flatten all

[pagan]

is there a node(shader or function) that flattens all the displacements applied to the terrain, within a chosen area?
I already have a mask working in my chosen area which I would like to keep only with my basic highfield node
Cheers!

[dandelO]

Try creating a B+W image in the desired shape of your new mask, plan it across the ground('Y') and use everything in accordance with that.
To put terrain displacements where the mask is - Connect the mask as the 'blending shader' input of the fractal.
To stop displacements appearing on your mask - Do the same but check 'invert blend shader'.

Just keep your masks out of your general node network connections and only use them as blending shaders. That's the way.
A black/white shader function would serve as the mask aswell if it specifies the correct shape but, more than likely, you'll need a specific shape defined so I'd suggest the image map.

If a shader you need to mask has no 'blending shader' input - Set that shader as a child to a surface layer that has 'apply colour' un-checked, coverage=1, no fractal breakup or slope/height constraints and mask the new surface layer.

[inkydigit]

http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=3830.msg39741#msg39741
this might help?

[pagan]

HI Thanks a lot for your help, however I think my situation is bit more complicate.

I'd like to get rid of the extra bumbiness within this cave which is created by the displacement of the rock surface.

I have succeded getting rid of the grass inside by plugging a mask in the blend shader of the grass surface but if I plug the same mask(or a copy) in the rock surface, in order to get rid of the bumbs,
TG2 crashes

Is this the right procedure?

[dandelO]

I think that the cave mask would be best before all of these other shaders, not connected in series through it's 'input' afterwards.
In your node network, remove 'SH_maskPreNur' from the end and take it higher up so it's only feeding the 'blending shader' input of your fractal terrain shader.

The way you have lined up your grass-mask is what I'd call 'correct', it's a blending function to your grass-surface. Do the same to your terrain as you have done to your grass with it's mask. I think that's right.

[pagan]

Hi Thanks for your advice!
Unfortuantley by pluggin my mask(which is a trough camera one) into the blending shader of my fractal terrain at the top or into my rock node(blending shader)later
does not give any result.
I can get some result by using another surface with no color and with the mask attached to the displacement or use directly a displacement shader with the mask attached to the function.
However doing this way I still can't get rid of my smaller displacemts created by custom functions attached to the rock surface dispalcement input.

I believe that this smaller displacemet need to be masked(don't know how) as well as having some control on the depth of the cave

Don't know if I have explained well but I will send more picture if you want
Cheers!

[bigben]

This is a little harder for fractal terrains, because you're only wanting to get rid of the smaller displacements, not the larger ones.  You could create a separate terrain based on the same PF but try increasing the smallest scale. There's only so far that you can take this though as you will eventually end up with a very different terrain.  Just use your mask as a blending shader on both PF terrains, and invert the blending shader on the terrain outside of the cave.

The other option may be to fill in the gaps with a shader with smooth positive displacements and intersect underlying turned on. You could also drop the floor of the cave before hand if this results in too great a build up.

[dandelO]

In a sentence.

To get the bottom of that area flat, flat as the proverbial pancake, displace it a very little lower, add a plane object, move the plane to the 'caves' XZ coordinates, scale the plane's length A/Length B settings enough to cover the hole then, just lower the plane to the desired level of the bottom of your pit, make the plane just slightly wider than the hole to save unwanted sub-terranean render time.

[pagan]

HI guys!
Many thanks for your advice I will try these techniques very soon.
for the timebeing I have ended up creating a hole and modelling the floor of the cave...
here is two shots!

soon

P!

[rcallicotte]

@pagan, this is an excellent work.  Keep at it.  I love the cave's look and texture.

[pagan]

Do you think it is?
I don't know...I still think it's quite a lot cartoony but I guess that the realistic stuff will come up with time and practice(and when there are no deadlines to respect).
Also I think that most of the things I have achieved it is thank to this forum...which is great!

[pagan]

Ok I have manage to achieve what I was trying to do with the help of all of your inputs...and this confirms my theory...that this is probably the best place to learn this software.

Basically it is very simple... just create another Surface layer with your mask as a blending shader and use the smoothing effect