Difference between revisions of "Tarsier tutorial: Renderer"
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== What is the 'Renderer'? == | == What is the 'Renderer'? == | ||
− | Strictly speaking, a renderer is any process that produces a visual representation of some data. So a RasterView is a renderer. However, ''the'' Renderer in [[Tarsier]] conventionally refers to the main 3D renderer that is used to produce most 3D visualizations. | + | Strictly speaking, a renderer is any process that produces a visual representation of some data. So a RasterView is a renderer. However, ''the'' [[Tarsier: Renderer | Renderer]] in [[Tarsier]] conventionally refers to the main 3D renderer that is used to produce most 3D visualizations. |
The Renderer draws 3D scenes described by a wide range of data, including multiple rasters, vectors, sites, etc. | The Renderer draws 3D scenes described by a wide range of data, including multiple rasters, vectors, sites, etc. | ||
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## '''Warning''': The Renderer currently only draws UTM rasters properly<ref name="utm">Tarsier used to draw UTM rasters just fine, but when the terrain tessellation system was implemented (to handle very large rasters), the ability to tesselate lat/lon rasters was left behind. At present, the tesselation and rendering code attempts to handle lat/lon rasters, but the results are flawed</ref> . So if your raster is in Geographic projection (lat/lon) as it may well be if you just took the [[Tarsier tutorial: Raster data|raster data tutorial]] and imported some Kauai data, you first need to re-sample it to UTM, and there is a [[Tarsier tutorial: Raster resampler|re-sampling tutorial]] for that. | ## '''Warning''': The Renderer currently only draws UTM rasters properly<ref name="utm">Tarsier used to draw UTM rasters just fine, but when the terrain tessellation system was implemented (to handle very large rasters), the ability to tesselate lat/lon rasters was left behind. At present, the tesselation and rendering code attempts to handle lat/lon rasters, but the results are flawed</ref> . So if your raster is in Geographic projection (lat/lon) as it may well be if you just took the [[Tarsier tutorial: Raster data|raster data tutorial]] and imported some Kauai data, you first need to re-sample it to UTM, and there is a [[Tarsier tutorial: Raster resampler|re-sampling tutorial]] for that. | ||
## (Once you have a UTM raster,) Select the 'Raster' tab | ## (Once you have a UTM raster,) Select the 'Raster' tab | ||
− | # | + | # Make some Terrain corresponding to the Raster (Unless this RasterData has been rendered before it probably doesn't already have Terrain associated with it). |
− | ## | + | ## Click the 'Make Terrain' button. |
− | ### Navigate to the RasterData [[TRA]] file that you want to open<ref name="utm"/> | + | ### Navigate to the RasterData [[TRA]] file that you want to open<ref name="utm"/> |
## If your RasterData is already open within Tarsier: | ## If your RasterData is already open within Tarsier: | ||
− | ### Select the drop-down arrow on the [[Tarsier:UseeControl|UseeControl]] | + | ### Select the drop-down arrow on the [[Tarsier:UseeControl|UseeControl]] |
### Select your raster from the list of currently open rasters | ### Select your raster from the list of currently open rasters | ||
− | |||
− | |||
## Hit OK to confirm that you want to make some terrain tessellation files (a bit like pyramid files in ArcMap) | ## Hit OK to confirm that you want to make some terrain tessellation files (a bit like pyramid files in ArcMap) | ||
## Hit OK to confirm that you want to use the suggested [[TRNTI]] file name in a 'terrain' sub-folder within the folder where your raster resides. | ## Hit OK to confirm that you want to use the suggested [[TRNTI]] file name in a 'terrain' sub-folder within the folder where your raster resides. | ||
## If your raster is very large (millions of pixels), you might have to wait several minutes it to make the terrain tessellation. | ## If your raster is very large (millions of pixels), you might have to wait several minutes it to make the terrain tessellation. | ||
+ | ## A message will come up asking if you want to put a color raster on top of your terrain. Click 'Yes'. | ||
+ | ## A 'usee' dialog will come up. Select the raster you want to put on top, usually a true-color raster or the raster you used to make the terrain. | ||
+ | ## Click 'Ok' once you select your color raster. | ||
# Enable the Raster | # Enable the Raster | ||
## Click the Check Box at the top-left of the Raster tab | ## Click the Check Box at the top-left of the Raster tab | ||
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## Click one of the three buttons with a picture of a camera (middle-left) | ## Click one of the three buttons with a picture of a camera (middle-left) | ||
## You should see your raster | ## You should see your raster | ||
+ | ***'''On Aspen IV terrain does not show up until terrain loaded into raster 2 tab''' | ||
# Change the color of your raster | # Change the color of your raster | ||
## Its probably pink right now, which denotes 'NoData' - referring to the fact that you probably haven't selected a raster for it to use in deciding what color to render the terrain (as opposed to the 'Relief' raster that you used to specify how high to draw the terrain) | ## Its probably pink right now, which denotes 'NoData' - referring to the fact that you probably haven't selected a raster for it to use in deciding what color to render the terrain (as opposed to the 'Relief' raster that you used to specify how high to draw the terrain) | ||
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## Use the arrow keys: left, right, up, down | ## Use the arrow keys: left, right, up, down | ||
## For more advanced flying see [[Tarsier: Renderer flight controls]] | ## For more advanced flying see [[Tarsier: Renderer flight controls]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | == What else can I do in a Renderer View? == | ||
+ | |||
+ | I have more raster data | ||
+ | |||
+ | # Add up to two more raster data sets using R2 and R3 tabs | ||
+ | ## overlapping data will be visible according to the raster tabs | ||
+ | ## adjust your data in the tabs according to your visualization needs | ||
+ | |||
+ | My color scheme looks ok, how can I make it look better? | ||
+ | |||
+ | # Go to the "Sun" tab | ||
+ | # Auto set sun position and light to adjust to the time of your visualization | ||
+ | '''or''' | ||
+ | # Manually adjust the position of the sun | ||
+ | ## Elevation: colors will apear brighter when the sun is higher in the sky | ||
+ | ## Azimuth: features in your DEM with different strikes will be highlighted as the sun is shining from different directions | ||
+ | # Manually adjust the RGBs (primary colors... red, blue and green) of your data | ||
+ | ## Sky: sets the color of the sky | ||
+ | ## Ambient: visibility of the data not dependent on the sun settings | ||
+ | ## Diffusion: this essentially adjusts the blending of colors | ||
+ | |||
+ | How much of the horizon do you need to see? | ||
+ | |||
+ | # Go to the "Frus" tab | ||
+ | # "Near" distance is the data that will render closest to the camera | ||
+ | # "Far" distance is the data that will render within that set sidtance from the camera | ||
+ | # Flying will be quicker with fewer data to render | ||
+ | # If time is not limited, like dirring flight recordings, set max near and far | ||
+ | |||
+ | What else will improve my picture quality? | ||
+ | |||
+ | # Go to the "Gen" tab | ||
+ | # Increase "Accululations" will give you a sharper image | ||
+ | # It will also take longer to render | ||
+ | # Be mindful of what you need | ||
+ | |||
+ | lots more coming soon... | ||
== Saving a Renderer == | == Saving a Renderer == | ||
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== Who has taken this tutorial? == | == Who has taken this tutorial? == | ||
− | Please enter your user name | + | Please enter your user name at the bottom of this list, and the date: |
+ | * Nick M | ||
* Brian | * Brian | ||
+ | * Alberto | ||
+ | * Jonathan | ||
+ | * ryanf | ||
+ | * Pam K-D | ||
== Next == | == Next == | ||
− | * | + | * [[Tarsier tutorial: Adding Lables]] |
+ | * [[Tarsier tutorial: Simple fly-through]] | ||
== Links == | == Links == | ||
* Other [[Tarsier Tutorials]] | * Other [[Tarsier Tutorials]] |
Latest revision as of 10:43, 24 November 2010
Contents
What is the 'Renderer'?
Strictly speaking, a renderer is any process that produces a visual representation of some data. So a RasterView is a renderer. However, the Renderer in Tarsier conventionally refers to the main 3D renderer that is used to produce most 3D visualizations.
The Renderer draws 3D scenes described by a wide range of data, including multiple rasters, vectors, sites, etc.
Pre-requisites for this tutorial?
- Tarsier tutorial: Raster data
- Tarsier tutorial: Raster resampler - if you have a Geographic (lat/lon) raster, which would need to be converted to UTM before rendering
Using the Renderer to view some raster data and nothing else
- Open Tarsier
- Open a new Renderer
- Select File --> New --> Data Views --> Render View (if its not on the list, you need to load a DLL)
- Load some RasterData into the Renderer. The raster would normally represent elevations, as in topography or bathymetry.
- Warning: The Renderer currently only draws UTM rasters properly[1] . So if your raster is in Geographic projection (lat/lon) as it may well be if you just took the raster data tutorial and imported some Kauai data, you first need to re-sample it to UTM, and there is a re-sampling tutorial for that.
- (Once you have a UTM raster,) Select the 'Raster' tab
- Make some Terrain corresponding to the Raster (Unless this RasterData has been rendered before it probably doesn't already have Terrain associated with it).
- Click the 'Make Terrain' button.
- If your RasterData is already open within Tarsier:
- Select the drop-down arrow on the UseeControl
- Select your raster from the list of currently open rasters
- Hit OK to confirm that you want to make some terrain tessellation files (a bit like pyramid files in ArcMap)
- Hit OK to confirm that you want to use the suggested TRNTI file name in a 'terrain' sub-folder within the folder where your raster resides.
- If your raster is very large (millions of pixels), you might have to wait several minutes it to make the terrain tessellation.
- A message will come up asking if you want to put a color raster on top of your terrain. Click 'Yes'.
- A 'usee' dialog will come up. Select the raster you want to put on top, usually a true-color raster or the raster you used to make the terrain.
- Click 'Ok' once you select your color raster.
- Enable the Raster
- Click the Check Box at the top-left of the Raster tab
- Point the camera at the terrain
- Select the 'Cam1' tab
- Click one of the three buttons with a picture of a camera (middle-left)
- You should see your raster
- On Aspen IV terrain does not show up until terrain loaded into raster 2 tab
- Change the color of your raster
- Its probably pink right now, which denotes 'NoData' - referring to the fact that you probably haven't selected a raster for it to use in deciding what color to render the terrain (as opposed to the 'Relief' raster that you used to specify how high to draw the terrain)
- Go back to the 'Raster' tab
- In the 'Raster' UseeControl, select the same raster that you are using for the Relief
- The raster should now look colored according to elevation (and shading due to different sun angles on the terrain)
- To change the color scheme, click the 'C' button, then select 'Custom' and 'Rainbow' (if its not already set to this)
- You should see different colors on the raster now
- You may need to select a different option for Color scheme (such as RGB) and re-select Custom for the colors to change - Briano 20:16, 19 March 2009 (UTC)
- Change the level of detail
- Your raster might look a bit blurry, this is to make the rendering fast. You can add detail at the expense of speed as follows.
- Select the 'Econ' tab (it stands for 'Economy' i.e. being efficient)
- Type '20' in the 'Detail' box (the default is 5)
- Type 'TAB', or click somewhere outside the box to get it to accept this value (the need for this is related to another Tarsier bug)
- Go back to the 'Raster' tab and disable then re-enable the Raster (this is only needed because of a minor refresh bug)
- Fly around your terrain
- Click 'Keys' on the 'Cam1' tab
- Type 'm' to select the view vector instead of the movement vector
- Use the arrow keys: left, right, up, down
- For more advanced flying see Tarsier: Renderer flight controls
What else can I do in a Renderer View?
I have more raster data
- Add up to two more raster data sets using R2 and R3 tabs
- overlapping data will be visible according to the raster tabs
- adjust your data in the tabs according to your visualization needs
My color scheme looks ok, how can I make it look better?
- Go to the "Sun" tab
- Auto set sun position and light to adjust to the time of your visualization
or
- Manually adjust the position of the sun
- Elevation: colors will apear brighter when the sun is higher in the sky
- Azimuth: features in your DEM with different strikes will be highlighted as the sun is shining from different directions
- Manually adjust the RGBs (primary colors... red, blue and green) of your data
- Sky: sets the color of the sky
- Ambient: visibility of the data not dependent on the sun settings
- Diffusion: this essentially adjusts the blending of colors
How much of the horizon do you need to see?
- Go to the "Frus" tab
- "Near" distance is the data that will render closest to the camera
- "Far" distance is the data that will render within that set sidtance from the camera
- Flying will be quicker with fewer data to render
- If time is not limited, like dirring flight recordings, set max near and far
What else will improve my picture quality?
- Go to the "Gen" tab
- Increase "Accululations" will give you a sharper image
- It will also take longer to render
- Be mindful of what you need
lots more coming soon...
Saving a Renderer
- In general, saving files in Tarsier is idiosyncratic, as described here.
- When saving a Renderer, you are prompted with about 20 or 30 dialog boxes! Which one's should you save, and which ones should you cancel (ESC)?
- Select File --> Save As
- Look in the heading of the dialog box, and in the 'Save as type' box to see what's being saved
- For each of the following file types, save the file name listed along with it:
- TRC: save as render.trc
- TRG: save as render.trg
- TRX: ignore for now, type ESC
- TGT: ignore for now, type ESC
- TRA x many: ignore for now, type ESC
- TRNTI: ignore for now, type ESC
- TRNTI x 3: ignore for now, type ESC
- TSD x 3: ignore for now, type ESC
- TNE: ignore for now, type ESC
- TGU: ignore for now, type ESC
- TVS: ignore for now, type ESC
- TRD: ignore for now, type ESC
- TRI: save as render.tri
- TDO: ignore for now, type ESC
- TDL: ignore for now, type ESC
- TRE: save as render.tre (this is the main one, that you can later open to open the whole Renderer)
- Check that what you did works, by closing everything, and re-opening the TRE file (render.tre)
It doesn't matter if you call the files render.tre or something_else.tre. But calling them render.tre makes it easier to keep them in one place and know what they are.
Take a screen grab of your work
- Open a Renderer (it must be named)
- Select the 'Rec' tab
- Click 'Grab one frame at 16 accums'
- A file named 'Grab_*.jpg' will appear in your working folder. Email it to impress your friends.
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tarsier used to draw UTM rasters just fine, but when the terrain tessellation system was implemented (to handle very large rasters), the ability to tesselate lat/lon rasters was left behind. At present, the tesselation and rendering code attempts to handle lat/lon rasters, but the results are flawed
Who has taken this tutorial?
Please enter your user name at the bottom of this list, and the date:
- Nick M
- Brian
- Alberto
- Jonathan
- ryanf
- Pam K-D
Next
Links
- Other Tarsier Tutorials