If you are on the lookout for a free scene or landscape generator, look no further than Terragen. This amazing program allows users to create photorealistic imagery and landscapes. It’s perfect for rendering and animating landscapes or seascapes.
Although there’s also a paid version, this free download is perfect for creating fantastic landscape images for non-commercial purposes. The program was created by Planetside Software and works perfectly on a Mac or Windows computer.
There’s more than a few features that will make users appreciate Terragen. For one, the program provides several key functions when it comes to creating a near photorealistic terrain.
It has the capacity to create a high detail foreground texturing. Zooming in and out of the landscape is easy as well and the program automatically adjusts the look of the details. Another helpful feature is that it contains plenty of terrain-generating tools. Whether you are creating a mountaintop or a desert, you can easily move them around to find the best placement or even “paint” them to find the best possible color you want.
The program not only makes rendering landscapes easy but it also works great when it comes to creating oceans, lakes, rivers or seas. Creating clouds is also not a problem for the program as it contains a cloud layer that effortlessly adds various shades in the clouds; giving it that extra realistic appearance.
Terragen, however, isn’t a game engine. According to the developer’s site, Terragen “has a sophisticated film- and broadcast-quality renderer and procedural modelling tools designed so that you can create the most realistic images possible without taking a photograph. Nor is it a general-purpose 3D program designed to render everything.”
Even though the program isn’t perfect, it’s still quite simple to use. Best of all, the free version is more than enough to aid users in their personal landscape rendering projects. Truly, a nice program that’s worth having.
Related Links:
Terragen Official Website
Terragen on CNET
Terragen on Wikipedia
Terragen on FreeArtSoftware