Introduction

 

 

 

DreamScape is the ultimate environment generation system for 3ds Max, offering amazing power at the user's fingertips. We hope that you will find that DreamScape allows you to create the incredible effects you are looking for. Our software philosophy has always been to integrate powerful software design with ease-of-use so that users can get up and running with our products quickly.

 

In this section, you'll get a basic overview of the different components within DreamScape, and where you can find the various modules that make up this exciting product.

 

 

What is DreamScape?

DreamScape is an integrated set of tools designed to create dynamic natural scenery within Autodesk Media & Entertainment's 3ds Max?? program. It's designed to help you create ultra-realistic skies, clouds, terrains and oceans.

 

Within the package are three distinct and powerful components for the construction of your virtual worlds that have been folded together into one seamless product: Terrain (called Terra), Sky, and Sea.

 

 

DreamScape Terrain

In contrast to other Terrain creation tools for 3ds Max, DreamScape Terra uses rendering technology that occupies less of your computer memory (RAM) and thus enables you to render very large detailed terrains.

 

The intuitive and user-friendly interface will allow you to tweak the terrains you design easily. With a virtual paintbrush you can lower or raise terrain where needed or change slope locally. Brush options such as size, softness and strength can also be varied when using pressure-sensitive digitizing tablets. With Dreamscape's advanced algorithms, you can also apply terrain erosion with a single click.

 

 

For those who would like to create their own filters for terrain modification there is a DreamScape Terrain API description available at the end of this manual. The API we have provided here is completely object-oriented; if you have an average knowledge of C++, you should be able to write your own filters easily.

 

The DreamScape Terra module also allows the importing of DEM, SDTS and Terragen files.

 

 

DreamScape Sky

If you are creating outdoor environments of any sort, then the DreamScape Sky is going to be critical to building believable looks. From Sunrises and sunsets, to alien environments and stormy skies are possible with this powerful set of routines.

 

The DreamScape Sky is a major component of DreamScape, and works in concert with just about all other modules that ship with the product including the Sun light type, the DreamScape Terra system as well as the DreamScape Sea Surface system.

 

 

Beyond just being able to create convincing vistas for your scenes, DreamScape's Sky contains a vast array of tools to illuminate Terra objects and other geometry within your scenes as well as allowing the clouds that the Sky system creates itself to cast shadows on the scene geometry. And the Sea Surface system can take advantage of the Sky color information for it's advanced reflection and refraction capabilities.

 

DreamScape Sky includes two different calculation models - Flat Earth and Real Earth. With Real Earth each computation is based on the spherical Earth and thus enables you to create great sunsets, with the Sun below the horizon. In contrast, the Flat Earth is represented as a flat plane; you should use it as a default landscape if speed is an issue, since it renders more quickly than the Real Earth plug-in.

 

You can also easily add cloud layers (2D or 3D) to float over the sky, and adjust numerous parameters on them; you can animate each cloud layer separately as well.

 

In addition to the features mentioned above, DreamScape Sky provides Daylight calculations based on the current Sun position and atmospheric conditions. This feature adds much-needed realism to your outdoor scenery, especially when rendering animations.

 

 

DreamScape Sea

DreamScape also includes a Sea Material, which is capable of rendering very realistic sea surfaces that include foam on the crests of the waves,  accurate reflections and refractions and more.

 

The DreamScape: Sea Bump and DreamScape: Sea Foam texture maps are included to extract data directly from the Sea Surface Object and render accurate wave and foam effects. With the SubSurface environment plug-in, you can even create the illusion of underwater attenuation.

 

 

The SeaSurface object has the capability to create field-of-view (FOV) based meshes. This makes it possible to render large sea surfaces with low RAM consumption. You can also use SeaSurface to create realistic water patterns and motion based on oceanographic studies and observations.

 

Finally there are two Daemons and one Space Warp that can be applied to the Sea Surface grid to create truly unique animation. The Simple Waves Daemon allows you to create deep water swells over and above the built-in wave animation that the Sea Surface supports. Plus, the brand new Dynamics Daemon gives you a whole new level of object / water interactions including wakes, objects that can float in the water and much more. Finally, the Engine Space Warp allows you to propel objects through the water with the appropriate wakes and foam trails.

 

 

Resources on the Internet

We have collected a couple of links for you from all over the Internet, including file converters, free DEM/SDTS resources for you to use within DreamScape.

 

File converter:

SDTS to DEM converter: http://www.gisdatadepot.com/dem/sdts2dem.html

 

Free SDTS and DEM files:

http://data.geocomm.com/dem/demdownload.html

http://www.terrainmap.com