# Terraform Tutorial

Author: David A. Bartold

This is a quick tutorial designed for the first time user.

This is the main window:

The main window enables the user to open terrain windows. The user may load a terrain from a file or create a new one.

## Step 1:

There are various algorithms available for generating a new terrain. We will let Terraform choose one by selecting File > New > Random. This is the easiest way to make a new height field.

The terrain window will look like this:

## Step 2:

Select the 3D wireframe model view by choosing the View > Type > 3D Wire. Drag the cursor inside the viewport to rotate the wireframe as desired. Feel free to try out the other views.

3D Wire view:

## Step 3:

Go to your main window and select File > Options. The POV-Ray tab will display an executable name. Make sure it points to an X capable version of POV-Ray 3.1. Terraform will automatically search for the right executable if you click the "..." button. This option is saved between sessions so you will only have to do this once.

## Step 4:

Go to your terrain window, select File > Render > POV-Ray and a raytracing window should appear.

If you get an error message, there was a problem executing POV-Ray. You may find out more information by clicking the "Details" button. Consult POV-Ray's documentation if the executable is found but POV-Ray reports an error.

POV-Ray terrain render window:

## Congratulations!

You have generated and rendered your first scene.

From here, you may wish to save it to a *.terraform file or perform various operations on the terrain. Consult the Users Guide for more information.