Is there a simple way to create a path in an ecosystem using an alpha map?

Here's an example of the alpha map I want to use.

And here's the look I want to achieve.

http://www.renderosity.com/tut.ez?Form.ViewPages=291

Hope i was able to put all settings in one image - enclosed. So the trick is Variable Density! Important as well is a function type as it is chosen here as well, defines the accuracy of the result.

Ok, here's a seperate, but related question. How do maps like that work if the element is NOT a square or rectangular in shape. Since image files are rectangular in nature, how can one accurately apply this same technique to a non uniform shape?

Well... First point is that ALL computer images, in this contexts therefore the maps are rectangular. So this is a basic limitation from the texture side. Second is, that you simply need to make parts invisible in any way. By clipping or by transparency. And a humorous remark maybe. We maybe PLAY god with programs like this sometimes but we ARE NOT! So in difference to him (or her?) we have to deal with limitations!

Wabe, Thanks for the excellent example. I followed your settings as close as I could, but I must be missing something. After I followed your instructions I still end up with the same result (still looks like my top image in this post) I have posted images of my settings. Do you know why this may not be working? I used Vues "Patch of Grass" for my ecosystem.

And here are my Functions settings. Any ideas on why the path isn't showing up?

Attached Link: http://www.md-arts.com/

Go to tutorials here. Look at the top ones. Shows how to do what you are wanting I think?

Two reasons (or three?) maybe in my eyes why your result is different. #1 set your material setting to "object parametric" not to "world standard" #2 switch "decay near foreign objects" but those two maybe are not so relevant. and now... #3 my guess is that the patch of grass, relative to the object you want to be populated is way too big! Indication? Your only 358 instances. And what you maybe should understand is, that for the population only the center of the object is taken into account. So that you have a lot of overlapping from the patch of grass (sort of border) that covers your gap. You should try a test with for example the carex - and scale it down so that you get something around 10,000 items. Mine btw is the lawn material from Monsoons Ecowear material collection. He created some single grass plants so that this overlapping could not happen. You can see this "overhanging" as well by populating a terrain. Then you see that the patch of grass sort of hangs in the air, if you don't change that in the scale & orientation setting. But you see the "overhanging" too at the borders of your ground object - make a density of something around 20% as a test for that.

Where is this ecowear collection? All I see is the fashions he created for Bryce.

Wabe, I think I'm getting somewhere now. I set the Influence to 100% and it had no effect. I set the Falloff to 100% and -100% and it had no effect. So I tried the carex plant and scaled it to 50%. I then noticed lines in my grass. I thought What's Up, so I decided to replace the ecosystem with a mixed material to test out my Alpha map/Texture map and this is what I got. (See image) So the first problem I am having is the tiling of my texture map. If I can figure this out the rest should work. Q. I used the same texture map of the path as I posted in this forum, so how come my field is tiling it so much? I am using "Object Parametric" in the Mapping like you suggested.

Sorry, Ecowear is available at 3DCommune - in the store. Under "whats new" i guess. LMcLean, how about giving me an email address via IM and i will send you an example material - as i did it. Of course NOT with Monsoons plants but with the carex, slightly modified maybe.

Wabe, sent you my email address

Wabe could you send it to me as well please. I tried to follow your instructions but when I got to the part where I selected the texturemap (black and white pic of the road) vue froze. Love esther esther@pacefiction.com

okay, I can now load the texture map as I didn't have an alpha channel in it before which maybe why it froze but it still doesn't seem to do anything. Love esther

is sent Esther, is sent! And when you look right behind you you see it coming through the door.

Actually I got it working now sort of. Doesn't look quite as good as yours. I'm using same ecowear grass as you wabe. Love esther

Ooh I'm very pleased with this now. I did the thing suggested in ecowear of duplicating the terrain, putting a different ecosystem on it and making the underlying material invisible. My road looks nice. Love esther ps dunno what happened to her hair

Wabe, Thank you so much for your example file. Last night I made these images. The path works in these images because the terrain they're mapped to is made in Vue. It turns out I was doing it right, but for some reason it doesn't work when applyinhg the ecosystem to a model imported from C4D. The terrain in the first image in this post was created in C4D, then brought into Vue. For some reason when I apply the settings you gave me the texture map doesn't tile properly. I will try some experiments to see if I can get this to work. If I send you a C4D terrain and a texture map do you have time to try this?

Message edited on: 01/06/2006 09:11

Yes i can try that. No problem. Good that thre was a sort of solution for you - even when it so far is not perfect. Keep in mind that i have only Cinema 8, not the latest version! Oh, my guess is that the reason for the problem is the missing uv coordinates in your ex-/import. Maybe you try another format for the import into Infinite?