Terraining - Water Level

[Quake19]

Hey, fellow forumers!

I've decided to write my first tutorial at the forum. Hope it'll help out people with making cool water terrains.

===========================================================
"The Water Level Tutorial"
===========================================================

- Notes: Step-by-step information on how to create water on different levels, or elevation if you prefer the term.
> > > > Follow each of the steps as described and you should get the gist of it.
> > > > Before doing anything, make sure you turn off the "Enforce Water Height Limits" under the "Advanced".

Step 1: Create a new map to try on. Nothing too big is needed; 32x32 will do.

Step 2: Open the Terrain Palette and choose "Raise" under the "Apply Height".

Step 3: Use the now-selected brush to raise a hill on your map. Make it high, so you can clearly see the difference. Notice, having a large brush size might make things easier for you.

- Notes: After raising the hill, use the "Plateau" brush under the "Apply Height" to make your hill even.
> > > > Placing water on hills that are not even can cause some weird and often unwanted effects.

Step 4: From the Terrain Palette choose "Shallow Water" or "Deep Water" under the "Apply Cliff".

Step 5: Use the now-selected water brush to create water on your high hill. It doesn't matter how much water you create, as long as it doesn't go over the borders of your hill.

- Notes: You could already stop here, but I do not recommend it. It's not a good idea to use cliff-water.
> > > > By following the next steps, you can make the water smooth. I highly recommend this.
> > > > Notice if you plan on making smooth water; make bigger water areas, for they will shrink when lowered.

Step 6: From the Terrain Palette choose "Same Level" under the "Apply Cliff".

Step 7: Use the now-selected brush to remove the cliff around the water. Notice, you must start moving the brush outside of your water area. Remove all water and the cliffs.

- Notes: If you have done everything correct, you should have a plain hill again, with no water in sight!
> > > > But looks are deceiving; the water is just under the surface of your hill.

Step 8: From the Terrain Palette choose "Lower" under the "Apply Height".

Step 9: Use the now-selected brush to lower those areas of the hill where you previously had water. Quite so, you'll soon see your water again!

- Notes: After you first lower your hill and reveal the water beneath it, the water might look jagged.
> > > > Use the "Raise" and "Smooth" brushes under the "Apply Height" to fix the inconveniences.
> > > > Use these two brushes at the jagged borders of your water, and it should soon look smooth.

Step 10: You don't need one if everything went fine!

===========================================================
Quake19
===========================================================

Screenshot #1: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b61/Quake19/a9e3423c.jpg

Screenshot #2: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b61/Quake19/987a63fa.jpg

- Notes: Differing water levels if used in conjunction with waterfalls can create some really cool scenery.
> > > > Don't make a flood though; you don't want cool stuff to appear as redundant.

// You're welcome to give feedback!
// Suggestions, corrections and screenies are all welcome.
// Quake19, over.

 

[s-H-a-D-o-W]

Hmmmm....
When i lower my hill, the water isnt comming back, what ma i doing wrong?

 

[Quake19]

Hmmmm....
When i lower my hill, the water isnt comming back, what ma i doing wrong?

That's strange... I tested it out just a moment ago, it seemed to work just fine.
Actually, I might know the problem...!

I'll edit this to the main tutorial:
- Make sure you put off the "Enforce Water Height Limits" under the "Advanced".

Otherwise, it *should* (ahem) work.

 

[SD_Ryoko]

One awesome overlooked method is as follows.

Create your new map, and initial tile shallow water.

Your level is flooded.

Now raise the terrain past the water level where desired.

Time consuming? Naw. Use a giant tool, and the 'Plateu' tool.

Why?

Because now you have water wherever you want, with no jagged cliff edges. Great for island maps too.

NEXT NOTE

As far as tutorials go, it would be nice to have an entire 'Terrain Editor' tutorial, but I can only dream of that happening some day.

 

[dArKzEr0]

I was interested to see how this worked, as I've never tried to terrian anything assymetrical before, so I tried out your tutorial.

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/7200/screen048mo.jpg

Any tips?

dArKz

 

[Sargon]

Very neat. Add some waterfall doodads to make it look like it's crashing, not just slipping, down the cliff, and it'll be great.

 

[dArKzEr0]

I added the waterfalls like you said, but I think it looked better before, what do you think?

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4452/screen055ji.jpg

dArKz

 

[Sargon]

I like that one. Looks more real. You see, when something like water is traveling forward along the ground and it hits a cliff, it doesn't stick to the ground and drop straight down, it keeps going forward for a bit (inertia and all that).

 

[SD_Ryoko]

One awesome overlooked method is as follows.

Create your new map, and initial tile shallow water.

Your level is flooded.

Now raise the terrain past the water level where desired.

Time consuming? Naw. Use a giant tool, and the 'Plateu' tool.

Why?

Because now you have water wherever you want, with no jagged cliff edges. Great for island maps too.

NEXT NOTE

As far as tutorials go, it would be nice to have an entire 'Terrain Editor' tutorial, but I can only dream of that happening some day.

I like this tutorial but as I said, there was one major technique here that was totally over looked; and I think thats important.

 

[Korolen]

Great tutorial dArKzEr0's first screenie (Withut the Waterfall Doodads) helped me figure out how it worked, as I was a little confuddled at first. I think I accedently created that effect once... A water bug that you can use is as follows:

Create a flat space, and place shallow water in a little spot. Zoom it waaaaay out (Mabee with Advanced > View Entire Map) so that your frame-rate is crap. Then click in the water (with the water tool on) and quickly move the mouse to another non-water spot on the map. That sould create the water WITHOUT the cliff

 

[Rad]

Neither of the screenshots worked for me, I dont think photobucket likes me

Is this tutorial making smooth water edges, or making water go off a cliff with no edge?

 

[Korolen]

Is this tutorial making smooth water edges, or making water go off a cliff with no edge?

Making water go off a cliff with no edge.

 

[Disthron]

Nice tutorial. I'd been wondering how to do this since I first looked at some of the cinimatics in the game. It's a realy cool efect.

dArKz Could you posibly tell me how you maneged to get the water conected to one and other on multiple levels?

 

[UnknowVector]

Waterfalls.

 

[meanie]

Sometimes sometimes not

:banghead: Sometimes this works on a tiny new map but when i am trying to do it on my own map(old,big) this doesn't work (enforce Water height limits are off) and when i try to make water on the hill it just flatten the hill out like [Plateau] :banghead:

 

[Inimical14]

NICE!!
This will be helpful in a map im making

 

[The Helper]

bumping 5 star threads

 

[garet10]

Neither of the screenshots worked for me, I dont think photobucket likes me

Is this tutorial making smooth water edges, or making water go off a cliff with no edge?

photobucket

Get Paintshop Pro.

 

[Zero R.]

What the HELL?

Photobucket == Image hosting service.
Paint Shop Pro == Image manipulation program.

Big Difference.

 

[Blackveiled]

just out of curiosity ... MrApples made a tutorial like this BUT sadly it got jammed straight away from the darn crash =/