[riggen]

Hey Dudes!

In this tutorial you are going to learn how to create terrain with

the terrainediting mode and some "additional info" on it. I explain

this the way it worked best when I used it, there could be other

ways or minimal different steps, but they won't be as cool as mine!

But don't mid, it's easy!
Ok, here it is:
I expect you got a great room (probably your skybox) of

5120x5120x5120 (height, width, breadth) substracted from the level.

Open the ACB (ActorClassBrowser) and choose Info->ZoneInfo (so it's

marked). Minimize the ACB and place the ZoneInfo by rightclicking

into the 2dviewport and choosing "Add ZoneInfo here"-a small image

will appear. Doubleclick on the placed ZoneInfo and goto ZoneLight

to make some Ambientlight (it's helpful while working on a map.if

you dont know exactly how to do ambientlight please take a look at

the BasicBSPBuilding-Tut in the PostalEditors-Forum). Now the first

steps on "doing Terrain"  : Extend ZoneInfo and click on the field

right beneath "bTerrainZone" and change it from "false" to "true",

close the ZoneInfoProperties-window. Ok, that is preference, if you

hadn't done this you could not create Terrain later! Activate the

"Terrain Editing-Mode" (button with two mountains on it in the left

menu) and a new window will open. On the bottom you click on "New"

to create the basic heightmap for the terrain (explanation of a

"heightmap" later). Just click on "OK" in the following window

because the set options are ok . Because your Terrain needs a

texture (later you can add more, but that's not the topic now )

you click on "Layers". Click on the first field with those 2 "Xs"

and the "Undefined"-type. Now open your Texture-Browser to choose a

texture (A rock-tex can be found in Package "Timp", group "rock",

but of course you can make a Cat-Terrain also! ) Minimize the

tex-browser and click on "New" in the layers-"window", you can leave

all names and options as displayed but I tell you its better to give

your Rock/Cat-Texture an individual name like rock or cat! After

you tayped in the name click on Ok and the field you chose will show

the info on the new layer. Ok, better save your map now, because

sh** can easily happen from now on . To be able to see it in the

2d viewports (the top is very important!) you rightclick on the top

of the viewport and activate "Show terrain". Then BUILD ALL! A great

black "thing" should appear in the top viewport (if not check if you

set "Show Terrain" !), this is your basic terrain. Now look where

your terrain is (showed wby this picture with the two mountains) and

move it some bit over the ground of you cube. You now will CUT the

terrain, because it should normally be to big, but we want it to

fit! Activate the TEditing-Mode and choose "Visibility" in the

tools-menu. Now delete the terrain you don't need (this outisde your

cube) by holding ctrl and the right mouse button the delete the

terrain or "make it invisible", you can of course paint the terrain

back by using the left mouse button instead of the right. You don't

have to delete all the terrain outside exactly around the cube!
If you got so far the rest is easy like stealing a lolly from a

baby. Choose "Painting" in the Terrain Editing Mode's menu, move to

the 3dviewport and raise the terrain (make hills and so on) by

holding down ctrl+left mouse button or lower then terrain by holding

down ctrl+right mouse button. OK, I think that's it! Some more

[short] info:
-if you want to build bsp (cubes and so on) into your terrain (for

houses or stuff) you first need to make the terrain invisible at

this place, otherwise your terrain will completely disappear when

rebuilding!
-you can add mor layers than the one you already added. If you

select it then you will be able to paint this texture over the older

one....this way you could for example make stone "flow" into sand or

something.
-make your terrain more beautiful by using the "smooth-Tool"-just

ctrl+left mouse over the edgy hills and they will become wonderful

picnic places or something....
-ah ya....heightmaps....that are images, which are 50% grey first,

if you paint white or bright grey on it the later created terrain

will be higher, if the used color is darker it will be lower...this

way you can make terrain outside the ed....but I tell you seriously:

It SUCKS alot!

I think that's all for now, i will give you some hints on adding

DecoLayers (fast added bushes or trees) later, for now you can use

normal static meshes, just place them....

As always: If there are any questions on this topic or general

questions regarding work with unreal editor:postal edition or you

want to send feedback please mail me: d-fens@comic.com

[-=Cypher=-]

Quote

You now will CUT the terrain, because it should normally be to big, but we want it to it! Activate the TEditing-Mode and choose "Visibility" in the tools-menu. Now delete the terrain you don't need (this outisde your cube) by holding ctrl and the right mouse button the delete the terrain or "make it invisible", you can of course paint the terrain back by using the left mouse button instead of the right. You don't have to delete all the terrain outside exactly around the cube!If you got so far the rest is easy like stealing a lolly from a baby

Heres a little tip to make that step alot easier. First right click on your "terrain info actor" and click on "terraininfo properties" then look for "terraininfo" open this and you should see "TerrainScale" which is set at 64x64x64 by default. For a map with the dementions of 65536x65536x8192 your terrain scale should be at 256x256x256.

Oh and be sure to save your work alot while using the "smooth tool" because it dosn't seem to like the edges of your terrain.

[riggen]

shud have said that... :cool:
Thanks to Cypher!

[-=Cypher=-]

Quote

I can't raise or lower it what did i do wrong?

Need more details on your problem...

[SKillMaster]

Hmm, may be you're still in the Layer  category?
To alter the terrain, you have to be in the terrain category, may be double click on your created *forgotten name*...
Then select painting, and it should work...

[riggen]

shiiit!
shud have added that, its quite important....

DO YOU  THINK I SHUD UPDATE THE TUT?

[-=Cypher=-]

Actually Psychoriggen would you happen to have anything on creating a skybox? I had no problems making them in UnrealED but I still have not been able to get one to work in postal's editor! In unrealED all I did was make a room 1024x1024x128 outside my world and added a skyzone info to it, set all the walls in my world to fakebackdrop, added a sunlight actor and bang, it worked, but I do that with postal and nothing happens at all. Plus i'd like to know the diffrences between a square skybox and a round one?

[troglar]

Great tut, been going thru every terrain tut I can find on the net to learn mapping. (just started learning mapping, so please excuse dumb questions and feel free to flame any obviously stupid ass questions)

I am trying to add BSB cubes into terain. I have a building, and I want a door/windows that you can walk thru and be outside. Everytime I try to add BSB cubes everything in the terrain gets wiped. I use the visibility tool to create a hole in my terain for the BSB, and create a cube that fits in the hole. I use the side view to make sure its level with the terrain. when I add the cube, and build all. I either get a solid cube that has no textures inside of it, or I get a regular room and my terrain is gone.

what am I doing wrong? please help

[-=Cypher=-]

To add doors or windows just build a cube say 192Hx128Wx128B (example) and place it so that the cube shows up on both sides of the wall, (centered) Then hit the intersect button which will form your cube to the wall, then subtract the cube. Your terrain may dissapear but once you rebuild it will come back.

[troglar]

-=Cypher=-, on May 06 2003,03:45, said:

Hmm I think I need to rephrase my question. I understand doors and windows in exsiting buildings, and connecting rooms. (very good Tut site on movers for doors that open and close can be found here http://www.planetunreal.com/lode/  )

What I am trying to do is make terrain with interactive buildings on the terrain. Whenever I create a BSB block in an existing terrain zone, I end up with a solid cube sitting on the terrain. I don't have 4 walls a ceiling and a floor.

I can make rooms by themselves with enterconnecting doors and windows that look into other rooms, moving doors and breakable windows.

I can make terrain, that you can walk thru, decorate it with SM's, and create a tunnel that will lead to a building.

What I am having a major proplem with is combining them so that the buildings are on the terrain, look out a window you see the terrain, walk thru a door you are outside/inside.

The only thing that I can think of to make it work is to make a building, then make a seperate terrain zone on the side of the building, a static mesh on the terrain that resembles the outside of the building and a hole in the zone that connects to the door of the building. now this seems like a really hard/tedious way to do this, and there has to be a simpler way.

I hope this clarifies my question about combining terrain and buildings.  Thanks

[troglar]

Gah figured out what I was doing wrong. hehe it was so simple, just had to stop thinking. Well at least this is how I figured it out.
Create the terrian. cut a hole in it. build the structure one wall at a time from the floor up. once ya have your floor ceiling and walls, covert to SM to save load times, rinse and repeat. still sems tedius. I know I am missing some things to do with zone info, path, and terain actors, but thanks to all the tips on this board and the tons of unrealed tuts out there I will hopefully be able to start making soem good maps. then just find someone that likes to script...

[Systemshock]

Littal note:
You can use more then one terrain actor in your map...
and there is a invert option if you look ...

Good for cave systems.....

This post has been edited by Systemshock: 04 July 2005 - 02:27 AM

[Alexxx1991]

BSPBasedTerrain i think we can use this template to create terrain But it will be too bad textured,etc... And BSP holes is another problem....

[Alexxx1991]

Forgot to say... This tutorial is so nice...