GROS FRAG'S MAPPING JOURNAL

[grosfrag]

So after getting to grips with Digital Earthworks and having a professional background in Photoshop I started making some maps. Then I got addicted to it being a rider myself which brings me to the TD forums to share both my learning curve for others and to allow peoples input on tracks and details.

My yet to be named compound is being built at the moment that features some neat real world terrain from South Cali. Using software to rip a height map from Ariel images.
Eventually I settled with a pretty nice location and set about creating a that give the feeling of real world fmx/ free riding but still maintaining some race elements to keep it competitive when you are done hitting some lines.

After 2 updates I am re-producing the height map in Leveller to give a a much greater range of detail as the scale of the map is so huge.

I will also try to post tutorials on some of the stuff im doing as I think every mapper has a different work flow and you can learn alot

PS.... Teach me how to use the rut bump maps 
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[grosfrag]

So Far I have been using Photoshop to get my heightmap into DE, but I forked out for Leveller on an impulse wave. Although I don't really regret it.
I've done quite alot of heightmap work before so learning how to work with them wasn't too bad. There were some points when learning that I simply couldn't find certain information that I wanted so as Im finding things out I feel are worth sharing I will !

-A Tablet is a great tool for varying your track width in a natural way. By using pressure you can add some flare to your corners and give a more realistic feel.

-Gaussian Blur actually degraded alot of my maps , it might seem logical but by spreading out the gradient you can get more "stepping" when you import into DE at your desired scale.

-Alot of heightmaps I have seen have not used the full range of black to white, if you are not using it you are wasting scale = wasting detail

-Using layers and opacity is great, but sometimes you need to paint what you need to. By having 100 layers of white gradients you track becomes almost uneditable.

I'm by no means an expert but I have learnt alot from forums and I guess its time to give back what techniques I have learnt.

Here you can see alot of mappers worse enemy which is the limitations of the game. But with techniques that Jamie T has shared and other people I am hoping to create a community compound that includes Hill Climbs, flat track, enduro, motorcross (part of the enduro loop), fast sandy berms and some technical rock sections. An Indoor SX track will also be an option, with the possibility of featuring another mappers track ( Perhaps even on a rotation?!?!)

Anyway I hope this takes off and we all have something huge to send some gnarly whips a over a sweet landscape that is filled with people shredding! 





You can even see the google map road symbol at the top !

[Darkslides19]

PS.... Teach me how to use the rut bump maps 

well.. i did a tutorial on that
-> http://twisteddirt.com/smf/index.php/topic,4841.0.html
if you have any questions/problems or need help just comment or add me on steam @*FPR* Ds19

[JamieT]

Welcome to the Leveller club!

Looking forward to seeing more.