How do I get several terrain objects to merge as one

tdrd

Please let me explain...

I am building a scene which has quite a complicated structure.

I am thinking that I need to build it in sections, building up the area square by square on a map.
The question comes when joining these together without a join showing.

I have tried this before on a waterfall scene and had problems getting the surfaces of the different zones to match when they were next to each other. Are there general guidelines for building a scene?

Should I build the ground for the overall area as one piece of terrain and then overlay this with other bits of terrain to build the humps and hills, or should I build them independantly in zones.

For those who have seen my sketches earlier in another post - they may remember I am trying to build a winding road going through a woodland area with a cottage on the right. The problem is in getting a steady road surface instead of having steps. I also want the terrain to be rough but not too rough.

So what would be the best approach - a general bump terrain with other pieces on top or section by section?

Thank you

Horo

You can either use a terrain with gigantic resolution - 4096. Or you can tile terrains. In a nutshell, generate a terrain in the terrain editor (TE) you like. Set the camera to look from above and consider that up the screen is North, right East, etc. Copy/paste the terrain in the original size it came in (80.92) and move it north and join it seamlessly to the existing. Go back into the TE and click on the down arrow right of Fractal. Near the end of the list, you find Random Extent, Random Position and Random Character. They are all selected. Hold down the Shift key and click on one of them. This will deselect them all.

At the end of that list, you find Tile North (south, east west). Activate Tile North and click on the Fractal button. This will alter the copied terrain to tile perfectly to the first one. Thake the new terrain, copy/paste it and move it up north, go into the TE and hit the Fractal button. Continue east, south, south, east, north, north in the same way and you end up with 3 x 3 tiled terrains.

You have to nudge each terrain to the adjacent - you can also select them all and make them slightly larger. There are many strategies. When all terrain edges match, group them so you have one terrain.

You can also make a 2 x 2 or 4 x 4 or 5 x 5 terrain in this way. It is important that you always take the last one and paste them in a connected line. If you jump, the terrain will not tile.

Tiling is not difficult, but to describe it with all possibilities, it gets very elaborate. I made some videos about tiling for the next Mentoring DVD but have them not yet pre-published. If I ever get the time, I'll apply for a YouTube account, re-render them and put them up.

tdrd

This is complicated! I have tried what you suggested and rendered... the screen went black and then I think the application crashed because everything went black and could not get back to the screen again.... Rebooted and will try again.
Sigh - another new area for me I suppose!!!

OK - got the above and did as said.
I got tile North - and suppose this did what it said on the tin.

I went into the TE again and altered the first tile so that it was high on the edge.
OK - went to the screen again but it did not blend with the next tile to it - it did not mesh (so to speak) with the edge of the next tile.

Am I reading this wrong? Or am I expecting too much?

Chohole

The tiles will only match if they are start off as copies ot the terrain. As soon as you alter one you will spoil the match.

Horo

If you tile terrains, do not use too high a resolution. Stay at 512x512 otherwise will run out of memory too soon. Perhaps my explanations in this thread http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/6912/ help you more.

tdrd

Ah! I comprehend.
It's not quite what I was after but I get the idea... Thanks.
I'll opt for the super terrain and hope the computer memory allows me to do this...
Am looking at the New PC now seriously...

TErry

Chohole

I have a habit of building my big terrains out of small terrains, although sometimes I will start with a tiled terrain base.

Can't do you a screen shot this time, because I am not just looking at a new computer, I am using it. Trouble is so far it has only got the OS, Firefox, anti virus and skype installed. Haven't got round to installing or reinstalling any programs.

Did you see the last image I put in the Bryce render thread, that was built up with several terrains.

http://www.daz3d.com/index.php?&ACT=50&fid=38&aid=22111_RXsd8jXz1TZ0PibCpVgd&board_id=1

tdrd

To @CHOHOLE:
I had not seen it, but just have - ITS FANTASTIC!
It raises one question though which I am trying to find an answer to - how do you make the curved wall on the bridge?

I want to make a winding road which has a stone (slate rock) wall on each side like you get in the rough parts of Wales (I've holidayed there for the last 31 years)
The road is winding hence so do the walls - so it raises the question:

Can I create a winding object like an unwound S shape to train where I want and then apply a material to it?
OR
Do I have to make this block by block (Oh I hope not! It's a long road!)
Any tips on making stone walls apart from the one supplied with Bryce would be very welcome.

The problem is that the slates are laid horizontally in the wall itself and then slanted stones are placed on the wall to cap it.

Terry

Chohole

I actually made the main part of the bridge from a terrain. I drew the height map out in Photoshop I will try and do you a screen shot tomorrow, once I have some programs. need to spend some time installing, it's the worst bit about getting a new PC.

tdrd

Don't I just know it!
I was an IT Systems Manager for a newspaper company - building and rebuilding machines was a chore I really hated because someone deleted a vital file.
We're talking back in 98 days then of course when it was not that complex.

Now when I rebuild a machine it can take several days to get everything installed and Daz Studio including Bryce with all the add-ins can easily add a few hours to that also.

It's another thing putting me off buying a new PC although I really want to...
Terry

Chohole

Well I have been saving the money up for this one ever since we got over the move and settled in up on this Welsh Mountain. If you know Wales you may know the area where we are. We live at 1200 feet above sea level, in an area that they call The Valleys. Makes sense? We are Heads of the Valleys though, and just a mile or two south of the Brecon Beacons, very beautiful, the Beacons are. A lovely place to retire to, we now live in the country we spent so many happy holidays in.

tdrd

I've been to Brecon on the canal a couple of times, but mostly we go to Barmouth (near Harlech) these days because it is an area my elderly parents can relax and enjoy. If you want to discuss this further I suggest we use Private messaging as the forum is not really the place to discuss holidays.

However I am modelling my model on an area neat Llanbedr in Gwynedd, which has a narrow twisting road leading to Cwn Bychan / Cwm Nantcol. I took over 500 photographs of the woodlands and cottages around there this summer which is what inspired me to do this exercise. I am also a watercolour artist which gives me a lot of inspiration. If you want to see some of my very early stuff send me a PM and i'll return the link to my very basic website which shows photographs and drawings.

Terry