Hi everyone,
I’m doing a bit of research here on dcc apps that create environments. So far the list is pretty short and most look a little too simplistic for production needs. So far I’ve found Earth Sculptor, Grome Terragen2, Vue and Bryce.
Anyone using any of these for game environments? Or tried using them but found problems with usability, export or stability?
Thanks!
we’re now using Terragen 2 for skyboxy type stuff. its nice because it puts out premultiplied alpha, but panorama rendering is not native, so its a good half a week or so to get the extrenal plugins all set up and working properly…
Also, we use The World Machine to generate procedural 16-bit terrain heightmaps with realistic weathering and erosion. It’s nice because its simple, nodebased, and flexible.
I’ve heard good things about World Machine, but haven’t used it myself. Might be worth checking out.
It definitely doesn’t qualify as a full on DCC world building app though. More of a fun tool that you might incorporate into the pipeline though.
[edit:] LOlz, Mecha jogged my memory. In my original post I referred to it as “World Builder”
Hey Thanks guys! I saw the World Machine site a few minutes ago and added it to my list of possibilities.
I had looked into Vue years ago on a commercial job but came away with a bad taste in my mouth. I tried it again last week and had a similar experience. 
Vue is pretty slick when it comes to architectural/GI lighting/atmospheric rendering… but i don’t consider it a good choice for games because it is difficult to use and even more difficult to get natural looking results from.
As far as whether Vue is a DCC, anything that creates digital content is a DCC in my book. I haven’t seen anything that suggests that DCC relates specifically to world-geometry creation.
Hey Mecha,
I’ve seen some beautiful renders from Vue but yeah, just using the package is a pain. I’ve been trying out World Machine 2 and so far I’m impressed. I need to spend some more time with it but like that everything is node based.
I also think of any software that can create content as a DCC app. Be it Maya, or Max or smaller apps like Silo, xnormal whatever.