Using L3DT to create mask?

[Ki-/i 10]

Im just wondering if anyone have tried to use L3DTs attributes map as texture mask for Visitor?

Seems like it could be a good way to get very good match between sat map and the texture mask.

I dont have either L3DT or visitor set up on my computer atm, but will test when possible.

Unless someone else have tried and can comment?

[darkxess 60]

Im just wondering if anyone have tried to use L3DTs attributes map as texture mask for Visitor?

Seems like it could be a good way to get very good match between sat map and the texture mask.

I dont have either L3DT or visitor set up on my computer atm, but will test when possible.

Unless someone else have tried and can comment?

Yep, ive recently used it to create my map, on the recommendation of "bushlurker" and its really a good tool to use, and not so difficult to get used to either! id advice it to anyone with all the trouble I had to start off with, then I found that and got on very well.

Now im in the middle of building my islands vegitation, roads, etc..

[spirit6 51]

My island six littlegreen bag i produced using that tool. However i dont use the attribute map for the mask but simple the alpha map. You can very easy there select what colors should match what atribute and for that resulting in less color :)

[[aps]gnat 28]

I think I might be able to claim to be the first person to release a terrain that used L3DT to produce all source material (Sat map, masks and ground textures)

ie. Sands, Oct 2009

Good program, but you have to experiment a LOT before you get to understand the controls to the point where you can get what you want.

You still need a good paint program to merge the 4 masks into 1 texture.

[shezan74 11]

Is there a tutorial or something like to start using L3DT?

[spirit6 51]

Gnat;1689371']I think I might be able to claim to be the first person to release a terrain that used L3DT to produce all source material (Sat map' date=' masks and ground textures)

ie. Sands, Oct 2009

Good program, but you have to experiment a LOT before you get to understand the controls to the point where you can get what you want.

You still need a good paint program to merge the 4 masks into 1 texture.[/quote']

Not quite ;)

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=3512

2008-07-21

But its indeed taking a lot of experimenting to get what you want out of this. This is mainly what the above mentioned island was. It uses the default artic climate of L3DT.

My main issue for my later island (six little green bag) was getting all the textures together as l3dt spits them out in tiles.

[icebreakr 3159]

hehe spirit6, nice one ;) I'm also using L3DT (Full).

[shezan74 11]

Well... now that we're all together can someone explain me how to extract mask and satmap from this damn (full) version of L3DT? :)

[bushlurker 46]

You can export the final Texture Map directly and use as a Sat_lco...

Export as .png can be problematic with bigger sizes - .bmp seems to work fine up to 20480x20480...

I use the Attributes Map (AM Layer) directly exported as a base for a Mask_lco... Saving large files is even MORE problematic here, for some unknown reason - neither .png or .bmp will save successfully as a single file @ 20480x20480 size - 10240 is OK - larger sizes you need to export as mosaic (.png format) and assemble in photoshop... not too much of a chore really - I export 3 x 3 of 8192x8192 tiles and snap em together in photoshop and crop to 20480

One point to watch when exporting the AM layer is to switch it to colour output - otherwise you'll be deeply disappointed...

(options button in the save as dialog - change "ColourMapped (bool) to "true")...

That's how to export the relevant images... is that what you were wanting?

I wrote a PM a little while back where I woefully undersummarised basic L3DT usage... I'll paste the relevant chunk of it here as an easy way out of having to type any more (bedtime :))...

ok - fast answer 'cause I don't have time to write a complete L3DT tutorial.... its a complicated bugger...

Yeah - L3DT is a great tool - its not the most instantly understandable tool in the world - it'll take you a while to understand all the features - especially Climates...

Anyway - once you have made a heightfield in there you can just save that - export heightfield as .png - you make your own .pbl - its just a textfile - adapt the tutorial one

then you need to generate the water table - L3Dt will use that - no need to export that

Then you get to "Attributes layer" - this is the bit that uses Climates - you can just use "DemoRockGrassSand" to start with... this will generate a layer with different colours for 3 different ground textures... Later on if you want more complex masks you'll need to read the L3DT instructions heavily - then adapt or create a "climate" of your own...

As a demo of L3DT 3 colour output you could check out the Falkland Islands Scale Test & Source Files I gave away a while back - thats done exactly as described here - same "climate" - same procedure...

...basically what it does is analyse your heightmap - decide where sand, rock, grass, etc needs to go - and it draws a map with colours where each of them go... sounds awful like a Mask_lco.... you can use it as one...

One point here - export Attributes layer as .png - but switch to colour... (options button in the save as dialog - change "ColourMapped (bool) to "true"...

You can then carry on and generate a bump map layer (normals) - L3DT will use that - u dont need to export it - then a light map - ditto for that...

Finally you get to Texture map

At this stage L3DT will look at the basic 3 colour attributes map it made earlier, and actually make a proper texture map (Like a Sat map) using a different texture for each colour ...

You can export this and use it as a Sat_lco

So - heightfield map = heightfield + make a .pbl

Attributes map = Mask_lco (remember to change option to save in colour)

Texture Map = Sat_lco

So to start with you can use say a 1024 heightmap - but for speed just do a 1024 Attributes and other layers... later when youre happier with stuff - crank that up to 10x - you can make a 10240x10240 mask and sat and get more detail...

L3DT is a genuine bitch to get the hang of... it'll take time to understand all the stuff - a lot of which u don't need... your principal layers are the ones mentioned above - but the generation process in L3DT demands you make all the rest

if you want bump mapping at the Tex stage - you need to have previously generated a Normals layer - if you want light and shade effects you need to have made a lightmap - these make the Tex map look good - but the only ones you'll export are the 3 above....

(actually - since Arma2 does its own lighting, I've found skipping the light map layer is best - you also need to untick "use light map" at the Texture layer stage...

Otherwise you're "baking in" directional lighting to your Sat layer, which may look extra-great when the sun in-game is conveniently in the right place, but extra-s**t when all the in-game shadows are going in the opposite direction ;)

Export as .png - it'll be a 16bit greyscale for the heightfield, and 8bit colour for the other two - you can use them as they stand...

Again - not immediately informative, but the L3DT User Guide will basically explain all the options...

B

Edited July 19, 2010 by Bushlurker

[shezan74 11]

/smack :d

[[aps]gnat 28]

Not quite ;)

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=3512

2008-07-21

Bing! Ya got me. ;)

FYI, I use a "Combine Channels" function in PSP to conbine 4 flat masks into a multicolour mask.

[spirit6 51]

Gnat;1690730']Bing! Ya got me. ;)

FYI' date=' I use a "Combine Channels" function in PSP to conbine 4 flat masks into a multicolour mask.[/quote']

L3DT can also generate alpha maps. It can be called only by the menu and not in the default work flow (height map etc etc).

The result is a mask that can directly be used in visitor. I dont change anything. As when making the alpha map you can define what attributes from the attribute map are mapped to a color.

[shezan74 11]

What's the heightmap size of your map?

I'm trying with 4096 x 4096 but Bulldozer doesn't like so much...

[[aps]gnat 28]

L3DT can also generate alpha maps. It can be called only by the menu and not in the default work flow

Thanks for ther tip

[Ki-/i 10]

L3DT can also generate alpha maps. It can be called only by the menu and not in the default work flow (height map etc etc).

The result is a mask that can directly be used in visitor. I dont change anything. As when making the alpha map you can define what attributes from the attribute map are mapped to a color.

Thanks for that! Will make things so much easier :)

Now about this 4 textures per satellite segment thing... Now do i calculate how big each segment is?

[cctoide 0]

In the project parameters dialog, there is a button for the satellite grid calculator. Type in your sat/mask image size and it will tell you both the segment size and overlap (any color painted in the overlap area will count towards the color count for the neighboring segment).

[spirit6 51]

Thanks for that! Will make things so much easier :)

Now about this 4 textures per satellite segment thing... Now do i calculate how big each segment is?

Only thing to keep in mind is that l3dt creates the alpha maps namely and correctly in the alpha channels. In photoshop this results in seeing a pictures that looks absolutely blank.

If this scares you off you can just open it with paint ( or any other simple tool that does not support alpha channels) and save it. As poor paint does not get the alpha channels it saves it as a normal color as you know it and for that voila you can see it :)

[Ki-/i 10]

In the project parameters dialog, there is a button for the satellite grid calculator. Type in your sat/mask image size and it will tell you both the segment size and overlap (any color painted in the overlap area will count towards the color count for the neighboring segment).

Only thing to keep in mind is that l3dt creates the alpha maps namely and correctly in the alpha channels. In photoshop this results in seeing a pictures that looks absolutely blank.

If this scares you off you can just open it with paint ( or any other simple tool that does not support alpha channels) and save it. As poor paint does not get the alpha channels it saves it as a normal color as you know it and for that voila you can see it :)

Thank you both, and everyone else that have replied to this thread as well. :)

[Ki-/i 10]

This was more what i had in mind when starting the thread, maybe i did not explain it very good:

Using a custom "climate" with the same colors as the mask for the different terrains.