does any one know where i can find a tut where it explains in easy words how to follow a terrain with a wall ,path etc i have looked everywhere and i unable to find anything on the subject.

your help would be appreciated

I am not sure I understand the issue you are having. Could you explain the problem you are having or what exactly you are trying to do? Hopefully I will be able to assist you in this. G&C

if i wish to make a wall follow the shape of the terrain or a path to follow the terrain shape how do i go about it. where the trerrain has bumps and dips the path or wall goes

kelvinhughes, which version of Vue are you using? (Asked to prevent you getting anwers that you can't apply) :-) And, if you'll forgive my temerity, ('cos I'm fairly sure I know exactly what you mean) a re-phrase of your question: "How do you create a wall (maybe with varying directions) which follows the vertical contours of an existing terrain such that the wall maintains a consistant height above that terrain?". (Hope I got that right...) I, too, would like to know the answer. I can do it in Bryce, but not sure how to do it in Vue... Cheers, Diolma

im using infinite

I've seen tutorials for roads, using Ecosystems, controlled by grayscale image maps. But roads and trails don't have much depth, not sure how this would work for a tall structure like a wall.

Try a searches on "bitmap", "ecosystem", "map", "mapping"?

_ jc...'Art Head Start' e-book
.......'Art Head Start.com site Digital Art skills. Free lighting chapter, tutes, Vue models, tex pix.

I tried adding a grey-scale bit-map for a wall to a standard terrain (in V5i), but wasn't convinced that it was following the contours. Will try again tomorrow, when I'm (more) sober, using a simple straight line path for the wall. IF it works, then I expect that what I'll have to do is duplicate the (original, w/o addition) terrain, add the bitmap to the duplicate then drop it down fractionally (so as to be able to apply separate texture to it...) Cheers, Diolma (If I don't post again in this or another thread it'll be 'cos I couldn't find a way to do it...)

Wonder if there is a way to just build the wall as part of the terrain itself, maybe using Chipp Walter's 'AltTerrain Builder'? You might have to settle for a mesh terrain, not procedural. And if so, you could also export your terrain mesh to a 3D program and build your walls there.

'Art Head Start' e-book
'Art Head Start.com site Digital Art skills. Free lighting chapter, tutes, Vue models, tex pix.

when i started this thread did say easy to understand lol

Ahhh you mean the great wall of china effect. Thinking of the tools available in vue it seems problematic from several aspects.

Building the wall could possible be done using the altitude tool in the editor this makes the bottom follow the terrain contour bht height of the wall will vary.

It is easire although not a walk in the park in Lightwave where you have tools like conform to background that can aid in such things.

In Lighrwave you would create a polygon ribbon representing the wall on X,Y coorfinates. You would have the terrain in a seperate layer then you would conform the poly ribbon to the background (the layer the terrain mesh is in) This would make the ribbon follow the terrain on the Y axis. Then you would extrude the poly ribbon to the height you want above the terrain and BAM you have a wall that follow the terrain hills and valleys exactly and allways remain the same height above the surface.

Message edited on: 03/23/2006 00:46

http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=472202&Start=145&Artist=garyandcatherine&ByArtist=Yes I did a procedure like this in Bryce years ago. This is what I did: **I created a terrain (NOT A PROCEDURAL) **Then I duplicated it and cut away the area I didn't want. In this case I erased everything but a narrow strip that followed the area I wanted to have a wall surround. (the narrow strip being the wall) ** Then with that little narrow strip of terrain I resized it slightly to go around the pond and stretched its height above the level of the first terrain. ** To give the wall a broken and worn look I went back in to the terrain editor and erased little bits here and there to give it that aged look. ** The result was a wall made from a terrain that followed the contour of the 1st terrain. I hope this helps you. If you want a better explanation, I can do it in VUE and send you a file of it. Just IM me if you need to. G&C

would be appreciated please thanks to all for the input

Don't know of any really easy way to do what you want.

Here is a crude example i made last night:

• Exported (as .obj) a non-procedural (mesh) terrain from Vue 5i to my 3D program (Silo 3D).
• Extruded a double row of polys.
• Flattened the top.
• 'Broke' the top and sides away from the terrain (so they could be separately textured)
• Imported back into Vue and added materials.

It would be easier to just build the wall in an external 3D program (or in Vue) and just insert it into your terrain to get what i did.

But i could have done much more in the 3D program which would be difficult in Vue, like making different levels to conform to the landscape, making footings, ramparts, stairs, watchtowers, etc.

_ jc...'Art Head Start' e-book
'Art Head Start.com site Digital Art skills. Free lighting chapter, tutes, Vue models, tex pix.

This is what I was talking about in my last post: This took me all of about 5 minutes including using Photoshop. Granted it is crude, but all one has to do is go into the terrain editor and touch up on those spikey areas on the wall and you will have a nice wall that follows the contour of a terrain.