Author Topic: Terrain Editor  (Read 23235 times)

Offline jimson

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #30 on: February 27, 2015, 08:30:30 PM »
bshpdx8?

Offline mrmidi

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #31 on: February 27, 2015, 08:32:28 PM »
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Offline USRanger

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #32 on: February 27, 2015, 10:37:35 PM »
I cannot import a ground texture into the new Object Editor.  Does it use something other than a 1024x1024 8-bit .bmp to work now?
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Offline USRanger

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #33 on: March 02, 2015, 10:38:26 PM »
The issue with the texture selection box being black when you first start the TE is still present.  Use must select one of the other tabs (such as Objects), then click back on the terrain tab for the textures to appear in the box.

Otherwise weeee!!!!


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Offline mrmidi

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #34 on: March 03, 2015, 07:39:33 AM »
I keep getting the following error and the TE crashes when trying to create and save a new terrains.

Quote
Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:   APPCRASH
  Application Name:   ahedit.exe
  Application Version:   0.0.0.0
  Application Timestamp:   54ef758e
  Fault Module Name:   ahedit.exe
  Fault Module Version:   0.0.0.0
  Fault Module Timestamp:   54ef758e
  Exception Code:   c0000005
  Exception Offset:   0006edeb
  OS Version:   6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.4
  Locale ID:   1033
  Additional Information 1:   0a9e
  Additional Information 2:   0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e 789
  Additional Information 3:   0a9e
  Additional Information 4:   0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e 789

Read our privacy statement online:
  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=104288&clcid=0x0409

If the online privacy statement is not available, please read our privacy statement offline:
  C:\Windows\system32\en-US\erofflps.txt

Also the new TE will not create the .oba file.
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Offline USRanger

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #35 on: March 03, 2015, 04:59:54 PM »
Quote
Also the new TE will not create the .oba file.

Kinda need that one. :D
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Offline hitech

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #36 on: March 03, 2015, 10:33:25 PM »
Kinda need that one. :D

Yea that does help a bit.

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Offline mrmidi

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #37 on: March 04, 2015, 06:40:59 AM »
.oba file is now created.

splat map however has all the water black and all the land red.

custom objects show up blue in the editor.. see attached image
« Last Edit: March 04, 2015, 07:27:49 AM by mrmidi »
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Offline JimmyD3

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #38 on: March 04, 2015, 09:53:00 AM »
Now I know most of you guys (and gals) have been creating maps for AvA and Special events for some time. Me, I'm a noob at this. Is there anyplace I can go to get the basic sequence of events/files to generate a new map? I can play with new terrain editor, but I have no idea what I'm doing, thus my impact on the effort is minimal.

There, I have had my whine. :devil

Just wanting to help and don't know how. :joystick:
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Offline hitech

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #39 on: March 04, 2015, 10:08:45 AM »
.oba file is now created.

splat map however has all the water black and all the land red.

custom objects show up blue in the editor.. see attached image

The material table has completely changed. How many shapes do you need to fix up?

Offline MachNix

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #40 on: March 04, 2015, 11:54:19 AM »
The terrain looks solid from a distance but holes appear as you move closer.
The elevation was set to 20 feet and a small brush was used to fill in a 3x3 grid (v47_TE_TerrA.jpg).  As the view moved in, holes started appearing as the level of detail changed (v47_TE_TerrB.jpg).  It is impossible to ensure complete coverage over a large area unless there is some technique I don't know about.  Recommend having a check box to lock the level of detail to its highest level.

The method of using the A, D, etc. keys to move the view was frustrating while setting elevations.
I was using the "(3) Set Alt" method to set the elevations.  After typing the value for the elevation, the focus would remain in the text box.  Pressing any of the view keys would only type in the text box and not move the view.  The elevation would ignore the string of letters but you would have to arrow back to the beginning to change the altitude.  I would have to use the tab key to tab out of any textboxes for the view keys to work.

Offline mrmidi

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #41 on: March 04, 2015, 06:30:22 PM »
The material table has completely changed. How many shapes do you need to fix up?

A lot lol.  Will try to give you a ring tomorrow...work has been brutal...
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Offline USRanger

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #42 on: March 08, 2015, 09:16:20 PM »



The new TE is awesome, yet the hardest friggin' thing to figure out, I swear.  A ReadMe file with how the changes work is needed for us TE dummies.  :pray
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Offline 68falcon

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #43 on: March 08, 2015, 09:28:11 PM »
TE dummies like me  :pray
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Offline USRanger

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Re: Terrain Editor
« Reply #44 on: March 08, 2015, 10:10:39 PM »
The following is a copy of the ReadMe file from when the last TE version was released, as an example of what we need:



New Features

Ability to "paint" terrain textures on land using scalable brushes.
Ability to draw shorelines as well as water depth and water color using scaleable brushes


Terrain: Land Texture Specifications

Texture sizes are Tileable 1024x1024 and cover a 4 sqr. mile area (2miles x 2miles)

Texture Names: Textures are named "nttXXXX"

ntt0000  Deep water ntt0000 will always be deep water  (This is a greyscale BMP designed to vary the water over distances)
ntt0001  Grass
ntt0002  Forest 1 (evergreen)
ntt0003  Forest 2 (deciduous)
ntt0004  Farm 1
ntt0005  Farm 2
ntt0006  Rock
ntt0007  Swamp
ntt0008  Rocky Grass
ntt0009  Sandy Grass
ntt0010  Beach
ntt0011  River bed /
ntt0012  Snow / Coral


The terrain tab in the editor will allow you to select a brush size and texture type to paints.
You are also able to blend 2 textures while painting.

The editor will create a file in your terrain directory named gndtype.bmp.
This greyscale.bmp sets the terrain types over the terrain. It is 4096x4096 resolution.
1 pixel on this texture is equal to 1/8th of a mile.

Editing gndtype.bmp outside of the terrain editor:

The gndtype.bmp can be edited in photoshop or other graphic editing software.You may find it easier to edit types in a paint program outside of painting in the editor.
Be sure you are working in greyscale mode. (sgrey profile for photshops users)

RGB Values

      0 = ntt0000     
     17 = ntt0001     
     34 = ntt0002   
     51 = ntt0003   
     68 = ntt0004   
     85 = ntt0005
    102 = ntt0006
    119 = ntt0007
    136 = ntt0008
    153 = ntt0009
    170 = ntt0010
    187 = ntt0011
    204 = ntt0012

To Blend 2 textures outside of the editor:


RGB values for blending formula: (texture A ntt number * 16 + texture B ntt number) = blended RGB

So say we want to blend ntt0001 with ntt0010: (1 / 10)

01 * 16  = 16
16 + 10  = 26
26 is rgb for ntt0001/ntt0010 blend

or we can blend ntt0012 and ntt0006 (12 / 6)

12 * 16 = 192
192 + 6 = 198
198 is RGB for ntt0012/ntt006 blend


WATER

there will be a waterd.htz and a waterc.htz file in your terrain folder now.
the waterd.htz is for water depth, and waterc.htz is for water color.

The Water tab in the editor will allow you to draw/erase water, set the water depth and even color.


Converting/Creating  a Terrain:

First - open an existing terrain with the new editor. There will be a delay as the program creates the new files (waterd.htz, waterc.htz, gndtype.bmp as well as a few others)

After the files are generated you should see the terrain, but it will be blocky. Here you have a choice - edit the shorelines in the Terrain editor, or use an external graphics program (photoshop).

Go File » 'export water bitmap' - This will create 2 16384x16384 bitmaps named waterd.bmp and waterc.bmp. They will be in the texsrc folder.

Open the waterd.bmp in your graphics program.

You will see a black and white image of the terrain. Black (rgb 0,0,0) is water, White (rgb 255,255,255) is land. RGB values less than 255.255.255 will be water depth.

Now you can paint your new shorelines.

Once finished, save it as an 8 bit greyscale BMP in your texsrc folder.

Open the Terrain Editor, goto file »import water bitmap.

Your edited water will now display.


Hint for smooth water depth from shore - select color range 255,255,255 - create a new layer and fill selection with white. Duplicate this layer then blur it a few pixels to make a smooth shallow transition in the water.
You can also smudge this layer to create shallow transitions in water.



After you have your land/water done it's time to do the terrain types.


Open your Waterd.bmp with graphics program

Open your gndtype.bmp with graphics program - convert to greyscale.

Copy and paste onto a new layer within the gndtype.bmp the waterd.bmp. You will have to reduce the scale.

Select color range (255,255,255) on the resized color layer.

Now increase the selection size about 4 pixels. (Select - modify - expand in photoshops)

Create a new layer and fill selection with rgb 170 (ntt0010 - or beach/sand)

Save gndtype.bmp as 8 bit greyscale in the terrain folder overwriting the existing one.

Open your terrain in the editor - you should now see all sandy terrain and water.

From here you can go back into your graphics program and fill out the different types of terrain.


Water tricks tips.

Say you want to have some brown muddy lakes, next to greenish river which flows into a blue sea.
The editor is set up to use wnttXXXX bmps, which are underwater textures that correspond to the ground nttxxxx texture.

So wntt0001 would display wherever ntt0001 type turns into water. Hence HTCs setup for ntt0012 being snow/coral.
When we draw ntt0012 on land it displays as snow...but when you put water over it, it displays wntt0012 texture which is coral.

So if you want some brown ponds in your farm land, you could create a wntt0003, and wntt0004 texture.

It's pretty much open to whatever you can think of.

Also, since these textures are underwater, they don't need to be large textures, you can make them 256x256 or 128x128.


SETTINGS: Terrain Type Settings.

Here is where you can set up the names for your textures, as well as change the base colors for ocean / river color.
There is also a "chage selected color" button which allows you to change the displayed color for the terrain type on low detailed settings.
You will find a "low detail" check box on the lower left to see what the terrain will look like in low detail.


Elevation tab:

Water not 0. Water must be at 0 elevation. Running this check will display water vertices that are not at 0.
There is now a check box to show affected cells. You will have to paint land over any water not 0 , or set the elevation of any non-0 vertices to 0.



This ReadMe right here had me rockin' on the first day.  Without something for this TE version, I truly believe most people are going to have a very hard time figuring it out on their own. :salute










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