UPDATED FOR BOTH METHODS !
Landscape Replacement Displacement (i just made that up)
So as some people know, I have been searching for “how to add snow” to your map. I found there is one way, that looks terrible. It’s the default way!
Landscape tools > Selection Tool > Select the area you want snow > look at the properties of that selection on the right side of the views > “Overright Textures” > Select MI_SnowBiome
This will effectively make your area look like total **** … unless you have a square area to cover.
I know, “but angry, that’s how they did it in The Island map!”. That’s true, but, open the map, move to the snow area, click with the select tool. It’s a square! Now we see why there is beach, then, instantly snow!
So that’s the way I have been instructed to do it. No. I will not do it that way for a couple reasons. Mainly because, my map was not built on square tiles. So, let me explain how i accomplished a PERFECT snow formation …
I’m going to assume you already have a map setup and your looking to paint snow. Perfect.
**Note this is to assume you have a heightmap of your current landscape.
So, you have your layout already done. Painted all the pretty colors and ready for some snow.
Before all this you should have a second layout created. Call it … mymapname_snowbiome (or whatever you want)
Step 1: Look at your current “landscape” and remember/write down the measurements (size and location are key, its ok if you didnt, we will double check shortly)
Step 2: Landscape > Manage > Select “New Landscape”
Step 3: Import the same height map that you used originally for your landscape. Location wont matter here, just use the right size/scale (same as original landscape map). IMORTANT! Import with the “MI_SnowBiome”, not “Mat_TheIsland…” textures
Step 4: Now we see the Landscape down on the list there on the right. Resize it to match (if you didnt already) and set the location the SAME as your primary landscape (your original one). Lets also move it to our layer for the snow. Double click “mymapname_snowbiome” and then right click the landscape (the snow one we imported) and move to current level/layer
Step 5: This is the pretty step. You want to open JUST the snowbiome level we made. So, close your current project, or, open > mymapname_snowbiome → we only want to see this right now
Step 6: Add a directional light so you can see. Landscape > Paint > Woah snow!
Step 7: Now i was lucky enought o have “rock”, “grass”, and “sand” heightmaps for painting, but, go ahead and paint away. Remember, we dont need the entire landscape. Paint as you see fit
Step 8: Now, we need to remove the junk we dont want. Landscape > Sculpt > Visibility Tool —> Left click to remove, Shift + Left click to show again. Why dont we delete ? Because it deletes in giant squares.
Step 9: Now, you should have a fairly painted submap. Pretty easy, just work is all. Go ahead and open your primary project file (dont forget to SAVE your snow map!)
Step 10: You see your “snowbiome” submap? Lets take a look at it! Oh wait, you may not see all of it … or, none of it, right?
Step 11: Feel free to erase your primary landscape where the snow would be! Remember, this is non-destructive. So Shift + Click will show it again.
This solid mix of blending layers and landscapes can be done with anything really. The only drawback i have seen is that there is a small “seam” from snow to ground. I solved this with planting trees on the seam lol. I only have like 2 places where it shows. Other then that, perfect snow !
Screenshot 1: http://s10.postimg.org/a2ypcp921/close_snowcap.png
(close up of my ground clutter + snow floor)
Screenshot 2: http://s29.postimg.org/kfob134qv/far_snowcap_layer.png
(only to show the snow caps, mountains, plains, and jungles)
Also - I know there is a way to import the actual snow paint and use that. That beats this entire process. I had already done it this way and it worked lovely. I know someone cough Exilog cough mentioned he would do a write-up on how to do it. So there are better choices then some ****-tastic square selection. Your welcome to the 100 other people that apparently got snow working on their maps but never were kind enough to let the rest of the community know. I don’t mind teaching others how to do this.
Other Method By Adding Paint to Current Pallet:
- Make a copy of the 4 main paint files. Those are: Hole, Hole_INST, Masks, Masks_INST
- Put them into an “assets” folder inside your …\mods\MyMap\ folder (example: mods\forsakenislands\assets extures)
- Rename them to something for your map, you can simply change the start of it to your maps name. (example: forsaken_withmasks, forsaken_withmasks_inst, etc)
- Open the MM_SnowBiome asset
- Open all your new files: MAP_withmasks, MAP_hole (not the ones with the INST at the end)
- On the blueprint, you will see (in the middle) “Layer Blend”, click it
- On the left side of the screen, you should see “Material Expression Landscape Layer Blend” with 21 items
- Drop down that list, and, hit the “+”. This will make a new entry.
- Name the entry “snow”, or, whatever you see fitting.
- You should now see a node called “Layer Snow” (or Layer YOURNAME on that box)
- Go back to the MM_SnowBiome > Copy the Snow and Far (yup, the entire thing)
- Past it onto your new area we just worked on
- Connect the last SWITCH node to the LAYER node you just made
- I believe it compiles shaders at this time
15 See “Snow” in your pallet
DO ALL THIS FOR THE HOLE AS WELL !!!
- Link the correct files internally, as in open the INST version, and make the parent the corresponding file. Example: forsaken_hole_inst > forsaken_hole (as a parent)
Changes you can do since that snow is ugly as heck:
- Change “Snow Diffuse” to use T_ShallowSnow_BC
- Copy a “Snow SSAO Min” and attach it as it is on the MM_SnowBiome file (its a gold box, has a purple square in it)
I used my own other textures as well, but, that should at least add snow paint to the current pallet
