Editing Global Terrain
The built-in terrain editor allows you to change the Global Terrain relief on the spot with the help of brushes. In the editing mode, you can draw various terrain features, such as rocky ground and other craggy details. All brushes modify only the selected LOD.
To start editing the current terrain, click the Edit button in the Terrain Global section of the Node tab in the Parameters window. When you're done editing, click either Apply to apply all changes and exit the terrain editor, or Cancel to discard your changes.
Controls#
- To draw with a brush, press ALT + LMB.
- To grab the height / color / material (depending on the brush type) at the current height of terrain and set it as a brush value, use ALT + RMB.
- To change the brush size, use the mouse wheel.
Terrain Brushes#
The following set of brushes with their specific modes is used to modify the Terrain Global.
Albedo Brush#
Albedo brush modifies the color of a albedo texture that is assigned to the surface. Its Modes are:
- Replace — paint the color specified by the brush color over the Terrain Global albedo color.
- Add — add the color specified by the brush color to the Terrain Global albedo color thus making it lighter. The lighter the color, the lighter the result will be. Completely black color value does not change anything.
- Subtract — subtract the color from the Terrain Global albedo color thus darkening it. The lighter the color, the darker the result will be. Completely black color value does not change anything.
- Smooth — blur albedo colors blending and softening color transitions.
The following brush parameters are available for editing Terrain Global albedo LODs:
- Color — color of the brush.
- Intensity — color intensity of the brush. Lower intensity values correspond to darker colors, while higher values — to brighter ones.
- Opacity — strength of the brush when applying the layer color. Lower values create a more translucent brush, and higher values create a more opaque brush.
Heights Brush#
Heights brush adds hills and cavities of different sizes. The available Modes for Heights brush are the following:
- Replace — replace the current terrain height with the specified height value. Lower height values will lower the surface down and create cavities, while higher values will raise the terrain height. If a surface has different heights, the brush will level them.
- Add — add the specified height to the current height and raise it till the maximum height of a terrain is reached.
- Subtract — subtract the specified height from the terrain current height and lower it till the minimum height of a terrain is reached.
- Smooth — level the difference between the neighboring heights.
The Opacity parameter determines the rate at which the brush is applied.
The Height parameter determines the height value for the brush. This value is added, subtracted or applied at the corresponding point of the heightmap.
Mask Brush#
Mask brush controls the clarity and spreading of details across the Terrain Global. The Mask dropdown allows you to choose a mask from the list of available ones for the current terrain. The brush Modes are:
- Replace — apply the selected intensity value at the corresponding point of the selected LOD.
- Add — increase intensity and clarity of the selected mask at the corresponding point of the selected LOD.
- Subtract — decrease intensity and clarity of the selected mask at the corresponding point of the selected LOD.
- Smooth — blur spreading boundaries of the selected mask at the corresponding point of the selected LOD.
The Intensity parameter determines mask intensity for the brush. Lower values create a more translucent (less intense) texture, and higher values create a more opaque texture.
Common Parameters#
All brushes share a set of common parameters. The parameters are as follows:
- LOD — albedo, height, or mask LOD of the Terrain Global to be modified with the brush.
- Shape — shape of the brush:
- Circle — circular shape
- Square — a square oriented along the terrain grid
- Texture — texture-based brush. (To load a custom brush texture click the button.)
- Rotate — rotation of the brush. Can be used to make brush fit best for a specific task.
- Size — size of the brush, in units. Determines the area to be affected by the brush.
- Sharpness — tip of the brush. The lower the value, the sharper and smaller the tip; the higher the value, the flatter and bigger the tip.