World composition + Distant trees

Development World Creation
1

Hi,
Now Simplygon is inclued in UE4, I can merge static meshes with the landscape tiles. The problem is that it merge only static meshes and not foliage so while I now get nice landscape LODs with static mesh cliff rocks included, all my trees disappear.
I know that there’s an option to “bake foliage to landscape” but all it does is to draw a picture of the foliage in the landscape texture which looks very odd. I need to get at least billboard trees on those LODs like in other open world games so what are the steps to get this please?

2

Nobody knows?

3

Sorry for bumping but my project can’t go further with empty distant landscape.

4

Screenshot?

5

Hi. Sorry but what kind of screenshot do you need?
My question is the same that this one : World Composition Foliage LOD - World Creation - Epic Developer Community Forums
In games like, let’s say, Skyrim, distant LODs have billboard trees on it, not only landscape with nothing on it, that’s what i’m trying to do.

6

Still need help. I think that having distant trees on the background landscape should be some very basic thing

7

I still need help please.

8

Here is the solution a dev by the name of Iacopo shared with me:

  1. make the LOD level like you have been doing, with the automatic generator
  2. Find the LOD level (it is in a subfolder) Rename the generated LOD level to something else, remember the old name
  3. Make a copy of the actual level with the real foliage, name it to what the LOD level name was and put in same folder as the LOD level
  4. Open that new level, delete the landscape and other things you don’t need, but keep the foliage.
  5. Open the old LOD level you renamed, and copy and landscape static mesh, paste it into the new LOD level you made and position it correct (copy and pasting world position works)

Done! You will need to do this every time you tweak your foliage though…

9

This could work on a really small open world. With thousands tiles and 2 LOD for each tiles, this would be an insane amount of work.

10

True, I have not used it much but the editor does allow scripting of tasks.

https://docs.unrealengine.com/login?code=def78f78c78d49b28dd5649998ba9eaa&state=Evoq

Wish I could give more advice but this is beyond my knowledge. As long as there are functions to navigate content folders, copy assets, rename assets, delete actors, and add actors, you can do it!

11

I still need help please.How do we use world composition without having desert landscape around the “LOD 0” tiles?

12

Please. I can’t work without this.

13

Hey I’m working on a python script to solve this, should be available by end of month. But it only works for one lod level, I can look into more than 1 but no promises. Will post here when done.

In the meantime, maybe try moving your foliage meshes to the persistent level? I don’t know if that’s possible just thought of it now. Right click, move to current level (be sure perisetent level is current)

14

I still need help please.

15

I’m a novice, so maybe this is a silly question but . . . what about taking your “foliage” which you are unable to “merge” into the landscape, and changing those assets into “static meshes?” I’m only vaguely familiar with the terms, so maybe that is a nonsensical suggestion . . .

16

Hi, did you find any solution for this problem?

17

enable the foliage painting checkbox to set current level and paint the foliage to the persistent level it seems that for min it worked

18

I think there is a way to add foliage to the landscape proxies. Inside unreal engine source, there is Engine\Source\Editor\WorldBrowser\Private\Tiles\WorldTileCollectionModel.cpp which is responsible for tile LOD generation. From instancedFoliageActor you need to get mesh data and copy billboards only (maxlod) and then bake these to the landscape proxy mesh… Then all you need to do is to map billboard materials and youre good to go…