Floating Islands
vindazi
Posts: 667
Can anyone provide a tutorial on how tpo create floating islands?
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Create a water plane.
Create a terrain.
Move the terrain above the water.
Select the terrain, click the "M" button floating beside it. This gets you to the Material Lab.
On the left is the Material Preview thumbnail. Top Right of that view is a little triangle pointing to the right. Click on this triangle. This gets you to the Material Presets.
Bottom Left is the category. Click on the displayed Category (probably 'Architectural') and navigate to 'Plains'. This gets to to the material presets best suited for hills, plains and mountains.
It's likely that the sub-category "Height Maps" is being displayed, which isn't what you're after. Try another sub-category, and click on a thumbnail view of the material you want to apply to your terrain.
Click the ticks to OK the material selection to get back to your scene.
Do the same with your water plane, only use the Water category.
Position the sun in an attractive composition.
Done.
... Everything else is composition, terrain editing, lighting, material alteration, vegetation and 90% of what it takes to make the scene come to life, but... You can't teach three years worth of Bryce in one tutorial. You have to be a LOT more specific :)
Instead of a terrain, you could also use a symmetric lattice.
Thanks so much I will try it. Since I have seen floating islands in various content sections, I thought everyone knew about them but me :-). You make a good point. After I try your suggestions, I will get back to you with more questions, should they arise.
If you could do that it would no longer be symmetrical.
If you could do that it would no longer be symmetrical.
That is true. But my concept of a floating island is one where the top is rather flat. Otherwise it is a floating meteor :-).
I tried using a symmetrical lattice and doing the negative space thingy to flatten the top. Got some mixed results which just made me think I must have the completely wrong approach.
I am thinking something like this.
Draw the shape you want in the editor panel, then rotate the symlat 90 degrees on the x or z axis ?
so something like this.. this is two terrains
the first I just created then edited in the terrain editor, used gaussian edges to give a round shape, then used the slider for the paint window to cut out the darker shades (this way it doesn't look square) and applied it, then I copy and pasted it. when into the editor for the copy and invertied it, then used the slider for the paint window to cut out the lighter shades, you need to eyeball this to get as close as possible to the shape of the original object (it can be slightly smaller as this is the bottom half)
Nope. That's why it's called a symmetrical lattice. The bottom mirrors the top.
To make an Asymmetrical Island, the general approach is to create two terrains, flip one upside down and intersect them (in Edit Attributes, set one terrain to positive, one to intersect. Overlap one with the other, select both, and click the little "G" button to group them).
@Rareth: The biggest hassle here is that the boolean operation can create a ragged seam horizontally. To minimise that, you need to work with the terrain editor to sharpen up edges where possible.
A more refined technique is to create ONE terrain and shaped it in the terrain editor to how you like it, with sharp horizontal transitions around the edges. These sharp transitions from white/grey to black will become near vertical walls in the scene. Adjust the clip settings for refinement (see the manual for the full Terrain editor tour).
Copy this terrain. Without moving or touching anything else, paste the terrain. You'll get the second terrain right on top of the first.
In the edit tools up top, click on the reveal triangle under the Resize toll and select "Flip Y". This effectively mirrors the terrain vertically.
Position the terrains together so that the seams have no gaps.
You now have a 'symmetrical' lattice, but one in which you can alter the shape of the lower section independent of the first. You don't need to boolean them together, but it would be wise to make them Solid (see Terrain Editor options).
Remember: When editing either terrain, don't change or paint over the edges. The whole point of this technique is to get you terrains that have edges that match up.
EDIT: VIndazi, with regard to the image to supplied, try metaballs. I've found them to be little 'crashy', but if you're looking for blobby shapes, metaballs could help.
This kind of mountain looks for me like a job for metaballs.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/104131615/42_floating_e.br5
Nope. That's why it's called a symmetrical lattice. The bottom mirrors the top.
To make an Asymmetrical Island, the general approach is to create two terrains, flip one upside down and intersect them (in Edit Attributes, set one terrain to positive, one to intersect. Overlap one with the other, select both, and click the little "G" button to group them).
@Rareth: The biggest hassle here is that the boolean operation can create a ragged seam horizontally. To minimise that, you need to work with the terrain editor to sharpen up edges where possible.
.
well I didn't boolean them, and I agree the edge is iffy, I was looking at how to mirror, and you told me :)
now I have to make floating islands.. just because.. I can..
ok that flip y trick is nifty..
Yep.
Next stop: Avatar.
I overlooked the fastest, quick-n-dirty method:
Create a stone primitive. raise it off the ground and texture it. Done.
You could also do it with one symmetrical lattice - create the shape from a side view, rather than trying to edit the lattice from a top view (I think this is what Pam was saying). Think of a lathe - edit the lattice as if you were looking at the island from the side. Then the "top" can be larger and a different shape from the bottom, because the left side will be mirrored on the right, rather than the bottom mirroring the top.
Of course, with the sides being mirrored, your island will still look somewhat, well... symmetrical. at least from a top or bottom view.
EDIT: You could do that and then use meta-balls placed around to 'deform' the island and make it less symmetrical.