like interface and workflow to generate height maps and terrains by using a combination of noes in addition to sliders Cru control and real time preview generally speaking this will be a modern take on the Node based workflow that we are used to in this type of software it is designed with video games in mind as the primary application of this software and by knowing the reputation of junga facts in the field and the industry of game development and Via facts I think it is a software worth checking out when it comes out so guys if you are interested in one of these software you will find all the necessary links in the description I hope you guys found this video useful and informative if you did please give it a thumbs up also please subscribe to this channel to receive more videos like this thank you very much for watching and I will see you in the next one

Channel: InspirationTuts

Views: 58,590

Keywords: Terrain Generation, 3D Software, VFX, Game Development, Gaea, World Creator, Houdini, World Machine, Terragen, VUE, Instant Terra, GeoGen, Procedural Generation, Landscape Design, Terrain Editing, Software Comparison, 3D Art, Environment Design, Node-Based Workflow, Terrain Tools, Landscape Modeling, Terrain Design Tools, Terrain Texturing, 3D World Building, CGI Landscapes, Digital Environment Creation, Procedural Landscapes, CG Terrain, 3D Terrain Creation, Nature Simulation

Id: rSrHyTaZVVA

Length: 10min 55sec (655 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 29 2023