Windcatcher
09-15-2005, 05:45 PM
It's been a while, but the first feature took some time to get working properly:
1. Added new tab to the Ground Editor: Clip at Elevation. Allows users to specify a rectangular area of the ground and split polygons apart at a specified elevation. Split polygons are moved to their own mesh, assigned textures, and the original grid squares are hidden. Detailed instructions in the help file under the Ground Editor section.
2. Faster, more stable 3D engine.
3. Bug fixes (when *aren't* there bug fixes?)
Splitting the ground at an elevation is something that should be done very carefully, since it splits polygons off into their own mesh where they can't be edited with the Ground Editor anymore (they can only be edited with the Edit...Change polygon properties dialog or by splitting them again). Below is the text from the help file entry:
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Splitting the ground at a certain elevation
The ground editing grid is good for most tasks, but there are cases where it would be nice to be able to change the ground along topographic (elevation) lines. For instance, one might want to show snowcaps above a certain elevation at the tops of mountains, or grass starting below a certain elevation where the air is thicker. It also might be nice to have different rock textures at different elevations, to show different rock strata. While all this is possible using clever placement of different textures, OpenZone includes an easy way to subdivide the ground at specific elevations.
The Clip at Elevation tab contains simple controls that make this easy: it contains an elevation edit field and slider, two texture selection drop-downs and browse buttons, and a Split button.
When this tab is selected, a yellow selection rectangle is painted over the grid, with a single blue topographic line that denotes a certain elevation. To subdivide the ground at a specific elevation, one should follow these steps:
1. Added new tab to the Ground Editor: Clip at Elevation. Allows users to specify a rectangular area of the ground and split polygons apart at a specified elevation. Split polygons are moved to their own mesh, assigned textures, and the original grid squares are hidden. Detailed instructions in the help file under the Ground Editor section.
2. Faster, more stable 3D engine.
3. Bug fixes (when *aren't* there bug fixes?)
Splitting the ground at an elevation is something that should be done very carefully, since it splits polygons off into their own mesh where they can't be edited with the Ground Editor anymore (they can only be edited with the Edit...Change polygon properties dialog or by splitting them again). Below is the text from the help file entry:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Splitting the ground at a certain elevation
The ground editing grid is good for most tasks, but there are cases where it would be nice to be able to change the ground along topographic (elevation) lines. For instance, one might want to show snowcaps above a certain elevation at the tops of mountains, or grass starting below a certain elevation where the air is thicker. It also might be nice to have different rock textures at different elevations, to show different rock strata. While all this is possible using clever placement of different textures, OpenZone includes an easy way to subdivide the ground at specific elevations.
The Clip at Elevation tab contains simple controls that make this easy: it contains an elevation edit field and slider, two texture selection drop-downs and browse buttons, and a Split button.
When this tab is selected, a yellow selection rectangle is painted over the grid, with a single blue topographic line that denotes a certain elevation. To subdivide the ground at a specific elevation, one should follow these steps: