Blitz terrains still work best for me.
I use a 1024x1024 heightmap and colourmap then ScaleEntity hEntTerrain, 20,100,20.
This gives me (by my estimate) 16 sq kilometres of terrain, surrounded by sea.
Then I add an extra layer of rock (256x256) to the terrain using ScaleTexture hBmpTerrRock,10,10 just to 'roughen' up the look.
Very, very efficient (low fps) and good-looking long range views when blended with an appropriate fog (camera/fog distance about 4000)
- because I wanted to be able to stand on a hill and see for miles, not have the usual copout of 'oh, there are houses, trees or hills in the way; there's actually a very short camera view'.
See the Blitz main news page and also the screenshots at www.stonehenge3d.com
For 'A walk in the Country' screensaver (http://www.blitzbasic.co.nz/gallery/view_pic.php?id=1529&gallery=&page=4)
I used the same heightmap, then:
hBmpTerrRock = LoadTexture("rock.png") : ScaleTexture hBmpTerrRock, 10,10
hBmpTerrGrass = LoadTexture("grass.png") : ScaleTexture hBmpTerrGrass, 1,1
hBmpTerrLight = LoadTexture("height_LM2.jpg") : ScaleTexture hBmpTerrLight, TerrainSize(hEntTerrain), TerrainSize(hEntTerrain)
;/\ modified heightmap in PSP becames lightmap
EntityTexture hEntTerrain, hBmpTerrRock, 0, 0
EntityTexture hEntTerrain, hBmpTerrGrass, 0, 1
EntityTexture hEntTerrain, hBmpTerrLight, 0, 2
EntityFX hEntTerrain, 2
EntityColor hEntTerrain,255,255,255
This gave a much more 'grassy' look where you could see blades of grass, and the high efficiency of the Blitz terrain still allowed me to then add in:
12 meshes each containing 125 mesh-trees (137 tris each) = 1500 trees, and
21 meshes containing 1000 3-quad plants/bushes = 21000 plants.
Long live Blitz terrains.
I use a 1024x1024 heightmap and colourmap then ScaleEntity hEntTerrain, 20,100,20.
This gives me (by my estimate) 16 sq kilometres of terrain, surrounded by sea.
Then I add an extra layer of rock (256x256) to the terrain using ScaleTexture hBmpTerrRock,10,10 just to 'roughen' up the look.
Very, very efficient (low fps) and good-looking long range views when blended with an appropriate fog (camera/fog distance about 4000)
- because I wanted to be able to stand on a hill and see for miles, not have the usual copout of 'oh, there are houses, trees or hills in the way; there's actually a very short camera view'.
See the Blitz main news page and also the screenshots at www.stonehenge3d.com
For 'A walk in the Country' screensaver (http://www.blitzbasic.co.nz/gallery/view_pic.php?id=1529&gallery=&page=4)
I used the same heightmap, then:
hBmpTerrRock = LoadTexture("rock.png") : ScaleTexture hBmpTerrRock, 10,10
hBmpTerrGrass = LoadTexture("grass.png") : ScaleTexture hBmpTerrGrass, 1,1
hBmpTerrLight = LoadTexture("height_LM2.jpg") : ScaleTexture hBmpTerrLight, TerrainSize(hEntTerrain), TerrainSize(hEntTerrain)
;/\ modified heightmap in PSP becames lightmap
EntityTexture hEntTerrain, hBmpTerrRock, 0, 0
EntityTexture hEntTerrain, hBmpTerrGrass, 0, 1
EntityTexture hEntTerrain, hBmpTerrLight, 0, 2
EntityFX hEntTerrain, 2
EntityColor hEntTerrain,255,255,255
This gave a much more 'grassy' look where you could see blades of grass, and the high efficiency of the Blitz terrain still allowed me to then add in:
12 meshes each containing 125 mesh-trees (137 tris each) = 1500 trees, and
21 meshes containing 1000 3-quad plants/bushes = 21000 plants.
Long live Blitz terrains.