Planetside Software has doubled down on updates for its terrain generation and sky creation tools, Terragen 4.8 and Terragen Sky, catering to artists who want both worlds and skies under their control. These releases focus on features that combine automation with user control, enhancing workflows across VFX, CGI, and digital production.

Terragen 4.8: Faster Previews, Flexible Exports

Terragen 4.8 is a refinement-focused release, emphasizing smoother workflows and broader compatibility. The highlight? GPU-accelerated 3D Preview now works with AMD and Intel GPUs, bringing real-time responsiveness to scene adjustments. While the core renderer remains CPU-based, this update ensures faster interaction during complex terrain edits, regardless of your GPU brand.

The update also includes support for exporting 3D cloud volumes, allowing volumetric clouds to be rendered in external tools. This makes it easier to integrate Terragen’s detailed skies into pipelines without additional tweaks. In short, you can export your clouds and let another renderer handle the heavy lifting—a great option for artists looking for flexibility.

Planetside hasn’t forgotten about legacy users, either. Support for Windows 7 is still alive, with several bugs ironed out for stability. Prices for Terragen 4.8 remain unlisted, but more details are available on the Planetside Software website.

Terragen Sky: Paint the Clouds Your Way

The spotlight, however, shines on the Terragen Sky update, which introduces a long-requested feature: direct cloud painting. This tool allows artists to manually shape and position volumetric clouds, moving beyond the constraints of procedural algorithms. From delicate wisps to dramatic storm clouds, this update brings precision and artistry directly into the sky-creation process.

Cloud painting works seamlessly with Terragen’s existing workflows, ensuring compatibility while expanding creative possibilities. Additionally, real-time visualization within the 3D Preview lets artists see their adjustments instantly, cutting out the guesswork and making the process much smoother.

Planetside’s approach here is clear: empower artists to blend procedural efficiency with manual control. For those who’ve ever felt limited by auto-generated skies, this update is a breath of fresh air—or, perhaps, a puff of perfectly sculpted cloud.

Pricing for the Terragen Sky update also hasn’t been specified (It is a Beta, after all), but you can learn more on the Planetside Software website.

Caution: Test Before You Fly

While both updates bring exciting new capabilities, it’s essential to evaluate their stability before deploying them on critical projects. Features like GPU previews, 3D cloud exports, and cloud painting sound innovative, but production artists know simplicity and reliability are the true heroes of any workflow.

For detailed announcements, visit the full write-ups on Terragen 4.8 and Terragen Sky.

The post Terragen 4.8 & Sky Update: Shaping Clouds and Worlds first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: Boonar Studio has released version 2.0.5 of Terrain Mixer, a node-based terrain generator for the 3D software Blender. The release can be found in an announcement published today on 80.lv.

In toto: The same announcement states that Terrain Mixer uses up to nine heightmap sources to mix and generate new terrains. On boonar.gumroad.com Terrain Mixer is described as a suitable tool for environment artists, game artists, matte painters, concept artists and illustrators. On the same Gumroad site, Terrain Mixer has received 40 user ratings to date – the majority of 85 per cent awarded the maximum score of five stars. Terrain Mixer 2.5.5 is priced at 39 US dollars.

The new functions: Below are some of the most important new features of Terrain Mixer 2.0.5. The almost five-minute video at the end of this message explains how Terrain Mixer can be properly installed on your system.

• Two new shader groups: On the one hand, Plain Terrain Blend is introduced, allowing artists to level areas, and on the other, ShaderBlend makes its debut, allowing artists to seamlessly blend terrains together.
• High-resolution 3D scans and assets have been added: These depict rock faces, for example, or demolished buildings.

Click to continue: Terrain Mixer 2.0.5 at boonar.gumroad.com. To the website of Boonar Studio. On 15 July 2021 , Digital Production reported on the release of one of the previous versions of Terrain Generator.

Source: 80.lv ( message from Gloria Levine)

16 Lesser-Known Blender 3D Terrain Mixer Features

The post The definitive terrain generator for Blender? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Every week we present you with the best tutorials that will help you polish your workflows with the hottest digital content creation tools in the world!

Terrain creation from A to Z – the complete guide: This time it gets rocky, because Nikola Damjanov, Lead Game Artist at Serbian mobile game developer Nordeus, is releasing his 13-part tutorial series, which is divided into three topics (Dust, Fire and Ice). In his tutorial series, Damjanov will provide you with a didactic approach to the following topics:

• How does the underlying layer of HF nodes work?
• How do you use generated masks to create textures in COPs?
• How do you achieve scatter geometry using such masks?
• Correct application and rendering within a LOPNet with Karma – how does it work?

Click further: Click through the recommended tutorial series on SideFX. Find out what lead game artist Nikola Damjanov is up to when he’s not teaching on his Artstation profile. Hint: It has a lot to do with gaming!

Goodbye! Check back next week when it’s Tutorial Tuesday again!

Terrain Handbook 01 – Introduction | Brief Overview

The post Houdini | Tutorial Tuesday first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.