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General => Terragen Discussion => Topic started by: blizzo on November 22, 2019, 02:28:42 PM

Title: Using multiple .ter files from world machine
Post by: blizzo on November 22, 2019, 02:28:42 PM
Is there a way to load multiple .ter files from world machine and displace them separately on the surface?  I tried using the merge function but that will only blend from one to the other.  The end result I am hoping to achieve would be similar to the shader array function but with several tiled height map outputs.  I would also like to place a unique image map on each of these as well...basically looking for a layering system for height map and image map.
Title: Re: Using multiple .ter files from world machine
Post by: WAS on November 22, 2019, 03:11:10 PM
I'd imagine you could just feed your terrains into surface layer child inputs. Allowing further alteration before it's applied to the main terrain chain. Isolating alterations with another surface layer and mask may help too.

I'll see if I can whip up an example..
Title: Re: Using multiple .ter files from world machine
Post by: WAS on November 22, 2019, 03:34:45 PM
Here you go: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1D48ZhcbsayKCi9gVr7oTKg7dhg2HCQNe

You'll probably want to play with the border stitching width in the Heightfields, as well as the border percentage of the Terrain 1 Effect Isolation simple shape.

The terrain on the left has a Redirect Shader effect with a PF on X, while the terrain on the right has a simpler Fractal Warp shader effect.

Enabling better displacement continuity in the Surface Layers (both alterations and main) will help with displacement as well.
Title: Re: Using multiple .ter files from world machine
Post by: Dune on November 23, 2019, 02:42:58 AM
I read the word tiled, so I guess this method would mean a lot of work to load each ter apart, eventually covering a large expanse. As that's what I gather is needed.
I would think repeated image maps and some appropriate masking would be easier, but then you'd have to convert your ters to 16-bit grey image maps for displacement. It would be easy to do the same for the textures, so they'd cover the right similarly masked areas.
Title: Re: Using multiple .ter files from world machine
Post by: Hetzen on November 23, 2019, 12:22:15 PM
I tend not to use tiled .ter the way World Machine outputs them. There's a couple of issues, one is that erosion gets blended at the edge of each tile in WM and the other, there's no simple way of blending edges when you bring them into TG. Somehow you need to over lap the displacement and edge blend the tiled image map on top.

What I've tended to do from WM is render an 8k .ter for the whole terrain , then render an 8k cropped in version of the area that's closest to the camera. These two .ter lay on top of each other and use a Simple Shape Shader to blend between them.