About Terrain

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Multiverse Tools

Overview  •  Installing Using World Editor Release Notes  •  FAQ  •  Tools Troubleshooting  •  Future Plans

Tools UI References

Model Viewer  •  World Editor  •  Terrain Generator

Working with Terrain

About Terrain  •  Using L3DT Pro  •  Using EarthSculptor  •  Using PnP TerrainCreator  •  Importing Heightmap Terrain  •  Using Mosaic Creator

Other Tools

Third-Party Tools  •  Creating Skyboxes with Terragen

Contents 1 Terrain overview 1.1 Fractal terrain 1.1.1 Using large terrain files 1.2 Heightmap terrain 2 Terrain texturing 2.1 Auto splat texture generation 2.2 Alpha splat texture generation

Terrain overview

Multiverse provides two options for creating terrain for your world. You can use:

• Multiverse Terrain Generator to create terrain height data using a fractal algorithm from seed data
• A heightmap image to specify the terrain topography directly.

Multiverse World Editor can generate terrain texture automatically based on height and terrain slope (auto-splat texturing), or it can use alpha maps to blend up to eight different terrain textures (alpha-splat texturing).

Fractal terrain

Multiverse Terrain Generator creates terrain from a low detail "seed height map," using a fractal algorithm to fill in the detail. This mechanism requires far less terrain data to be transferred to the client. The disadvantages are that it requires some additional computation to perform the fractal algorithm, and that you have less control over the exact terrain configuration.

To load a terrain file created with Multiverse Terrain Generator into World Editor, in the object tree view, choose World > Terrain, then click the Load Terrain toolbar button (or right-click and choose Load Terrain). Browse to the terrain (.mvt) file you created with Terrain Generator, and click Open. See Loading and modifying terrain for more information.

See also:

• Building World Terrain in the Platform Tutorial.

Using large terrain files

It is easy to incorporate large terrain files created using third-party tools into Multiverse worlds. If you are using the fractal terrain option (using a Multiverse Terrain Generator terrain file):

• Use a third-party tool such as L3DT to create a PNG file representing your terrain.
• Import the PNG file into the Multiverse Terrain Generator, and save the terrain. This will generate a file with the mvt file extension.
• Drop the .mvt file into the client world's Misc directory.
• Add the lines below to the world's server global_props.py file, changing the text in boldface to be your .mvt file:

 terrainConfig = TerrainConfig()
 terrainConfig.setConfigType(TerrainConfig.configTypeFILE)
 terrainConfig.setConfigData("terrain.mvt")
 World.setTerrainConfig(terrainConfig)

• Set the InstanceClient.TEMPL_TERRAIN_CONFIG_FILE property on the instance to the name of the terrain file. Set the property during instance creation via the instance template or override template, for example, in Multiverse/config/sampleworld/startup_instance.py:

 template = Template("myworld template")
 template.put(Namespace.INSTANCE, InstanceClient.TEMPL_WORLD_FILE_NAME, "$WORLD_DIR/myworld.mvw")
 template.put(Namespace.INSTANCE, InstanceClient.TEMPL_TERRAIN_CONFIG_FILE, "terrain.mvt")
 InstanceClient.registerInstanceTemplate(template)

Heightmap terrain

The Multiverse terrain system can use heightmap terrain generated by third-party tools such as L3DT Professional and PnP TerrainCreator. The advantages of a heightmap terrain are that you have complete control over the terrain configuration, and generating the terrain requires less processing than fractal terrain. The disadvantage of heightmap terrain is that it needs quite a bit more data than fractal terrain, and therefore requires more data to be downloaded by the client.

To load heightmap terrain into World Editor, see Importing Heightmap Terrain into World Editor for instructions. See Loading and modifying terrain for more information.

See also:

• Generating Terrain with L3DT Pro
• Generating Terrain with PnP TerrainCreator
• Generating Terrain with TerraGen (TBD)

Terrain texturing

There are two ways to generate ground textures:

• Auto-splat texturing
• Alpha-splat texturing

Auto splat texture generation

Auto splat terrain texturing generates terrain texture based on altitude and slope. The lowest terrain areas get sand texture, and higher areas get grass, rock or snow texture, depending on their altitude. Steeper areas get more rock texture blended in as well. Auto splatting has the advantage that it doesn't need the large alpha maps that alpha splatting requires. It has the disadvantages that you have little control over the texturing, it only supports four splatting textures, and it generally doesn't look as good as alpha splatting.

Alpha splat texture generation

Alpha Splatting terrain texturing uses alpha maps to blend up to eight splatting textures to create the terrain texture.