|
| Texturing and "smoothing" some desert cliffs |
 release2 |
Hi,
I'm working on a large desert/canyon scene. I've modeled the terrain completely, but I'm having some problems with what to do for texturing. Right now, there are a few separate objects: an editably poly for the lower ground, another one for the higher ground (cliff tops), another for the cliff walls, and one more for a very thin cliff "edge" (it's the edge of the cliffs, as one object, but it's not a spline; it's flat polygons that perfectly meet the higher ground editable polys, and the cliff walls polys)
well, my brushes aren't quite as simple as the picture, but that's the basic idea. also in the pic, it's shown that the cliff edge object would be using a gradient mask, to blend the cliff wall texture and the cracked earth texture on top, so it's not just an abrupt texture edge.
here's where my problem is - I need a 'box' UVW map for the entire cliff object, and a 'plane' UVW map for both of the ground objects, to display the textures correctly. i can't use a UVW unwrap because of the sheer amount of polys on every brush. this is fine that I'm using UVW maps, but the problem is that, because they are separate objects, the lighting is very ugly at the seams. i could fix this by combining EVERYTHING into one brush, and then going to the Smoothing options and setting every surface to smoothing group "1", which is the effect I'm looking for, I don't want the abrupt lighting differences in the objects..
but I don't think combining them all would be such a smart idea, because then, everything would be permanent, wouldn't it? I couldn't go back and edit the gradient mask if I noticed it was messed up in one spot later, or edit the cliff wall's box UVW map or the ground's planar UVW map, since I would have collapsed it all into one object and lost all the modifiers.
a masked UVW unwrap for the entire combined brush (for the cliff edge's mask) is simply out of the question due to the large poly count, and to the fact that i'd be further editing the scene later, like adding caves and such below, which would need more masks (to blend the cliff wall texture and the cave interior texture).
Hope I'm making sense... does anyone have any suggestions for eliminating the ugly lighting seams?
read 3662 times
8/10/2007 1:27:41 PM (last edit: 8/10/2007 1:29:09 PM)
|
| ScotlandDave |
Attaching it all as one mesh is pretty much the way to go with this. Apply a different material ID to each section within the edit poly (theyll be selectable as `elements` anyway because you`ve attached them) and apply a multi-subobject material to it. And as u say use a unified smoothing group. What u then do is, with for example the ground polygons selected, add the UVWMap mod and it`ll map just that section. Then add another editpoly mod or polyselect and select the next area, eg the walls, and add a UVWMap etc etc..
Old Portfolio Madness
read 3640 times
8/10/2007 3:02:54 PM (last edit: 8/10/2007 3:02:54 PM)
|
| release2 |
hi, thanks for the help, but i'm still having a really hard time with this. first, i can't even figure out how to correctly apply the mask on the surfaces the right way. if i make a material as a gradient... and one half of the gradient is the cliff texture, the other half is the dirt texture, i should be able to simply apply a gradient all along the entire cliff edge object, right? well, the gradient doesn't show up on the polygons right - they are a separate element and have their own matID, but this is how the gradient automatically maps itself:
changing it to "Face" doesn't do anything, and look i even tried setting it to "Box" and lowering the X and Y of it, making it really small, see the box gizmo? but look how big the gradient remains.. it won't change at all :\
i tried doing a little test with a section of the cliff edge element, and did a UVW unwrap on it to try and get the gradient to fit on it - i mapped out the uvw unwrap correctly, and the gradient still did not budge.
also, let's say I do somehow get the gradient to work, well, wouldn't there have to be three uvw maps on that cliff edge area? i'm not even sure if that would work or not.? i'd need one to get the gradient to fit on right, another to set cliff top texture to top-down Planar, 4096x4096 (so it matches perfectly with the higher ground object uvw map, which has the same settings), and then... another one for the cliff wall texture, to match the actual cliff wall's uvw settings... and my scene isn't as simple as this drawing, i'm going to have like .. 20+ uvw maps applied to the same object?
there must be an easier way to do this... would there be some kind of tool, like the "vertex weight painter" when rigging a character, but, for terrain textures? maybe i could paint the different areas in manually and then i'd only have to apply about 4 uvw maps, to each entire texture as a whole?
edit: i figured out why the gradient map wouldn't move, it was because i had the other UVW map on it as well... and even though i applied the 2nd uvw map to ONLY the cliff edge part, it's not overwriting the old uvw map.. but i need the old uvw map there so the texture on the cliff tops looks right... this is a really big headache
read 3597 times
8/19/2007 10:49:29 PM (last edit: 8/19/2007 10:53:14 PM)
|
| K'tonne |
your stack might be the problem, try putting an edit poly modifier between each uvw mapping modifier
read 3591 times
8/19/2007 10:59:49 PM (last edit: 8/19/2007 10:59:49 PM)
|
| Sypher-5 |
Your screenshot shows UVW Mapping, but not UVW Unwrapping.
Signature Pending Redesign
read 3590 times
8/19/2007 11:21:29 PM (last edit: 8/19/2007 11:21:29 PM)
|
| mrgrotey |
Right time for another lil tut
1. create your cliff
2.convert to an editable poly and select the 'rock' faces including the chamfered edge. Then add a uvwmap in planar mode. Leave the mapping channel at '1'
Then collapse the uvwmap modifier into the stack
3.Select the 'Sand' faces including the chamfered edge once again. Then add another uvwmap in planar mode. This time change the mapping channel to '2'
Then collapse the uvwmap modifier into the stack
4. Select the edge faces only. Then add another uvwmap in planar mode, and click on 'fit' to match the width and height of the selection This time change the mapping channel to '3'
This part only works well if the faces are flat in one view i.e. in my front view the cliff top is completely flat but the front is wavey
Then collapse the uvwmap modifier into the stack
5. Select the edge faces again, and give thema material ID of 3 (this is found down the modifiy panel)
6. Select only the rock faces and give them a material ID of 1, and the sand faces a material ID of 2
7.Thats it as far as modelling/mapping is concerned, on to the materials
8. open the material editor ('M' key) and create a new multisub material with 3 slots
9. Call number one 'Rock', call number 2 'Sand', and call number 3 'edge mix'
10. open 'rock' and apply the rock bitmap to the diffuse slot and leave the mapping channel at '1'.
11. press the 'go to parent' button (black 'up arrow' under the spheres) then right click and copy the rock bitmap texture box in the diffuse slot
12. press the 'go to parent' button again and open the edge mix material
13. add a mix material in the diffuse slot
14.right click the top slot and paste 'instanced' the rock bitmap material
15. press the 'go to parent' button again and open the sand material
16.Apply the sand bitmap to the diffuse slot and change the mapping channel to '2'
17. Press the 'go to parent' button (black 'up arrow' under the spheres) then right click and copy the sand bitmap texture box in the diffuse slot
18. Press the 'go to parent' button again and open the edge mix material once more
19. right click the middle slot and paste 'instanced' the sand bitmap material.
20. open the mix amount 'none' slot and choose gradient ramp
21. change the mapping channel to '3'
22. Press the 'go to parent' button again and again untill you reach the top then apply the material to the cliff mesh.
23. all being well you should get the sand on top, the rock kon the face and the gradient in the edge.
what you probably need to do is change the 'W' angle value in the gradient ramp material you just made, I had to use a value of -90 to get the gradient to go the right way around. but other than that it should be done and with all the smoothing groups matching it doesnt look half bad :)
The reason I did it with the different mapping channels is so that the edge section uses the same channels as the face its merging into and so you wont get a texture seam, it will merge in seamlessly and you can tell by my shitty render.
hope this helps, took an age to type it :)
[edit] and before anyone makes an incredibly witty quip, yes, i have too much free time :p
read 3567 times
8/20/2007 4:21:20 AM (last edit: 8/22/2007 3:43:41 AM)
|
| Odie |
cool example, mrgrotey!
-OD
read 3547 times
8/20/2007 5:32:51 AM (last edit: 8/20/2007 5:32:51 AM)
|
| Dave |
Crikey moses he's done it again. Ever thought about starting up a beginners tutorial site? Perhaps even just a full on tutorials site. You make so many, it's a shame that they get lost into the back pages of maxforums. Could call it something like "Tutorials for the most common problems in 3D Max"... and you'll never run out of inspiration, cause the newbies just keep pouring in!
Couple of google ads... a donation link... you'll do well!
Can I join?
read 3526 times
8/20/2007 6:47:28 AM (last edit: 8/20/2007 6:47:28 AM)
|
| s33us00n |
Grotey if you have so much free time why don't you help me with rigging?:P
edit: And i'm second after dave:D
----------------------------------------
Using 3ds max 2008 32bit
read 3524 times
8/20/2007 6:48:29 AM (last edit: 8/20/2007 6:50:11 AM)
|
| mrgrotey |
lol
'The Grotey Center for kids who cant max....good'
lol
the stuff i do for peeps here is very specific though thats the problem, ishould do a few tuts but whatever i think of to do a tut on, ive seen loads of them before so dont see the point really. ill do one one day, gotta get my own slot in the member tutorial page :)
s33us00n: what rigging? cant see a thread by you. post a thread and youll get help :)
read 3515 times
8/20/2007 6:54:15 AM (last edit: 8/20/2007 6:54:15 AM)
|
| s33us00n |
i'm finishing today a wooden house and i'll start with rigging animals. Up to now i've made a little rigging only on human characters.So prepare:))
edit: one thing. How do people usually build grass? with hair modifier or without? I've seen many tuts on the internet but i don't know which is better
----------------------------------------
Using 3ds max 2008 32bit
read 3512 times
8/20/2007 6:57:37 AM (last edit: 8/20/2007 7:00:30 AM)
|
| mrgrotey |
:( im thinking i wasted my time no? :(
that'll teach me.
read 3458 times
8/22/2007 3:03:14 AM (last edit: 8/22/2007 3:03:47 AM)
|
| Nik Clark |
Your tutorial was good, Mr.G.
Unfortunately the guy who asked it is rude, and hasn't even checked for a reply. Hopefully he will.
I for one enjoy your mini tutorials, thanks for being so helpful, Grotey.
read 3452 times
8/22/2007 3:08:35 AM (last edit: 8/22/2007 3:08:35 AM)
|
| magda |
Thakns for your tutorial mrgrotey - I've noticed you help people a lot as you did helped me with a rope animation with reactor.
THANK YOU!!!
read 3427 times
8/22/2007 6:51:21 AM (last edit: 8/22/2007 6:51:21 AM)
|
| horizon |
Think that's the second time someone suggests this grotes, why not trying it. You're tutorials are specific but you can learn something general in every one of them. Here you can learn how to make a texture transition....
Offered it last time, will do it again: if you need help with site or tuts, send me an email
read 3409 times
8/22/2007 7:50:59 AM (last edit: 8/22/2007 7:50:59 AM)
|
|
|