Terrain Mapping Ultrathread (For Terrain Builders)

[Asgarath83]

Would be great if JKA could get with the times and use misc_model_static for everything except the basic block out & ents. So much better than brushwork for just about everything..

 

Well, a suite of prefab mountains, cliff, edges ridges etc in MD3 format should be great o.o

[NumberWan]

@@Asgarath83

I learnt, that different locations require different tools – perhaps the most obvious thing here. For Dantooine, for instance, I used bevels and meshes for the most part, though a md3 could be of help there too. For another snowy and mountainous map I used a combination of different methods as well – part of it was generated with Gtk Radiant's plugin, which generates the surface (I worked with Radiant 1.5. at the time), while the problematic sections can always use the already created snowy md3 rocks from the Hoth folder.

 

Tatooine and Vjun were also made through the use of md3 rocks, though not entirely. You might want to try Easygen, which was not made for JA originally, but still can be used (here). Terragen serves a different purpose: it allows to create a skybox, generating the surface, the sky and clouds (as well as oceans and rivers), later converting all of it into the 6 tag files to be combined as a skybox. Terragen 2 is a far more advanced version of it, which allows to make a far more realistic landscape, being also somehow more complicated to learn and understand.

[Asgarath83]

mmm, so terragen is not adapted. it's all a work around easygen for make the basic terrain soil + md3 rocks and cliffs + patches + gtk radiant plug in (i get 1.5.0 too, but i never tried the plug in about terrains. where i can get in case i have not setup it? D: ) .

what about nem's tool? i tryied a lot this morning is fine for sculpt a terrain but i get serious problem with texturing and export and the map file i exported is not readed by radiant. http://nemesis.thewavelength.net/index.php?c=2&o=15

it's like easygen but it's much better and intuitive for sculpt and modellate a terrain.

but for texture and exporting is a pain in the ass. >_>

or i not know how to use it properly.

[Asgarath83]

Well, at the end seems the best way should be make heightmap make working with chrome effect and resize on paint upon the air map of the old game of blood omen, this can get an heightmap with the same sctructure of nosgoth landscapes terrains -> easygen -> 3d map of the plains terrain + add MD3 models for cliff mountains etc. there is a lot of stuff in the JKA assest on desert, vjun, hoth, yavin that can be retextured and re exported on blender that can be used for making every kind of rock, cliff and mountains for canyons... so i think i will make the basic terrain soil with easygen + MD3 stuff for the ridges. D: