Building 2km square terrain - ideas and implementation

[mickyg]

You built it with preview settings? Because the preview setting doesn't emit nearly as much photons as with production settings, resulting in blotchy lightmaps and uneven ambient lighting.

Actually that was at production lighting. Preview lighting was a bit worse...

Thanks BloodReyvyn, I've used one of those techniques to overlay an overall normal map and the results are pretty good. Now if I can only figure out how to get a better lighting quality...

[CreativeCoding]

I would split it up into sections and use the stream level thing. That way, it keeps the file size low(er) and you wouldn't need such a high-res texture...

[Hboybowen]

actually the best way I found was this one http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/TerrainsFromDEMs.html and streamline and change as you see fit also discusses importing

[CreativeCoding]

actually the best way I found was this one http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/TerrainsFromDEMs.html and streamline and change as you see fit also discusses importing

NO WAY!

It creates a terrain based on aerial photographs!?!?

[mickyg]

NO WAY!

It creates a terrain based on aerial photographs!?!?

I don't think so, it seems to say that you have to convert the DEM into a height map first, so you are still only utilising a heightmap.

It's interesting, but I can't see how it differs from my original approach (I converted my heightmap render to the unreal format bmp using HMCS), apart from where the heightmap source originated.

As far as splitting up goes, this concept of mine will only be looked at from an aerial perspective so it doesn't even need to be that detailed. In the images I posted above, the terrain has more vertices than the static mesh so theoretically it should be smoother and show the relief/shadows better, but clearly that's not the case.

[UnspoiledWalnut]

You convert the DEM to a heightmap using 3DEM or something.

[CreativeCoding]

Yes, but then can't you used the normal color map for the texture, creating a perfect auto-terrain?

[ambershee]

I doubt you'd get anything remotely 'perfect' out of it. Real world topography doesn't usually translate into a game environment very well.

[CreativeCoding]

Aww...

Still would be great.

[UnspoiledWalnut]

DEM and a shot from a helicopter or something isn't exactly the same thing. You need something to denote the altitude and steepness in order to turn it into a decent hightmap of that area.

[16bit]

Both those links give me 404's
-edit- nvm

[Hboybowen]

just search dem mapping or whatever I found the DEM of SLC which has a lovely terrain and mountains