Terrain Editor
Overview
The Terrain Editor is used to modify the terrain in the current level. With this tool, it is possible to create mountains, valleys and everything that is terrain related. Users can also assign textures and materials to the terrain to make it look like any kind of surface which suits the current project.
By default, the Terrain Editor is displayed on the right side of Sandbox, but it can also be opened via Tools → Terrain Editor.
There are currently three editing modes on the Terrain Editor namely;
- Sculpt
- Paint
- Mini Map
These modes manipulate the different aspects of the terrain and users can achieve unique results by combining them.
The default Terrain Editor layout is comprised of the following main sections:
1. Menu
The menu is always the same regardless of which editing mode is active and it can be displayed by clicking the
File
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Generate Terrain Texture... | Generates terrain texture that will be used in the game mode. This option only generates the tint texture, not the material layers. When Generate Terrain Texture... is chosen, the following options will be displayed:
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Generate Terrain... | Randomly creates terrain depending on a several parameters. The parameters that can be changed are:
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Import Heightmap... | Lets users import an image to be used as the new heightmap. The size of the heightmap must be equal to or smaller than the current level heightmap resolution. Supported files are as follows:
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Export Heightmap... | Use this option to export the heightmap file to be edited in Photoshop (version CS1+ required). Supported files are as follows:
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Import Terrain Block... | Imports a block of terrain including the vegetation on it. |
Export Terrain Block... | Exports a block of terrain including the vegetation on it. |
Export Terrain Area... | Exports a terrain area as an .obj file that can be opened in other 3D software. |
Export Terrain Area With Objects... | Exports a terrain area including the objects on it as an .obj file that can be loaded in other 3D software. |
Export/Import Terrain Texture... | Exports and imports terrain texture of a selected tile or tiles. The terrain can be divided into tiles by choosing Terrain Editor → Edit → Refine Terrain Texture Tiles. |
Import Layers... | Imports layers that have been set up and exported. |
Export Layers... | Exports the layers that have been set up in the Paint mode. |
Edit
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Select Terrain | Lets users select a part of the terrain. |
Make Isle | Sinks the current heightmap. |
Remove Ocean | Sets the water level to -100000. |
Set Ocean Height | This feature adjusts the water level. The default level sits on 16m. |
Set Terrain Max Height | Adjusting this value will change how high the tallest mountain can be. The default height is 1024. |
Flatten (Light) | Flattens terrain to either the highest or the lowest point. |
Flatten (Heavy) | Flattens terrain to either the highest or the lowest point. |
Smooth | Removes hard edges on the entire terrain. |
Smooth Slope | Removes hard edges from steep areas. |
Smooth Beach/Coast | Removes hard edges from flat areas. |
Normalize | Makes sure that the entire greyscale spectrum is used. The highest point is the one specified in max height and the lowest point is 0. |
Reduce Range (Light) | Makes mountains smaller. |
Reduce Range (Heavy) | Makes mountains smaller. |
Erase Terrain | This option will delete the current heightmap data. |
Resize Terrain | Re-opens the initial heightmap creation panel to adjust the Heightmap Resolution and Meters Per Unit scale. |
Invert Heightmap | Changes black to white on the heightmap. |
Reload Terrain | Reloads the terrain. |
Refine Terrain Texture Tiles | Divides the terrain tiles into more smaller sections. |
Brush Settings... | Opens the Brush Preferences panel where users can modify Terrain Editor's brush.
Alternatively, users can adjust the Sensitivity values by scrolling up or down when using the Alt + LMB function which is explained in the Sculpt Mode → Brush section below. |
Toolbars
| Option | Description | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customize | Opens the toolbar customization window allowing users to create new toolbars within the Terrain Editor window. | ||||
| Lock Toolbars | When disabled, the positions of toolbars and spacers within the Terrain Editor window can be changed by drag and drop. | ||||
| Spacers | The following options allow users to use spacers in positioning their toolbars.
The Spacers menu options are only available when Toolbars → Lock Toolbars is disabled. | ||||
| Toolbars | Lists all default and custom toolbars created for the Terrain Editor, allowing you to select which toolbar you'd like to hide or display. |
When a tool has a toolbar, whether this is a default one or a custom one, the options above are also available when right-clicking in the toolbar area (only when a toolbar is already displayed).
Layers
Sandbox uses layers for two main reasons: Organizing your level content and Streaming performance.
Any object you place on a layer (vegetation/terrain excluded) can be hidden/unhidden via the Layer Control and also via Flowgraph, which allows loading/unloading of level areas to keep performance high and memory consumption low.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Create Layer | Creates a new layer on the Paint tab. |
Delete Layer | Removes the selected layer from the Paint tab. |
Duplicate Layer | Duplicates the selected layer and places it above the original layer. |
Move to Top | Moves the selected layer to the top of the layers list. |
Move Up | Moves the selected layer up one place in the list. |
Move Down | Moves the selected layer down one place in the list. |
Move to Bottom | Moves the selected layer to the bottom of the layers list. |
Flood Layer | Paints the whole terrain with selected terrain texture layer. |
Tools
The Tools menu provides quick access to each of Sculpt Mode's terrain modification tools, along with the option to switch to Paint Mode to alter any of the textures/materials assigned to the terrain.
Help
Opens the documentation page for this tool.
2. Modes
Sculpt Mode
Sculpt mode is enabled by default when the Terrain Editor is opened.
With this mode, it is possible to modify the terrain height in various ways such as flattening it, raising/lowering it, making holes, smoothing it, duplicating it and filling the holes.
Flatten
When the Flatten button is clicked, the following options appear:
Section | Options | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brush |
The Pick button next to the Height Target value lets users pick a Height value directly from the terrain in the Viewport. | ||||||||||||||||
| Displacement | Here, a displacement map can be chosen and used. This lets users paint with a texture map, for example multiple photogrammetry or pre-made displacement maps, to quickly build detailed terrain.
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| Reposition |
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Raise/Lower
With this mode enabled, the terrain can be raised or lowered. It is the primary tool for terrain sculpting, allowing users to make mountains, lakes and adjust terrain freely.
When the Raise/Lower button is clicked, the same options appear as above, with the exception of the Pick button:
| Section | Option | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brush |
| ||||||||||||
| Displacement | Here, a displacement map can be chosen and used. This lets users paint with a texture map, for example multiple photogrammetry or pre-made displacement maps, to quickly build detailed terrain.
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| Reposition |
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Make Holes
This mode lets users cut holes in the terrain. This is not the same as lowering the terrain; instead of digging the terrain until it's under the level of the ocean, it actually cuts a square piece out of the terrain. It can be used to create cave entrances or cliff overhangs which are built with meshes.
In this mode, only Brush options are available:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Share Parameters | Sets the values of the brush, such as inside/outside radius, to be applied across all the tools within the Terrain Editor. Untick the box to make these values independent again. |
Radius (outside) | Changes the size of the brush. The Outside Radius can also be adjusted by holding Alt+LMB and moving the mouse left and right. The rate at which the Outside Radius changes by doing this is determined in the Preferences. |
Smooth
The Smooth mode lets users create smooth edges in the terrain, making the change in height more gradual.
Terrain before and after smoothing
| Section | Description | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brush |
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| Reposition |
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Duplicate
This mode allows the user to duplicate one area of the map to another based on Source and Target boxes.
This mode has the following Clone Terrain options:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Select |
|
Size | Determines the size of the Source and Target boxes. |
Target Rotation | Rotates the terrain in the Target box by 0/90/180/270 degrees counterclockwise. |
Only Vegetation | Copies only the vegetation in the Source box to the Target box and leaves the terrain as it is. |
Only Terrain | Copies only the terrain in the Source box to the Target box. |
Sync Height | Synchronizes the height of the Source and Target boxes so they are always at the same height, independent of the height of the terrain. |
Move Objects | Moves objects on the terrain from the Source box to the Target box instead of copying them. Using this option will cause the objects in the Source box to disappear. |
Action |
|
Fill Holes
Fill Holes is the opposite of Make Holes. The sole purpose of this mode is to close the holes that were made with the Make Holes mode.
This mode has the same two options as the Make Holes mode:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Share Parameters | Sets the values of the brush, such as inside/outside radius, to be applied across all the tools within the Terrain Editor. Untick the box to make these values independent again. |
Radius | Changes the size of the brush. The Outside Radius can also be adjusted by holding Alt+LMB and moving the mouse left and right. The rate at which the Outside Radius changes by doing this is determined in the Preferences. |
Paint Mode
Paint mode lets users change the textures and materials of the terrain, making it look like the desired surface. The default is a checkerboard, but this material can be replaced by any .mtl file.
The Paint mode consists of three sections:
- Layers window
- Brush parameters
- Layer parameters
Layers Window
In the Layers window, layers that are painted on the terrain in the level can be found. They can be re-named by double-clicking on their name field. Right-clicking anywhere in the Layers window will reveal a context menu with the following options:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Create Layer (below) | Creates a new layer below the currently selected layer of the Layers Window. Right clicking below the final layer and selecting the Create Layer option also creates a new layer under the selected layer. |
Delete Layer | Deletes the selected layer. |
Duplicate Layer | Makes a copy of the selected layer. |
Move to Top | Moves the selected layer to the topmost level of the list. |
Move Up | Moves the selected layer up a single level on the list. |
Move Down | Moves the selected layer down a single level. |
Move to Bottom | Moves the selected layer to the bottom of the list. |
Flood Layer | Floods the layer according to the parameters set in the layer's parameters. |
Layers can also be reordered by dragging and dropping in the Layers window.
Brush Parameters
The brush parameters are shown when the Paint button in this section is pressed.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Range | Changes the size of the brush. The Outside Radius can also be adjusted by holding Alt+LMB and moving the mouse left and right. The rate at which the Outside Radius changes by doing this is determined in the Preferences. |
Hardness | The Hardness slider changes the strength of the brush in applying the material. A lower value will give a softer translucent effect, whereas 1 means the material painting is completely opaque. The Hardness can also be adjusted by holding Alt+LMB and moving the mouse up and down. The rate at which the Hardness changes by doing this is determined in the Preferences. |
Paint with Material | When set, the painter will only paint the detail texture of the terrain material. |
Mask by Height/Angle | Sets the material to only paint between the Height and Angle parameters defined within the Layer section below. |
Mask by Layer | Select a layer from the drop-down list to make sure this is the only layer that is painted on. |
Layer Parameters
The Layer parameters determine what the layer will look like and where it is painted on the terrain.
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Color | Assigns a color to the currently selected layer. |
Texture | Chooses a texture for the selected layer. |
Material | Chooses a material for the selected layer. |
Height (min) | Sets a maximum height mask for painting. The layer will only be painted above this height. |
Height (max) | Sets a minimum height mask for painting. The layer will only be painted below this height. |
Angle (min) | Sets a minimum angle mask in degrees for painting. The layer will only be painted on terrain that is angled higher than this value. |
Angle (max) | Sets a maximum angle mask in degrees for painting. The layer will only be painted on terrain that is at an angle lower than this value. |
Mini Map
This part of the Terrain Editor is known to be nonfunctional. It will either be fixed or replaced in the future.
Context Menu
Right-clicking a field name or its corresponding value within the Brush or Layer parameter sections reveals a context menu with varying options. Depending on where the user clicks, the context menu may include the following options:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
Expand | Expands the Brush and Layer parameters. |
Collapse | Collapses the Brush and Layer parameters. |
Pick Color | Opens the Select Color window in which a color can be chosen or specfic RGB values can be entered. |
Pick Resource | Picks a texture or material, depending on whether the user right-clicks on the texture or the material box. This option has the same functionality as the browser button next to these boxes. |
Clear | Unassigns the texture or material, depending on whether the user right-clicks on the texture or the material box. this option has the same functionality as the browser button next to these boxes. |
Undo | Undoes the last action in that particular box. |
Copy | Copies the value in the selected box to the clipboard. |
Paste | Pastes the value from the clipboard to the selected box. |
Copy All | Copies all values in the Layers parameters to the clipboard, with the exception of Filter Color value. |
Paste All | Pastes all values from the clipboard, except for the Filter Color value, and replaces the Layers parameters with these. |
Filter... | Filters the options that can be displayed on the panel based on the text that has been entered on the field. |
Filter by | Filters the options that can be displayed on the panel based on the name, the value or the type of the selected parameter. |