SkyCube Tutorial With Garasaki

[Garasaki]

Hello,

Here's a tutorial (rather a collection of tutorials) to explain how to make a custom Skycube.

EXEC SUMMARY:

1) Use terragen to create 6 image files that make your sky graphic
2) Use a script to automate the actual rendering process in terragen
3) Complie your 6 images into a "skycross" (ATI Cubemap generator)
4) Convert "skycross" into "skydome" (HDRShop)
5) Break your "skydome" into 5 seamless images for use in MXS (Use JLV's script and POV RAY)

First, we go get Terragen and use that to create our sky graphic. It helps if you are familiar with terragen. Although if you follow the steps in these links, it should be pretty easy. Here's the primary tutorial I would suggest following:

http://blender3dtutor.com/index.php?opt ... t&Itemid=2

There is a really useful script about halfway down that will automate the rendering process once you have settings you like. I only used the first section of that tutorial.

Helpful terragen tip: always keep the slider on medium detail to preview your work - once you are happy with your settings, move the slider to max quality for the final render (which will take hours to complete, probably)

Additional good terragen tuts:

http://update.multiverse.net/wiki/index ... h_Terragen

http://leadwerks.com/wiki/index.php?tit ... g_Terragen

Now we take our images from terragen and make a sky cross with them

We'll use ATI Cubemap generator and follow this tutorial (download link in tutorial)

http://www.outpt.co.uk/how-to-convert-a ... a-skydome/

DONT FORGOT THE STEP ABOUT EDITTING THE SKYCROSS:

"What we now need to do is duplicate the very edge pixels on each of the four quadrants, and carry them over onto the blank edge space by one pixel."

Now download HDRShop (link in tutorial) which will convert your skycross into a skydome.

NOTE: You can create high resolution output files from HDRShop, so don't settle for the default settings!!!

If you wanted to add things to your skycube, like mountains, trees, planes, goats, smiley faces, this is the spot to do it - your skydome file is just a big ole image file. You could adjust colors here too if you want.

Now check out JLV's tutorial and script here

http://mxsimulator.com/benchracing3/vie ... f=2&t=2868

You'll have to download POV ray, and probably change the script to reflect your version of POVRay.

Then you just find your skycube files (sky-e.png, sky-n.png, etc) and put them in your track folder, and make sure the lighting file points to them...

Boom your own custom skycube. After you go thru the whole process once, it's really easy!!

[Garasaki]

Bump for this tutorial on making a skycube and getting it ingame, which apparently no one has used or is interested in

[Garasaki]

Adding a couple other links (mostly for my own benefit!):

This one explains most of the process with some really good pictures

http://fenring.bf1942.cl/tutorials/terragensky.php

This one has a link to a batch compliler that might be usefull

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki ... -_Advanced

This one explains what a lot of the terragen sliders do

http://www.caroluk.org.uk/terratut/page15.html

[yomo]

Well seeing as no one else is going to say it.

Thanks Garaski! Im sure someone will find everything extremely useful

[Garasaki]

Well stay tuned for the tutorial for Terragen 2, which is wayyyyyyyyyyyy cooler