W C S / V N S . H i n t s

An ever-growing collection of occasionally enigmatic, often esoteric, but sometimes useful suggestions.
Provided without warranty or promise of salvation.

WCS references are applicable to both WCS 6.x and VNS 2.x
When VNS is specified, the topic is applicable to VNS 2 and sometimes VNS 3
When VNS 3 is specified, the topic is only applicable to VNS 3

The best way to figure out how something works or what's wrong is with a simple project.
Here's what I start with for most troubleshooting: Flat project

Search all WCS / VNS resources

3D Objects
  What you need to know before using them
Formats
City building, WCS and LightWave
Coordinate axis conventions
DXF caused crashes
DXF format
Free apps for modeling
Modeling for use in WCS and VNS
Randomization
SketchUp 7 OBJ Export
Translators

3D Studio Max
  3D Studio VIZ compositing
Background Image, can't see in viewport until rendered (ZBCOMP with Max 3 & 4)
DEM export as 3DS object
Draping a planimetric render
Exporting 3DS objects
RPF doesn't composite correctly in WCS
Scene export units
Unable to Open File for Input error
Where's the Area Terraffector in my exported 3DS DEM?

Animation
  Codecs
Formats
Missing terrain in rendered animation
Motion blur
Quick Sequence, don't hide the view

ArcInfo
  E00
Shapefiles, multi-part shapes

Area Terraffectors
  Freeze
Selective feature exaggeration
Viewing in real-time

AutoCAD DXF Import for Terrain
  Import Considerations
Preparing AutoCAD file for WCS import

Basalt
  Columnar basalt

Block Diagrams and Cross-sections
  Block diagram
Cross-section: Architectural Style
Terraffector method
Area Terraffector method
Related visualization software

Beaches
  Are they rendering?
Beach basics
Beachcombing
Shore, shallow, and deep water Ecosystems

Cameras
  70mm film aspect
Common lens angles of view
Eye level views
Importing Camera paths
Making 2 cameras move at the same speed
Matching a camera view to a photo
Planimetric views: Why is terrain cut off?
Stereo Java applet for viewing stereo
Velocity Distribution

Cartography
  Berann-style artificial curvature
Contour lines, rendering on terrain

City
  Building a city, abridged

Clipping Plane
  Minimum rendering distance for objects

Clouds
  Using a Cloud Component? Watch those keyframes...
Cloud shadows not rendering
Multilayered cumulus clouds

Color Maps
  Gaps between abutting Color Maps
Image Object Library 'Load Fast' and WRLs
Making Ground Effect show through an Ecosystem Matching color
Matching projections in WCS
Picking colors when placing Ecosystems with a Color Map
Realtime overlay
Transparency doesn't work in Color by Pixel mode
Using Ecosystem Matching like a Environment

Compositing
  Shadows for 3D Objects rendered in LW/Max
Z-buffer compositing and 3D volumetrics

Coordinate Systems
  BCS in VNS?

Crashes (also see Errors)
  Why?

DEMs
  10-m USGS data
ArcASCII import
ArcGIS export formats
ASTER
Benches after gridding contours
DXF import
DWG import
Erosion tools
ETOPO5
ETOPO5 vs GTOPO30
GeoTIFFs as DEMs
GLOBE data
Gridding breaklines and contours (VNS 3)
LIDAR data, Snoqualmie River Valley, WA
Near DEM not visible in real-time but renders
NED import
Preferred formats: Arc GRID, Arc Export E00, and GRIDFLOAT
Raster image import, steps in resulting terrain
Resolution bumping
SDTS import limitations
Smoothing
SRTM
Spikes in un-Terraffected terrain
Striped, poor resolution DEM fixing
Vertical exaggeration

DEM Merger
  Don't layer, merge!
Multi-Res Considerations

DEM Painter
  Can't paint over NULL data holes

Ecosystems
  Adding a new Material causes loss of foliage
Ecosystem feathering and overlap
Ecosystem foliage with image drape on ground
Elevation Line not honored in vector-bounded Ecosystem
Polygon edges showing along vector-bounded Ecosystem edges
'Stripes' pattern in foliage in VNS 2
Using an orthophoto to place foliage and tint ground

Errors
  Database Load Error Illegal layer number (VNS 3)
Error in PrepVectorPoly polygon x (VNS 3)
Error triangulating polygon x/y (VNS 3)
Error triangulating polygon: Why VNS 3 and not VNS 2?
Memory Allocation Failure: What's happening? (VNS 3)
Memory Allocation Failure window: Could not allocate X bytes of memory
Memory Allocation Failure: Troubleshooting
Memory error rendering DEMs only (VNS 3)
Memory use increases and eventually crashes (VNS 3)
Project crashes WCS
Project won't open
Render Module window: Error initializing Effects
Which DEM is causing a crash? (VNS 3)

Export Scene
  Export Scene vs. Scene Express
3DS
3DS "Unable to initialize..." error

Farmland
  Crop circles
Irrigated farmland

Foliage
  3D trees
3D trees: Pine needles not sharp
Accurate shadows
Crop rows and orchards
Dense foliage flickers in animation (VNS 3)
Distance Dissolve, Absolute Pixels vs Relative to Image Height
Distance Dissolve with remote imagery: Tinting Ecosystem foliage for a better transition
Growing trees
Halos around rendered foliage
Hedges
Image sources
Planimetric and Overhead views
References
Tinting Foliage and Ecosystems (VNS 3)
Trees get darker toward light source
Trees missing or truncated in overhead or planimetric view
Trees 'pop out' of animation at frame edges

Fractal Depth Maps
  Common settings for all Render Jobs
How does Maximum Fractal Depth value and texture affect FDMs?
Increasing speed of FDM generation
Interrupting generation of FDMs
With many cameras

GIS
  Coordinate System default
Exporting VNS 3 database items as shapefiles
Thematic Maps to drive Diffuse Color
Translators
Viewshed Analysis
VNS-specific GIS topics

Ground Effect
  Rendering a 'clipped' area
Using multiple DOQs

Glaciers

Hardware Key (Dongle)
  Remote Desktop doesn't work

Image Objects
  GeoTIFF
Image Manager and Color Control, Sequence, and Dissolve (VNS)
Image Viewers
Indexed color images
PNG vs IFF
TFW
Transparency for Planar Image textures
Transparency for foliage and celestial bodies
WFL

Island Topology (donut polygons)
  Creating a multi-part 'cut-out' vector in VNS 3
High-res Edge doesn't work on inner polygon

Lakes
  Flooding events: permanent vs temporary
Lake vector renders blocky
Non-constant elevation

LightWave
  Adding 3DO locations to a LW scene after export
Draping a planimetric render in LW
File format for compositing in WCS
LW_ExtendedRLAExport Problems

Lights
  Attach a light to an object
Attach a string of lights to vector points
Should I export the scene to LightWave and do the lighting there?

Macintosh
  VNS 3 with Bootcamp and VMWare
DEM Utilities

NatureView Express
  ECW and JPEG 2000 texture export problems
Viewpoints

OpenGL

Operating Systems

Panoramas
  How to make them
How to view them as QTVR movies

Performance Issues
  Sluggishness

Post Processing
  Edge Ink

Rendering
  /3GB switch
Animations longer than 99,999 Frames
Network rendering options
Network rendering with SuperConductor
Projected planimetric images
Reducing render time with effect_block_init (VNS 3)
Render Speed
Segments
Tips for Reducing Memory Consumption

Render Farms
  Amazon EC2

Scenarios
  A good reason to have at least one

Scene-at-a-Glance
  Number of items listed

Scene Express
  3D Objects: How to make them look good in SX
3D Object Textures: How they're generated
Animated 3D Objects not animated in LW
Changing a LightWave camera to match WCS/VNS animation for compositing
DEM Resolution: Increasing during export
Encrypting NatureView content
FBX issues with no Ecosystems
Fractal Depth: Variable or Constant?
Hardware limits real-time performance
Scene Export vs SX
Stereo viewing
VRML Vewers

Search Queries
  Dynamic vs static linking
No 'Add Components by Layer' option in VNS 3

Sky
  Can't see celestial objects and stars
Sunbeams and shadow

Shadows
  Crepuscular rays emanating from a mountain peak
Crepuscular rays through volumetric clouds
Detailed Shadows
Minimizing shadow render time
Not rendering, possible reasons
Triangular shadow facets in terrain

Snow
  Feathering and overlap
Snow on foliage

SuperConductor
  Render farm hardware
Render to AVI or QuickTime
Script error -1 line 1
Sockets for multi-processor machines
Where's the most recent SuperConductor tutorial?

Suspended Wires & Cables

Terraffectors
  Lower DEM resolution and higher FD or higher DEM resolution and lower FD?
Road comes and goes, especially at intersections
Road edges 'saw-toothed'
Road intersections
Saving render time with FD texture
Spikes along road or near Tfx intersections
Tfx roads vs Tfx Freeze
Tfx roads always the best?
Varying stream channel width with a texture (VNS 3)
Viewing in real-time

Terrain
  How to achieve VNS 2 roughness in VNS 3

Terrain Gridder
  Combining data from 2 grid events
Error: Ratio of width to height too great
Gridding in WCS 6
Import Wizard, Grid Now or Later?
LastAutoGrid
Removing Control Points
Number of Tiles and Outlying Point Search Region
What are Gradients?
What is NULL?

Terrain Visualization
  Use in rigorous visual impact regulations

Textures
  Align to Vector
HSV Merge element
Remap function
Texture not rendering on vector-bounded Ecosystem

Tunnels

Ultimate Earth
  DEM sampling error

Units
  International Foot vs US Survey Foot

Utilities
  INVERSE/FORWARD/INVERS3D/FORWRD3D Computation Utilities

Vectors
  Create vector
Digitizing in OpenGL? Preview render is better
Digitizing in preview render and seeing in OpenGL
DLG import, ASCII vs SDTS
Export vectors as DXF
Not rendering as solid lines
Scrolling an OpenGL view while digitizing
Terrain disappears in overhead view after vector created

Walls
  Fences
Peaked roofs
Retaining walls

Water
  Waterfalls
Waves, general suggestions
Waves, animation notes

WCS vs VNS
  WCS projects in VNS 2

Wind Turbines
  How to animate
Why doesn't my hub-and-blades object stay with the nacelle as it rotates?



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