Picogen
{{Short description|Artificial terrain rendering software}}
{{Primary sources|date=January 2009}}
{{Infobox software
|name = picogen
|logo = 150px
|screenshot = Picogen-sample-skypanel.png
|screenshot size = 200px
|caption =
|collapsible =
|developer = Sebastian Mach
|released =
|latest release version = 0.3
|latest release date = {{Start date and age|2010|07|20}}
|frequently updated =
|programming language = C++
|operating system = Linux, Windows
|platform = Cross-platform
|size =
|language =
|status =
|genre = Scenery generator
|license = GPL, Version 3, or newer
|website = {{URL|picogen.org}}
}}
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
Picogen is a rendering system for the creation and rendering of artificial terrain, based on ray tracing. It is free software.
Overview
While the primary purpose of picogen is to display realistic 3D terrain, both in terms of terrain formation and image plausibility, it also is a heightmap-creation tool,[http://picogen.org/wiki/index.php?title=Introduction_to_mkheightmap Introduction to mkheightmap] in which heightmaps are programmed in a syntax reminiscent of Lisp.[http://picogen.org/wiki/index.php?title=Height_Slang_Reference Height Language Reference]
The shading system is partially programmable.[http://ompf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1050 Shaders in picogen]
Example features
- Whitted-Style ray tracer for quick previews
- Rudimentary path tracer for high quality results
- Partial implementation of Preetham's Sun-/Skylight Model {{cite web |url=http://www.cs.utah.edu/vissim/papers/sunsky/ |title=A Practical Analytical Model for Daylight |vauthors=Preetham, etal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418193240/http://www.cs.utah.edu/vissim/papers/sunsky/ |archive-date=18 April 2009 |year=1999}}
- Procedural heightmaps, though before rendering they are tesselated
Frontends
Currently there is a frontend to picogen, called picogen-wx (based on wxWidgets). It is encapsulated from picogen and thus communicates with it on command-line level. Picogen-wx provides several panels to design the different aspects of a landscape, e.g. the Sun/Sky- or the Terrain-Texture-Panel. Each panel has its own preview window, though each preview window can be reached from any other panel.
Landscapes can be loaded and saved through an own, simple XML-based file format, and images of arbitrary size (including antialiasing) can be saved.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|picogen.org}}
- [http://picogen.deviantart.com/ picogens DeviantArt-Group-Page]
{{3D software}}
{{Fractal software}}
Category:Free 3D graphics software
Category:3D rendering software for Linux
Category:Global illumination software
Category:Free software programmed in C++
Category:Software that uses wxWidgets
Category:Software using the GNU General Public License
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