Getting Started with VNS 2 Part 1E. Getting Started


110. Right-click the Cloud Models category and Add Component from Gallery. Load the Cirrus Streaks.

111. Answer Yes when VNS asks if you'd like the Cloud Model's position scaled to current DEM bounds.

112. Activate the planimetric view and zoom back with the minus (-) key until you see the cloud bounds box.

113. The Cloud Model is still the active item and we're still in the Move mode, so click and drag the clouds north so the southern extent is near the Main camera icon. We'll look at clouds in more detail in the Sky & Clouds tutorial.

114. Save the project and render a preview.

115. We're working with a small DEM and the edge is clearly visible at the horizon. We'll increase atmospheric haze to make the horizon appear farther away. It'll have the secondary effect of making the air around our tropical island look more humid. Expand the Atmospheres category in the Scene-At-A-Glance.

116. Open the Atmosphere Editor to the Haze & Fog page. We already have the Haze that VNS assigned to the project, we just need to change the distance where it reaches full intensity. The DEM is a little over 3 kilometers across, so let's change the Range to 5000 meters and Enter.

117. Save the project and render a preview.

118. Last but not least, we need a high tension tower to complete the idyllic scene. Go to the 3D Object Task Mode, select the 3D Objects category, and click the Create button on the Icon Toolbar.

119. The Create window tells us we're creating a new 3D Object with an attached vector. Always check the title bar and confirm that you and VNS are creating the same thing.

120. Left-click once on the foreground ridge to place a vertex and right-click, or Esc on a Mac, to finish digitizing.

121. When the Input Request box pops up asking for a vector name, call it Tower.

122. The Tower box wants to know if the Tower vector is for position or alignment. We want to place the Tower at the vector point, so select Position.

123. Go to the Industrial page of the Component Gallery and load the High Tension Tower.

124. Answer No when the Load 3D Object box asks if we want to center the object on the DEM. We're placing the object with a vector.

125. Activate the Main view and switch back to realtime mode. You'll see the tower right where we placed it.

126. Save the project and render a preview.

127. Let's break up the water surface with some waves. Go to the Water Task Mode. Right-click the Wave Models category and Add Component from Gallery.

128. Load Generic Waves.

129. When the Load Wave Model box pops up, confirm that you want to scale the Wave Model's position to current DEM bounds.

130. We have waves; all we have to do is add them to the Ocean. Go to the Lake Editor Water Material page and select the Waves tab. Select the Add Wave Model button.

131. Select Generic Waves in the Ocean (Material) window and Add Items.

132. Save the project and render a preview.

133. We're done building the project. Now it's time to render the Main view to disk. For that, let's go back to the Render Task Mode.

134. Expand the Render Jobs category to find the Render Job VNS created for the project.

135. A Render Job is comprised of a Camera and Render Option. It can also use Render Scenarios, if you have any. You can have many Render Jobs allowing you to render different camera views with different Render Options. The default Render Job is already set up for the Main camera, so let's take a look at its Render Options.

136. Select Render Options Edit to open the Render Options Editor. We're set up for a 720x480 image size and video pixel aspect ratio of 0.9 on the Size & Range page. We don't have to worry about frame range because we're rendering a single image, not a series of animation images.

137. Go to the File Output page to specify the type of file to save. Add Output Event to add a file type. It defaults to the IFF file format to the event list. We can change this with the Format dropdown list, but IFFs are a good choice for their small file size and lossless compression.

138. VNS chooses a file name based on the project name and saves it in the WCSFrames folder. VNS will overwrite a saved file by the same name, so rename the old file or choose a new Image File name when rerunning Render Jobs.

139. Let's create another Render Job. It will be the same except we'll turn off Tower rendering with a Render Scenario. Select the Island Render Job in the Scene-At-A-Glance and clone it.

140. Rename it No Tower. It will render the same Main Camera, but will use another Render Option to give it a unique file name.

141. Select the Island Render Option in the Scene-At-A-Glance and clone it. Rename it No Tower.

142. Turn to the File Output page and change the Image File name to No Tower.

143. The last Component we need is a Render Scenario. It will turn off the 3D Object Tower at render time. Double-click the Render Scenario category to create one and rename it, you guessed it, No Tower.

144. Go to the Control page and select 3D Objects from the Add New Items of this Class dropdown list. Grab All. We could have used Add Item , but Grab All requires fewer steps in this case.

145. Drag the key control for the Enabled State down to Off.

146. To control the No Tower Render Job with this Render Scenario, expand the Render Scenarios category in the Scene-At-A-Glance. Click, drag, and drop the No Tower Render Scenario on the No Tower Render Job.

147. Confirm the operation.

148. Go back to the No Tower Render Job Editor and change the Render Options to No Tower.

149. Open Render Control from the toolbar and make a last check of the Camera, Options, and Save fields. The Island Render Job will render the Main Camera using the Island Render Options and will Save Images. The No Tower Render Job will render the Main Camera using the No Tower Render Options and will Save Images. Select Go to start rendering.

150. If you'd like to watch the full size render in progress and don't mind slowing it down, check the Show Rendering box.


Island Render Job


No Tower Render Job



.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.


3DNature LLC
5740 Olde Wadsworth, Suite C, Arvada, Colorado, USA 80002
Voice: (303) 659-4028
Fax: (303) 425-1364
wcsinfo@3dnature.com