Going for Bryce
Power to the People

Use ShaderMaker for Procedural Terrains

 

Introduction

Emulating Bryce in Pixels3D is easy witht he help of ShaderMaker or ShaderMakerPro. All you need to start is a grayscale B&W image to control the meshs' displacement ( white for peaks black for valleys ) made in Photoshop. And then some Math Functions to control height colours on the mesh, such as snow to rock to plains.

Pixels3D | studio | v3.6 and above
ShaderMakerPro
Photoshop

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Starting Out

Create a simple grayscale map inside Photoshop and save out as PICT file. You may use existing grayscale maps from Bryce if you don't feel creative.

Open Pixels3d and lets create our scene, then export to RIB file to create our shader in SMP. Create a simple Shape>Mesh and scale to the camera's veiw like pictured right. For this scene I'm also using some animation via camera to path. This is not necessary. Choose File>Export>RIB to export the RIB file out of our mesh and save it to the SMP/Previews folder.

Now Duplicate the Mesh and Move it higher on the Y axis like so. This will be our water line. You may apply your water shader or the one bundled to this Mesh.

ShaderMakerPro

Save our scene above and open SMP for ease of shader creation. Click on the preview and select the RIB file from the popup menu. Locate our saved out RIB in the SMP/Previews folder - this will help us better visualize the shader on our flat surface.

Since this is an animation I'm using the FrameNumber node to animate our height growing, obviously if you don't want to animate the mesh leave it out. Create an Image Map node, load our grayscale map, and plug the node into the Main Shader's Displacement input. You may follow the animation using the values and nodes pictured right.

Controlling the Height Colouring

As with Bryce, the shader colours in heights of each cv or point. Were' only going for a simple height on the Y ( snow to rock to plains ). First, create a Math Function node, change it to Clamp, then link a Y Current Point into the first input. This will control how much of the value of each cv's Y pos will be effected. Next, create another Math Function node and link an fBm node in its first input to "soften" the edge of our height colouring changes.

Create another Math Function node and change it to Subtract, then link the inputs out to both already made Math Functions. This will control the mixing of both the height values and the softening.

*Follow the picture on the right for the values and linking.

More Control

Ok, now that we have the mix factored in lets boost the contrast to show more of a change in the height colouring. Create another Math Function and change it to Multiply. Follow the values pictured right.

The Snowcaps

With our long line of Math Functions lets now add the effect to a new Blender node. Create the Blender node, link in the "contrast" node into its 3rd input. For the colours use a brown and white or use any colour node to get your texture. Follow the inputs and values as pictured.

Refurbishing the Controls

Now that we have created the Snowcap, lets create the plains, by following the steps mentioned in Controlling the Height Colouring section. This time, switch the values and linking of the "mixing" node.

*Follow the two pictues, Math_Function_62 is the name of the "mixing" node.

Blending the Two

Finally, lets create another Blender node and link the Snowcap Blender in the 1st input, then a grassy colour for the 2nd, then the 2nd "contrast" node ( Math_Function_52 )into the 3rd.

Preview the shader until you get the results your looking for, then save it. Rememeber, if your using the Frame Number node, understand that the number is at zero so no displacement will show, you must work with out it at first.

Back to Pixels

Back in Pixels3D, select the lower mesh and open ShaderMaker ( cmd-w ) and load in the shader. Let's render it out, if you are animating using the Frame Number, set the frame number in the Timeline to about 00:00:03:00 to get the full displacement.

Render out and have fun, you can also replace the Y Current Point with a Surface angle for showing off colouring between plateau's and such like the Bryce Canyons.

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