3D World

TuTorials

Master large-scale environments

08

aDD variation to ProceDural objects

Just like the building’s cladding, this boardwalk

mustn’t look too perfect. Add some chaos to the planks

using the transform randomisation features found in the

Segment node’s settings. You should also randomise

the textures used on each plank, but instead of using a

modifier, you can use RailClone Color which retains full

instancing and has other advanced options.

07

create the boarDwalK

The boardwalk is also created with RailClone. Draw a spline above the

terrain to describe the centre of the path. Several plank models are distributed

along the spline using a one-dimensional array with a Randomise operator.

A second one-dimensional generator distributes the posts at evenly spaced

intervals. The Generator’s Mirror and Y Offset options are used to copy and

move the array to both sides of the path, and a Surface node is added to both

generators so that the boardwalk follows the topology of the landscape.

09

source Plants anD other assets

The vegetation used in the scene comes from a mixture of library

models and bespoke plants created using SpeedTree. Landscape artists

often ask themselves how many plant models they need to create believable

variation. It’s not really the number but the differences between the models

that’s important. You can hide a lot of repetition by simply randomising

rotation and scale. Ideally, you should only include additional variations of a

plant species if they look sufficiently different to justify the extra resources.

10

scatter the trees

After you’ve added the main compositional

elements it’s usual to work from large to small elements.

The trees occupy the largest area, so create those first by

adding a new Forest Pack object that uses the terrain as

a surface. Add the tree models to the geometry list and

enable Rotation and Scale randomisation. A scale range

between 50 and 150% will disguise repetition effectively.

11

remove trees From the scatter

The trees are also scattered inside the buildings, on

the boardwalk and in the lake. Draw closed splines from

the top view and add them to the Forest Pack object’s

Areas list. Set the mode to Exclude and the items inside

the splines will be removed. Remove trees from under the

power lines by adding the spline used by the RailClone

object to the Areas list and increasing Thickness.

12

create grass Patches

Small plants and ground-cover vegetation are normally modelled as

individual plants. If we were to scatter individual plants in this scene, it would

take over 6.5 million of them to fill the desired area. The solution is to use two

Forest Pack objects, one to create a small patch of grass, and a second to

distribute the patch on the terrain. To create a patch, use a small circular spline

one metre or more in diameter as an Area to scatter grass with Forest Pack.

Use the area’s Density Falloff to thin out the scatter as it approaches the spline.