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Test Subject
#26 Old 22nd May 2011 at 3:29 AM
I hear you. I tried SO HARD to use the tutorial to make the distant terrain, but I failed miserably. I almost wish I could take the heightmap, throw it in photoshop, reflect it 8 ways and then figure out how to do that thing with Milkshape and some paint. It would just be so much easier to literally be able to paint some "walls" around the world square, or watercolor the horizon, THAT I can do.
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#27 Old 19th Aug 2011 at 6:29 PM Last edited by kiwi_tea : 19th Aug 2011 at 6:42 PM.
I realise that I'm totally necro-ing this thread, but I feel like I've come to a sort of watershed moment with my terrain painting: I've realised I was never thinking about it the right way in any of my previous worlds, always trying for this idea in my head without applying the correct technique.

I can paint. I can paint well, with a bit of a Cezanne-y, cubist vibe. I've just never really translated that into working with a mouse because: Honestly I hate working with a mouse and it's been the biggest barrier to any techno-artistic ventures ever.

The change I've found was to treat all the textures as if they were (weirdly rigid) paints, with painterly properties. No striving to realism, or cartoonishness, only striving for a beautiful impressionism that just happens to be on a 3D plain.

I can't believe the difference. I went to Twinbrook & Bridgeport looking for help and inspiration, and discovered that this method seems to produce better results than in the best EA worlds. There is, ironic given the impressionistic way I've done this, more detail from this method.

These are examples from Graveschurch, which will be my world after Port Piston. Urban film-noir city centred on a gothic rural floodplain.



This is the most important image. See how the terrain paints I've selected layer just like real paints do. That's made all the difference. Suddenly I recognise how to USE them, mouse or no mouse. (If you look carefully, you may see there are actually four different "paints" in this image)





The other really important aspect has been using a bump-mapped pebble texture, recoloured, to give a sense of detail to otherwise blocked out clay walls. When used on top of carefully blended faces, they look amazing. You can see this effect in the foreground of both these images, and I really recommend it.





Zoomed out, I hope you can see what I mean by "more detail than EA's worlds". I went to Twinbrook, looking for how to blend, and discovered that generally EA rely almost entirely on a low falloff setting, and their transitions are quite sharp. By pretending that Graveschurch is made of paint, I've been able to really "melt" textures together.



A final piece of advice: Don't forget to use the submerged land! See the sandbanks in the river? I think it's quite effective.

To conclude: OMFG!! Do I sound stupid? It was probably so obvious to everyone else: If you can paint, treat terrain painting like PAINTING!!

(Argh! This makes me want to start all my worlds again from scratch!)

CAW Wiki - A wiki for CAW users. Feel free to edit.

GON OUT, BACKSON, BISY BACKSON
Lab Assistant
#28 Old 21st Aug 2011 at 4:46 AM Last edited by Sweet Mystre : 21st Aug 2011 at 5:02 AM.
Yes- I've always thought of it as painting.. It also helps with better paints then EA gives us.

And those pictures of your world, Kiwi_tea are exquisite.

*I guess I should show something...

Sometimes it can give an interesting effect to paint a lower layer and sort of draw back the top layers of paints. It will show some nice edges depending on what layers you have between... Don't just paint one on top of another but sometimes scape a layer off and see the effects.

Lab Assistant
#29 Old 22nd Aug 2011 at 8:11 PM
It has been decades since I last took a painting and design class (majored in art my first year in college before switching to microbiology LOL!). I always had trouble really grasping the concept of creating lights and shadows with color rather than tinting. I remember one exercise we did where we had to emulate translucence by use of color alone. That was tough. You have captured the whole concept beautifully.

God Bless,
mik
Test Subject
#30 Old 29th Sep 2011 at 7:44 AM
Absolutely wonderful work. That's exactly what I've been re-training myself to do, but I grow impatient and start getting slap happy again.

The bf walked over when I was scrolling through your screenshots and made a comment about how realistic it looked. (And he's a real critic!)
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#31 Old 29th Sep 2011 at 11:18 AM
Kiwi I LOVE your work, but I'm no painted . Can you explain what you mean exactly? Or give me something to have me on my way? I'm more of a sharp transition too .

Jade Elizabeth (Alundra)
Just call me Al
Forum Resident
#32 Old 29th Sep 2011 at 10:28 PM
I can see the results are totally worth it - but... could you give a description for those of us who don't know how to paint? What is it that you are doing differently than before you had the painterly epiphany?

Obviously, the bump mapped paints are more effective for blending than just messing with the falloff. I wish more terrain paints had a good bumpmap version. Sand would be a good one to fade in speckles rather than opacity.
Test Subject
#33 Old 30th Sep 2011 at 8:30 PM
Maybe we should all start watching that "Happy Little Trees" guy's show.
Inventor
#34 Old 30th Sep 2011 at 8:33 PM
Or Bob Ross... now that man knew how to do terrain paint.

Also, kiwi: your talent puts me to shame. Stop it.

"Goonies never say die."
Test Subject
#35 Old 16th Nov 2013 at 2:40 AM
Hey I've been sort of looking through your thread and I thought I should probably share my first world so far as a thanks for all the help you guys have given me through the information on this thread. All I really got so far is the mountains, which I call Spectrum Hills, because they look like their a bit colorful-er than most mountains.

http://rs862.pbsrc.com/albums/ab184...80?t=1384568103

Terrain Paints used:
rock_shale_base.dds
mulch_pineNeedles.dds
dirt_charred.dds
00_sandDirt.dds (Downloaded)
Bluefunk_rock_arch02_1024.dds (Downloaded)
Bluefunk_rock_chute02.dds (Downloaded
grass_medium_base.dds

I basically started out with the mountains being completely covered in grass and then used charred dirt too highlight some of the really steep places and also to lightly highlight the shadows. I used 0 falloff and I think it was about 5 opacity. The size varied depending on what part it was. When I used the 5 opacity on the steep parts I went over each area at least 5 times to make it darker. Then I began with Blue funk arch and covered most of the grass, also lightly going over the charred dirt to give it that mixed rock look. I used Blue funk chute and covered over the spaces in the Blue funk arch that were really light, and also going over a few of the darker places that were covered in charred dirt. Then I just highlighted some of the areas that had too much grass with pine needles and dirty sand until I only had a few very small places with grass, and I left those there. Here are some closer-up pictures.

http://rs862.pbsrc.com/albums/ab184...80?t=1384569407

http://rs862.pbsrc.com/albums/ab184...80?t=1384569512

I was just about to start on the beaches, so..yea..

This is my first world so I'm sure this will look pretty crappy to you people because of your experience but at least know that I tried. e.e
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