Gaea: Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you want to know about our upcoming software
Essential
Is Gaea standalone or a plug-in?
Gaea is a standalone application for Windows 7 and higher.
Is Gaea different from GeoGlyph?
Yes. GeoGlyph is a plugin suite for World Machine with limited scope and features. Gaea is a full-featured, standalone software that adds new dimensions to how terrains are designed. See the main website for details.
Will there be a Mac or Linux version?
At the moment, Gaea remains a standalone Windows application. If there is enough interest, we may port it to Mac or Linux in the future. It may run in virtual environments, but such usage is not officially supported.
Will there be a free Community Edition?
Yes, we will release the Community Edition of Gaea for personal use along with the final version of Gaea in Q4 2018.
What are the requirements for running Gaea?
Minimum configuration
Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit)
8GB RAM
GPU with 768MB RAM, Shader Model 3 support
DirectX 11 or higher
Recommended configuration
Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10 (64-bit)
16GB RAM
GPU with 2GB RAM, Shader Model 5 support
DirectX 12 or higher
Note: For heavy builds (8192 x 8192 or higher), we recommend 32GB RAM or more. Integrated GPUs are supported, but not recommended!
Purchase
When will Gaea be released?
Gaea 1.0 is scheduled for release in Q4 2018, early access is now available on the website. After the official release, we will be providing regular feature upgrades to the base application.
What is Early Access/EAP?
Early Access Preview, or EAP, allows you to get work-in-progress builds of Gaea as we finalize the release version. You can also provide feedback to help shape the software.
Early Access also gives you a 15% discount (25% if you own a GeoGlyph 1 or 2 license). You can find out more here.
Can I upgrade Gaea Indie or Professional?
Yes, you can! You can upgrade from Gaea Indie to Professional or Enterprise edition, and from Gaea Professional to Enterprise edition.
You only have to pay the difference in the prices. For example, if you upgrade from Gaea Indie ($99) to Gaea Professional ($199), you only need to pay the difference which is $100.
If you upgrade during the preorder period, you can pay the difference between the discounted preorder prices of both editions. If you upgrade after the preorder period, you will need to pay the difference between the retail price of both editions.
Upgrade facility will be available in early March. Contact support if you need to upgrade before then.
How long will the preorder discount be available?
The preorder discount period will start on February 22, and last until the day before the final release of Gaea sometime in Q4 2018. We will announce the exact date closer to release.
Note: the GeoGlyph loyalty discount of 25% will be available until release.
How can I find my GeoGlyph license key for the discount?
GeoGlyph 1: The license key is a text file (.txt) with a name similar to GeoGlyph_Indie_YourName.txt.
GeoGlyph 2: The license key is a .gg2 file with a name similar to YourName_Pro_20059.gg2. Open this in Notepad to see the key.
Do I need to buy the Indie or Professional Edition?
If you are an individual or small business, with an annual gross income under $100,000 you can buy either Indie or Professional Edition based on your needs.
Do I need to buy the Enterprise Edition?
If you are generating annual revenues of $100,000 or over, then you are required to purchase the Enterprise Edition.
What are the differences between the Professional and Enterprise editions?
The main difference is that Enterprise offers features for team efficiency— including network rendering, offline usage, and a floating license option.
Can I install Gaea on two computers?
Indie and Professional Edition licenses can be installed on two different computers (i.e., main workstation and personal laptop), only if the same user accesses both installations.
Enterprise Edition users in a studio/work environment will require a separate license for each installation. If you are an individual who purchased the Enterprise Edition, you may install on two different computers as stated in the previous paragraph.
Do I own the license perpetually?
Yes. Once you purchase a Gaea license, that license is yours permanently, as long as you honor the terms of the License Agreement.
Do I have to pay for updates?
No, all point updates are available to users free of charge. You only have to pay for upgrades when you move from one major release to another.
For example, if you move from Gaea 1.0 to Gaea 1.1, your upgrade is free. But if you move from Gaea 1.0 to 2.0, you need to pay for the upgrade. Existing Gaea users receive an upgrade discount when moving to a new major version.
Do you provide refunds?
We do not provide refunds. Instead, we provide a free Community Edition which is a great way to test the product before purchasing. Our support team can help answer any questions.
The Community Edition will be available alongside the final release of Gaea 1.0 in Q4 2018.
Do you provide academic licenses?
Academic Licenses will be available after release. Please check back for more information.
Features & Support
Help! I have encountered an error or other problem in the Gaea EAP!
Please get in touch with us through the Helpdesk.
Does Gaea support 32-bit files?
Yes, Gaea uses 32-bit floats for data processing, and can also accommodate HDR color ranges in the color production workflow.
What export formats are available?
Heightfield/Displacement map: OpenEXR (32-bit), PNG (16-bit), TIFF (16-bit), RAW (.raw/.r16), HDR (32-bit), Photoshop (16-bit/32-bit).
Displaced Mesh: Wavefront OBJ, Autodesk FBX, Collada DAE
All mesh formats are exported as either triangles or quads, with planar UV projection.
Does Gaea use the GPU for processing?
Yes and no. Gaea does use the GPU for certain kinds of internal processing, as well as any other OpenCL device. However, the majority of the calculations are performed on the CPU. There are a few experimental GPU nodes available that work exclusively on the graphics card. More GPU nodes will be introduced in the near future to help you take advantage of your GPU processing power.
Do I need an internet connection to use Gaea?
Yes, an internet connection is required to activate your license, and periodically refresh your license.
Enterprise Edition licenses feature offline activation and usage.
Do you provide floating licenses?
Yes. Floating licenses are available for the Enterprise Edition. Please check back for more information.
I have a question that is not answered here!
Get in touch with us, and we’ll be glad to answer your questions.
