I need a flat terrain. Please help!

#1 Why not import an all black image into the terrain editor? Viola! Instant 100% flat terrain.

#2 Good idea! Can you tell me where the height map image is? I can't seem to locate it...

Unless you can tell me the demensions and the file type.

Edit: Ok, I exported the terrain bitmap as a png, modified it, but I can only load up .ter files when I got to import the files. Any help?

#3 Make a new folder under Common/Editor/ and call it heightscripts
Or change the path in common/editor/editorgui.cs
And Place your Heightfield files in that folder.

#4 Got it thanks.

#5 I"m trying to do exactly this, but CAN-NOT get it to work. Is it possible using the Demo version of the Torque Engine?

my file is a 256x256pixle mode=greyscale *.png made in gimp 2.0+

the full pathname of my file is:
C:\Program Files\Torque Game Engine Demo\common\editor\heightScripts\terrain.png

The relevent line from my EditorGui.cs is:
$TerraformerHeightfieldDir = "common/editor/heightScripts";

Still, only the two included *.ter files show when i hit f11 and click 'Import Terraform Data". If you have any suggestions please help!

Thanks,

#6 I got it finally!

The correct path ended up being:
C:\Program Files\Torque Game Engine Demo\demo\common\editor\heightScripts
...
hope this helps out someone else.

#7 Rather than start a new thread on this very same topic, I thought I'd post my flat terain problem here.

I'm also trying to create a flat map and have done everything stated above. I've loaded the black image as my height map and aplied it to the scene and it does indeed make a flat map.

But here's the problem:

(I'm using the starter.fps scene with all props removed except one spawn sphere, my character, that other character that runs around in circles, the two sun flares, the mission area and data, the sky, the sun, and of course the terrain.)

1) It creates a map at what seems to be the very bottom of the world. I can raise terrain but not lower it. I've tried aplying a grey image to see if that would raise it but it doesn't. Again I can raise terrain but not lower it. I've tried several shades of grey with the same effect.
(my image is created with mspaint, 256 x 256 .png 24bit color)

2) I can't see the clouds/sky with the terain that low because it seems that the water fog is still in the scene even tho I deleted the water from it. If I switch to free camera mode I can "fly" above this fog and see the clouds/sky again. But it doesn't help obviously because my terain is still way down at the bottom of the scene under that mass of fog. I've tried increasing the visibility and fog settings in the sky attributes but they have no effect. (I've tried everything up to 3000 visibility and 3000 fog)

3) The terrain "flutters" up and down violently whenever I switch the camera to my character and try to navigate the map with him. He acts as if he is falling through the map repeatedly. He'll fall through up to his knees and reset back to normal. I can't tell if it's the map fluttering or if it's my character because it stops if I go into free camera mode. I've tried making a hill in the map and seeing if that would help but he just runs through it like it doesn't exist and ends up inside the hill.

For now I've opted for just using the terrain in starter.fps and flattening it manually for my imediate needs, saving it and using it as a "template" for future work. But there has to be a better/faster/simpler/smarter way for flat terrain that I'm just not understanding yet.

Anyone have any sugestions?

#8 Hmmm... I've fixed the fog issue. Still have all the other problems.

#9 Flat terrain:

Load a new level

> Press F11 to enter the editor.

> Select terrain Terraform Editor from the menu options

> Select "Sinus" from the available methods of terraform.

> Pull all hieght points in the Sinus window to the bottom.

> Click "Apply"

Voila - flat terrain.

~ Hope this helps (C;

#10 OMG, Thank YOU!!

That worked perfectly. :)

#11 I have made a flat terrain too. I am also getting the fog problem. How can I get rid of the fog ?

David you said you have got rid of the fog. Please tell me how you did it ?

#12 I've since put torque on the back burner but if I remember correctly, the attributes for the fog are found within the sky attributes. You may have to raise the height of the terrain a bit because I could never completely get rid of the fog unless I raised it a little.

#13 For the fog , try mark norenderbans on the sky.

#14 Under Mission Group > Sky > Fog, set fogVolume1 to 0 0 200.

The first number seems to be transparency. Setting this to 0 also removes the fog completly, but setting to 1 makes it completly opaque. Higher values increase transparency.

Don't know what the second value does.

The third value is the height the fog ends. I tried setting this to 0, but I couldn't get the mission to load after saving it. It probably needs to be greater than 0, but since setting the first value to 0 had the same effect as removing it, I didn't bother experimenting further as this was the effect I wanted.

#15 I usually do it the hard way. I use the terrain editor setHeight function with the largest brush... I choose what height I want my going to edit -> Terrain (or World) properties or whatever... Then I fly around and flatten everything.

#16 Maybe this could be helpful

#17 All you need to do is: when you open Torque, click the "World editor" button, it will come up with a checkerboard flat map.

#18 The way I get a flat terrain to work with is similar to the above, except that instead of an all black heightmap, I create one with the middle-gray color.. 128R, 128G, 128B. This essentially places your starting point at the middle of the full height range, so you can raise or lower terrain equally.