Terrain and painting

[sledgeweb]

You can get some good results by using blend maps with alpha masks based on your displacement map. Here's some test I did, hope it helps:

http://www.cubit.net/3dwip/landscape_06.jpg
http://www.cubit.net/3dwip/landscape_07.jpg
http://www.cubit.net/3dwip/landscape_08.jpg

1st pic shows how my blend alpha masks work. Notice how the colors fade into one another.

2nd pic is same, but instead of using flat colors, replaced with textures.

3rd is largely the same, using different textures.

-Sledge

[Aelea]

Hello Sledge!

It sure looks nice :) But what kind of uvw-mapping are you using?

regards

Aelea

[sledgeweb]

Hello. Well, in this example, I didn't use a UVW modifier if thats what you mean. It's three procederual textures put together in a blend material using B&W Alpha masks created in photoshop.

-Sledge

[Aelea]

Originally posted by sledgeweb
Hello. Well, in this example, I didn't use a UVW modifier if thats what you mean. It's three procederual textures put together in a blend material using B&W Alpha masks created in photoshop.

-Sledge
Thanks for the reply, Sledge.
No bitmaps? Please explain; if the textures are procedural, what kind of settings are you using? Especially on the 3rd pic. The texture in the foreground looks rather good I think. With the small stones and cracks. Is this really a procedural map?

Cheers

Aelea

[innervision961]

Wow thanks sledge, that really helps me a lot, i never thought of doing it that way.... but you got really good results so i've gotta try it :) I also appreciate you taking the time to show examples and such like you did, now thats service! :beer: Thanks again for the replies gotta get to work :)

[sledgeweb]

Eh, sorry. The blue/green/red example is procedural. Yes, for the other two pics, I used bitmaps replacing the red/blue/green procedurals. Nothing special about UVW mapping though. I created tileable textures from photos to create the terrain.

If you have more questions, let me know. It's been a while since I've done this, and I haven't gone back and looked at it since. If I perfect this method a little more, I hope to do a tutorial on it.

-Sledge

[Stiles]

Hi mate,

So you painted the blend maps in photoshop right? how did u know where to paint what though? And were they just black and white maps?

Don't suppose you could post a link to a max file with just the procedural maps in place. I sorta understand what you mean but just don't know how to do it.

[Aelea]

Hi there Sledge.
Thanks for your concern. A tutorial would be a very good thing! Please post here at CGTalk when you come up with something:) Talking UVW's, has the terrain mesh box mapping? If it was a planar map, the textures would surely stretch were the terrain is elevated? Please enlighten me:)

Cheers
Aelea

[sledgeweb]

Hello-

OK, first I painted a displacement map. Based on that, I created two blend maps. It was easy to know where I wanted to paint, because I was working of my displacement map. All this was done in photoshop.

As for the UVW mapping... honestly, I don't remember if I applied a UVW box or SHRINK WRAP or nothing at all, I'll have to look at the file. I'm out of town now, so I won't get to it until Tuesday.

-Sledge

[Stiles]

Originally posted by sledgeweb
Hello-

OK, first I painted a displacement map. Based on that, I created two blend maps. It was easy to know where I wanted to paint, because I was working of my displacement map. All this was done in photoshop.

As for the UVW mapping... honestly, I don't remember if I applied a UVW box or SHRINK WRAP or nothing at all, I'll have to look at the file. I'm out of town now, so I won't get to it until Tuesday.

-Sledge

Cool, if you could post a copy of your max file when you get back, I'm sure a lot of us would greatly apprechiate it. :beer:

[BooTy]

I play with this technique a lot, because I do a lot of terrain stuff ... I've discovered this technique about 2 years ago when I was first trying to make some terrain with displacement and you can get pretty good results with it and you also have good control over it ... the basics is just to use the displacement map (s) and the same map use as mask for different materials ... for example you can displace the terrain with a noise map and then you use this map as a mask for Blend material where you mix two different materials (for example rock for the displaced areas (where is the white color in the noise map) and grass for non-displaced areas (black color in that noise) ... if you make it this way then you always have right material placement because the mask follows the changes in displacement map ... but sometimes you have to make the mask slightly different from displace map like if you want one material to begin sooner than the terrain starts sloping so then you can't use the same copy of the map and have to adjust it manually ... but with a little practice you can get really good results and you can also mix many different materials or maps on one single piece of terrain quite easilly ...

[rayboy]

In the latest issue of either 3dWorld magazine or Computer Arts (I forget which) there is a superb terrain creation tutorial by Pete Draper.

There is an image of the terrain created on his website http://www.xenomorphic.co.uk but no tutorial there as yet presumably because the magazine concerned is still current issue.

I would recommend trying to get hold of a copy as it seems it would answer all your questions.

rayboy

[Stiles]

Originally posted by BooTy
I play with this technique a lot, because I do a lot of terrain stuff ... I've discovered this technique about 2 years ago when I was first trying to make some terrain with displacement and you can get pretty good results with it and you also have good control over it ... the basics is just to use the displacement map (s) and the same map use as mask for different materials ... for example you can displace the terrain with a noise map and then you use this map as a mask for Blend material where you mix two different materials (for example rock for the displaced areas (where is the white color in the noise map) and grass for non-displaced areas (black color in that noise) ... if you make it this way then you always have right material placement because the mask follows the changes in displacement map ... but sometimes you have to make the mask slightly different from displace map like if you want one material to begin sooner than the terrain starts sloping so then you can't use the same copy of the map and have to adjust it manually ... but with a little practice you can get really good results and you can also mix many different materials or maps on one single piece of terrain quite easilly ...

I've tried doing a similar thing with a tob bottom material and have had some decent results. Can ANYONE just post a max file or something that I can actually see or work with. I'm still a bit of a newbie to the whole 3d thing so all this stuff about blending and opacity maps and stuff is a little over my head.

[sledgeweb]

I'll post my file of the scenes above later today.

-Sledge

[Stiles]

Originally posted by sledgeweb
I'll post my file of the scenes above later today.

-Sledge

:applause: :beer:
sweet, cant wait

[Aelea]

Originally posted by sledgeweb
I'll post my file of the scenes above later today.

-Sledge

Sledge:
Cool, could you please post the bitmaps also? BTW - this is a max5 file is it not?

Rayboy:
I saw the article, it was in the latest issue of Computer Arts. It looked rather good, I noticed that a part of the texture-making was using a partly textured top viewport render(large) of the landscape mesh. Quite interesting technique, although I didn't get the chance to read the tutorial thoroughly.


Thanks:D

[sledgeweb]

Sure, I'll post the bitmaps. Maybe the displacement and alpha maps too...

The file is actually MAX 4.2. I did this before I had max 5. I may recreate the scene in 5 when/if I make a tut.

I'll have some good stuff up tonight.

-Sledge

[Aelea]

-Sledge

I'm looking forward to it, and yes, post the disp and alpha too:D
Max 5.1 will read 4.2 files will it not?

Cheers

[sledgeweb]

Look at me, I'm giving back to the community!

I went ahead and re-did everything. The file on the linked site is a MAX 5 file... didn't want to look through the other computer for the other/better file. I did this real quick, just as a tutorial, so it doesn't look great, but it should help you understand the process. You really need to build on the process to get good results. This is just a launching pad:

http://www.cubit.net/tuts/terrainTutorial/

Feedback welcomed.

Thanks,
Sledge

[Stiles]

Thanks man, sweet tutorial. Really needed this for an animation I'm working on for uni. Will be sure to mention you in the credits.

[Aelea]

Thanks Sledge :beer:

This is really great! Thanks for your time and effort. I will honour your hard work by make this file the first I open in my new max5 licence! Some installing perils are at hand, but it won't be long now:)

[innervision961]

Wow thanks for taking the time to make that tutorial sledge, and im glad to see that other people can benefit from this thread also, great work! thanks again :)

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