Terrain Editor

This inspector tab in editworld is mainly used to build the texture layers of the megatexture. To activate the Terrain Editor click the Begin Editing button at the bottom of the page. The terrain Editor works in a parent/child node based system, where nodes at the top of the list get drawn first and nodes further down get drawn last (opposite of photoshop layers).

To create a node right click on the parent and under new you can select the different nodes: Image Source, Projector, Road, Stamp Node, and Group. In the right click menu you can also copy/paste nodes and delete them. To move a node click and drag, releasing on a node that you wish to be it’s new parent (it will by default make it bottom of the child list). Alternatively you can release the node either just above or below a node, placing it respectively.

Root Node

At the top of the node hierarquy, this node must be created first.

• Detail Texture 0-3 Choose the texture for each of the 4 detail texture slots.

• Model Assign a terrain model to be compiled into the map.

• ST Model Assign a model to be used for calculating the megatexture ST grid (information used to focus the megatexture around the player). This mesh should be the same as the gameplay mesh, only with all holes filled up (there should be no gaps in the mesh).

Group Node

This node is useful for keeping your tree nice and tidy, and does what its name suggests.

Image Source Node

Used to apply textures and can be distributed in a variety of ways.

Image Properties

Images and procedurals can be assigned to the different inputs using the bottom left section of the Terrain Editor tab.

• Diffuse The colour image to be used in the blend.

• Distribution The distribution image for the whole mesh, where white will blend the image and black will mask the image. This layer uses the uv’s of the mesh, unless UV Type has been set to either Parallel projection settings, where the distribution will be projected in the same manner.

• Distribution Pattern This images blends with the Distribution image allowing you to make a tiled blend images that matches the Diffuse image. White areas on this images will blend through before black areas.

• Global Mask This image is multiplied on top of the Distribution mask. Useful when wanting to use complex mix of 2 masks in a node. For example you’ve made a mask for where you want rock, but you want to mask that mask for different angles on the mesh (avoiding upside down rock).

• Heightmap Used to set a heightmap of a layer for when it or another layer uses a HeightMap Blend.

• Local The normal map to be used in conjunction with the diffuse image (uses the same scale and rotation settings)

• Proj. Pattern Used when UV Type is set to a parallel projection. Works in the same way as Distribution Pattern, except is projected parallel with the diffuse image (and uses the same scale settings).

To assign an image, select the image type (Diffuse, Distribution Pattern…) and under Image Properties/Source Type (on the left side of the tab) choose the type of image you would like (texture or procedural). With each type, different settings can be entered:

Texture

• Clamp Distribution Here you can set if an image tiles or is clamped. Normally can be left to default, as by default the image node is set to tile and a projector node is set to clamp.
• File Type Choose a texture/image you wish to use. In the Choose an image pop-up, you can add a favourite folder by dragging it into the favourites section. Double click the favourite to enter that folder, and while selected press delete to remove it from the list.

Noise, Rocky, and Marble

Contain standard procedural settings

Geometry Based

Builds an image created from terrain attributes, useful for masks (snow caps, rocky cliffs).

• Altitude Properties Contains settings to mask based on geometry height (Altitude Lower and Upper). To activate an altitude select and tick Enable.
  • Value Assigns a height at which to start the mask (standard editor units).
  • Fuzziness The higher the number the smoother/longer the fade in.
• Resolution Assign a texture resolution to the procedural image.
• Slope Properties Contains settings to mask based on geometry angle (Slope Lower and Upper). To activate an altitude select and tick Enable.
  • Value Assigns an angle at which to start the mask.
  • Fuzziness The higher the number the smoother/longer the fade in.

Properties

Contains the settings/values on how to blend the images and nodes together.

Blend

Here you can choose how you want this node to blend with the previous layers:

• Add Brightens the previous layers using the image on this node. Note that masks don’t work with this blend mode

• Multiply (d*(s*1.6)) In the source image colours darker thank 160 will darken the previous layers, while colours brighter than 160 will lighten.

• Multiply (d*s) Darkens the previous layers by using the image in this node.

• Heightmap Using the heightmap images of all layers, and the first 2 values in blend parameters, this mode blends the node into the deeper parts of the blended heightmaps (darker). The best way to set up a heightmap blend is add a heightmap to the previous layers you want to blend into. Then on the node with the heightmap blend mode, set the heightmap to black. It will now blend into the cracks and lower areas of the previous layers, using the Distribution image as a guide. Adjust the Blend Parameters to bring up the height of the blend and the falloff. Note that this method uses all the heightmaps blended together, so when using more than one heightmap blend it might not work as well.

• Perturbate Normals This blend method will add the local image onto the previous layers normals. Useful for adding detailed normals from a higher-res terrain. Note the diffuse image is not rendered but all other layers work fine.

Blend Parameters

• Parm 0 Used in a heightmap blend, this value controls the height as which the blend takes place.

• Parm 1 Used in a heightmap blend, this value controls the sharpness of the falloff in the blend.

• Parm 2 Not used for anything.

• Parm 3 Used to adjust the falloff sharpness when using UV Type set to Parallel (Top Down or Side).

Color Properties

• Alpha Transparency of the layer (white is opaque).

• Color You can tint a layer by choosing a colour here.

• Inverse Alpha Inverts where the layer is rendered.

• Ramp Width Controls the sharpness of the falloff (1 is wide, 0 is sharp).

Detail Texture Type

Sets what detail texture from 0 to 3 to use. Detail textures are defined in the Root node.

Distribution Pattern Texture Rotation

Sets the Rotation of the Distribution Pattern (counter clockwise).

Distribution Pattern Texture Scale

Sets how many times the Distribution Pattern tiles.

Image Renderer

This section is used to set the image node to render as a side or top projection.

• Projection Angle Used when UV type is set to Parallel Side, it allows you to change the direction at which the side projection takes place. In order to make sure the normals aren’t flipped, check that you aren’t projecting from the opposite side.

• UV Type' Sets what UV method to use, Mesh UV’s or Planar Projection.
  • From Mesh Renders the node with the mesh UV’s (default).
  • Parallel Top Down Planar projection from Top Down.
  • Parallel Side Planar projection from the side.

Propagate Distribution

If set to true the mask of this Node will mask the children nodes also.

Surface Type Properties

Surface Type sets what footstep and impact effects to use.

• Threshold Allows a Surface Type of a Node to bend in sooner (stronger) if set above 0.5, or weaker below 0.5. By default it's at 0.5 and usually doesn't need changing.

• Type Sets what the Surface Type is: carpet, concrete, dirt, dusty_road, flesh, forcefeild, glass, grass, gravel, ice, leaves, liquid, metal, metal_thick, moss, mud, paper, pavement, pine, plastic, sand, snow, stone, water, water_interior, wood, wood_thick.

Texture Properties

• Clamp To Edge If set to true the edge pixels will repeat and the image wont tile. Mainly used for a large image that will cover the whole map, and you don't want the edge pixels to blend through to the other side.

• Mask Rotation Sets the Rotation of the Distribution image (counter clockwise).

• Rotation Sets the Rotation of the Diffuse image (counter clockwise).

• Scale Sets how many times the Diffuse image tiles.

Projector Node

This node projects an image from a positional plane onto the terrain mesh (megatexture). Most of the settings from the Image Source Nodework the same, except there is an extra section called Projector. By pressing v (vertex edit mode) you can modify the projector into a different shape.

Projector

• Num Sides Usually leave as default, don't set it to 2 or below.
• Origin Sets the center of the projector, usually best to move the projector in the editor than to type in a value.
• Parallel Buggy at the moment, leave as Parallel.
• Tex. Coords Sets what UV's to use when projecting.
  • Generated Uses projected UV's
  • From Model Uses mesh UV's for Diffuse and Local, and uses the Projected UV's for just the mask (Distribution).