Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Terrain Editor => Topic started by: Major Biggles on October 15, 2006, 03:17:53 PM

Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Major Biggles on October 15, 2006, 03:17:53 PM
i'd love to make a few maps and stuff, but whenever i've tried, i've never got the terrain editor to work. just DL'd the newest version, and was wondering if perhaps anyone could give me a few basic tips to get me going, ie, how to actually start making a map, how to alter things like terrain type, terrain shape and altitude, vehicle and mid-air spawns, things like that...

it'd be really great, thanks in advance guys :)
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: rogerdee on October 15, 2006, 05:25:24 PM
denholm or bogie has done a great turorial for the oe and the te.

have a look on here and down load them it will get you up and running straight away in stead of craweling like we have been.

i down loaded both and i have a basic map completed  and a a custom airfield that works,and that supprised me.

get the tutorial and print it out then u can play to your hearts content
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Clifra Jones on October 15, 2006, 06:32:22 PM
Yes, Delholm's tutorial is great. Just search the forum for Tutorial.

One thing I did for my 1st map, and I am very much the noob at this, was to draw the map in Paint Shop as a grey scale elevation map. It must be 1024 x 1024 16M color bitmap. The easiest was was to draw it as a standard 256 grey scale and then convert it. Then import it into the TE. I also used TileSet.exe, It will set the tiles for any vertice above 0 elevation. This worked real well. Can't remember who created this but search for it here. (I'm to lazy to look)
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Denholm on October 16, 2006, 10:41:19 AM
Terrain Editor:
http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=182825

Object Editor:
http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=188450

:aok
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Major Biggles on October 16, 2006, 11:04:03 AM
just finished reading the TE tutorial, it was really great, thanks so much denholm (got a map that worked for the first time ever) :D

now all i need to learn is how to change tile textures, mess around with terrain shape and stuff. is there any thread in here that gives any details on this? if not i'll do fine, i learn quickly by messing about with things :)

again, thanks denholm, it makes much more sense now.

also, i realised that people make maps quickly by making a map or something really quickly by using an image that autogenerates the terrain... how is that done?

and finally, how do i got about making custom objects and fun little airfields, forests and land textures? what im really wondering is if there's an advanced tutorial somewhere? thanks so much for the help guys, i can see this becoming an addictive passtime :D
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: SkyChimp03 on October 16, 2006, 11:12:13 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Major Biggles
just finished reading the TE tutorial, it was really great, thanks so much denholm (got a map that worked for the first time ever) :D

now all i need to learn is how to change tile textures, mess around with terrain shape and stuff. is there any thread in here that gives any details on this? if not i'll do fine, i learn quickly by messing about with things :)

again, thanks denholm, it makes much more sense now.

also, i realised that people make maps quickly by making a map or something really quickly by using an image that autogenerates the terrain... how is that done?

and finally, how do i got about making custom objects and fun little airfields, forests and land textures? what im really wondering is if there's an advanced tutorial somewhere? thanks so much for the help guys, i can see this becoming an addictive passtime :D



Not all people do that only CM terrain team really. Anyways they use map maker and USGS .dem files ive made one or two historical terrains before ;p
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Dux on October 16, 2006, 11:21:22 AM
Biggles, the custom stuff is not terribly hard to do, but I would recommend getting familiar with just the basic fundamentals of terrain-making first. Get a good, solid foundation of straight terrain-building skills first, then get into the fancy stuff later.

Learn to crawl first. :)
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Major Biggles on October 16, 2006, 11:31:56 AM
yeah rgr.

is there any chance of having the terrain autogeneration explained though? placing individual tiles will be quite time consuming
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Clifra Jones on October 16, 2006, 11:57:08 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Major Biggles
yeah rgr.

is there any chance of having the terrain autogeneration explained though? placing individual tiles will be quite time consuming


Use MachNix's  Tile Setter program. It allows you to set the tiles based on elevation. You can customize how the tiles are placed. Save me a ton of time.

http://www.hitechcreations.com/foru...threadid=140697

Next think I need to learn is how to set the tile clutter.
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Major Biggles on October 16, 2006, 12:40:33 PM
ok, took a look and searched, but it only left me confused. machnix's tool edits elevations and things correct?

what im looking for is the basic info on autogeneration, eg, the terrain generating from a bitmap or whatever it is that you guys do. is there any more advanced info out there that starts where denholms tutorial left off? that's what im really looking for, info on making the next step :)
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: croduh on October 16, 2006, 12:48:13 PM
You can use 2 programs for autogeneration of height maps- Terragen and World Machine.
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Clifra Jones on October 16, 2006, 12:54:25 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Major Biggles
ok, took a look and searched, but it only left me confused. machnix's tool edits elevations and things correct?

what im looking for is the basic info on autogeneration, eg, the terrain generating from a bitmap or whatever it is that you guys do. is there any more advanced info out there that starts where denholms tutorial left off? that's what im really looking for, info on making the next step :)


It will set elevation if you use terragen. I tried that but just got more confused. It will set the tiles based on the elevation of the vertices. Just select you .elv file and your .typ file. The settings are ion the right side of the tool. To apply the tiles just click Set Type, and then Set Subtype. (not in the picture on the link below, he updated it) I just took the default settings and it worked out great.


This link will work.
http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=140697
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Clifra Jones on October 16, 2006, 12:56:01 PM
Quote
Originally posted by duh
You can use 2 programs for autogeneration of height maps- Terragen and World Machine.


I tried Terragen but got confused on how to use it. Is World Machine any simpler?
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: NHawk on October 16, 2006, 01:40:33 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Clifra Jones
I tried Terragen but got confused on how to use it. Is World Machine any simpler?
Definitely not. Not unless you understand what this is....

(http://www.brewsterbuffalos.com/network.jpg)
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Xjazz on October 16, 2006, 02:41:50 PM
Quote
Originally posted by duh
You can use 2 programs for autogeneration of height maps- Terragen and World Machine.


Hi

There is a very nice Blender script for the landscape creation:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=34955

You can get out the altitude data in bitmap format in reso you like.

When I have a time, I will test it better.
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Denholm on October 17, 2006, 09:09:09 AM
Quote
Originally posted by NHawk
Definitely not. Not unless you understand what this is....

(http://www.brewsterbuffalos.com/network.jpg)

I can't read it, too small.:p
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: NHawk on October 17, 2006, 02:54:54 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Denholm
I can't read it, too small.:p
LOL...want my bifocals?

Actually, WM is my preferred generator. It's what has created the terrain for Pizza2 (on hold until large maps return). It just takes some getting use to.

Combine it with TG and either MachNix's tile setter or mine and you have one group of powerful tools.
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Clifra Jones on October 17, 2006, 03:02:38 PM
Quote
Originally posted by NHawk
LOL...want my bifocals?

Actually, WM is my preferred generator. It's what has created the terrain for Pizza2 (on hold until large maps return). It just takes some getting use to.

Combine it with TG and either MachNix's tile setter or mine and you have one group of powerful tools.


Or yours? Care to post a link please?
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: NHawk on October 17, 2006, 03:13:37 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Clifra Jones
Or yours? Care to post a link please?
Some people have trouble running it. But, here's the link. It won't be there long.

http://www.brewsterbuffalos.com/tilesetter111.zip
Title: Interested in starting...
Post by: Denholm on October 18, 2006, 09:03:25 AM
Thanks, this will come in usefull for my new "airport" terrain!:D