Large landscape texturing wip [UDK]

ultramedia

Hi Everyone,

Been busting my guts building a workflow for texturing large landscapes in UDK for a course I teach, finally got it to a point where I'm happy enough with it to post some screen shots. The scope is a 4096 x 4096 landscape with five distinct biomes sculpted using procedural heightmaps from terresculptor. There are only three so far in the screenshots, but adding new ones is nice and easy.

To bust the 12 texture limit I'm using two 2048 texture atlases with 16 textures in them to give me 32 different textures. I've also done additional corresponding atlases for normal maps and height maps. I wanted to pack the height maps into the alpha channel of the normal maps but the alpha channel doesn't seem to get passed through to material functions by texture object nodes.

Anyways, to the... picmobile... robin.

wichenroder

I would add a layer or 2 of erosion that crosses over the distinct boundaries of textures you have, something that isn't simply based on height and slope. If TerreSculptor doesn't give you that then go look at World Machine 2 or GeoControl 2.

The grass values ought to be increased, more grass and less dirt, but should also be broken up by higher frequency activity such as rocks, damage, variation.

Overall I think the surface is too smooth and similar. Why not pump up the shape where the rock occurs so that it sits right out for example. Contrast smooth with rough.

Your verticals are too extreme. It is a particular landform indeed that rises straight up out of the earth's surface as in your 2nd and last pic. Build them up like an irregular pyramid, or whatever landscape it is that you're trying to emulate.