Tiling Floor Design
Hey guys, I'm quite new to environment art and I knew you guys could help me out. Had a quick question on a floor I'm working on for an environment project. I was wondering how to go about creating a floor design that lays on top of an existing main floor texture. My floor design is so broken up (Starts and stops in many different areas and winds around the floor) that I was thinking the most ideal way to go about it is creating a modular set of floor design pieces on planes and lay them on top of the existing main floor texture. The problem is in UDK I'm getting some odd shadows around the planes with the floor design texture on them, are they not close enough to the ground? Also, I really wanted to do some vertex painting on the Main Floor Texture and the Floor Design plane pieces, but will the vertex painting spread evenly onto both? because they are both on a separate plane? I'll post a pic of a example of what I'm dealing with, it's not the actual layout but it gives a better idea of what I'm talking about. Any comments and help is greatly appreciated.
Replies
Here you go.
The "unnecessary" edges are left there because of the possibility of vertex painting.
I would use one mesh, 2 materials, 2 tileable textures (or more if you want normalmaps, spec, etc).If you dont want the vertex painting on both, then just use a simple material without vertex painting nodes on the second floor mat.
JadeEyePanda Thanks for the advice. I like you idea, but the picture I posted were to get the idea of what I'm going for across to you guys. My floor designs are actually quite squiggly like and the ground mesh it self is pretty massive and I'm not sure if a bunch of square tiles is the best way to go. I could be wrong though, but does a large environment suffer with a bunch of square ground tile pieces rather than with one big mesh main floor? And can a bunch of square ground tiles pieces for a floor be painted on simultaneously with vertex paint and match up correctly?
Obscura Thank you for laying that out for me, I really like the idea. Like I was telling Panda, the picture I posted were to get the idea of what I'm going for across to you guys. My floor designs are actually quite squiggly like so its hard to work it as if they were simple square tiles. Also, I don't know too much about vertex painting so I'm still kinda confused on what you mean by using a simple material without vertex painting nodes on the second floor mat. Like I asked Panda, do you think a large environment would suffer with a bunch of square ground tile pieces rather than with one big mesh main floor?
I don't know, I guess I just cant wrap my head around what the best method is to create a squiggly design on top of a existing floor that has a separate material ( I'd like to use diffuse, spec, norm on both) as well as using vertex paint on the both of them smoothly which moves into one another, like if I vertex paint on the main floor material then move onto the design squiggly on top of the floor it will translate smoothly, if that makes any sense. Thanks again guys for any feedback.
http://www.concretenetwork.com/staining-concrete/design-ideas/floral-pattern.html
2. Create a large mask and normal map. apply it to the floor and then use that mask to control the different materials and how they tile. the normal is probably only needed if you want to have a lip or bevel between the floor and pattern.
3. model it out into the floor
4. rethink your design.
this may help you
http://www.flickr.com/photos/graffstolemylife/9573333196/