How to: Make your own terrain mod

[Heblem 600]

Making a terrain mod is simple, just follow these steeps how i do a terrain mod in my way...

Step A: Analyze your terrain...

First you need to know what kind of terrain you'll do, if a desert, template, tropical, etc, you should have some knowledge in terrain geography, depending of what kind of terrain youre trying to "recreate", for example terrains closer to the equator are usually tropical, with a min height of snow at 5,000 meters over sea level, you should know where exactly to put the snow on, and how the terrain changes over elevation, also in earth lattitude.

Here's a descriptive example:

I have decided to try to recreate a californian mediterranean terrain mod, which first i need to make my own textures...

Step B: Analize maxis terrain propierties...

All propiertes are sorted by the instance number which we going to use these as reference to create our terrain mod.

Download :::here::: a example colorful terrain mod that we going to use as example and reference...

with reader you can open the "Reference_TerrainMod" and look for instance propierties

The instances has been colored as how the terrain is...

Remember that the smaller picture is 06# to the bigger (detailed) 46# (all textures 256x256)

This table may help you to localize which instanse is located at...

The numbers 64, 63, 67, 61 and 60, the textures should be less detailed (for flat repetitive areas)

The numbers 63, 62, 66, 60, 61 and 65, should be used for details at the terrain

each pair numbers for example 60-61, both should use similar textures

Numbers 64, 63 and 65 can be used for snow.

Step C: Make your own textures...

At this step you should have some knowledge in photoshop or any other image conversor program...

As I said i was going to make a Claifornian terrain mod, so first i need to figure out hows the terrain by looking at this google earth/street view image...

Here how the RL terrain looks at lower attitudes (near San José, CA)

Here how the RL terrain looks at higher attitudes (near San José, CA)

Here how at top attitudes (near Yosemite)

So i have to do 8 different texture variations, also 5 different zooms for each variations...

At lower elevation the texture will be lighty greener, at higher, drier, but at top higher kind of green (for dense forest, like Yosemite)

First make the closer textures (biggers one, 46#), each one should be of 256x256 pixels... i'll do the 460 texture (which is the lower terrain one and closer)

note: For getting textures i recommend using www.cgtextures.com, at nature or either ground textures...

i'll be using something near to the street view terrain...

Here what I get... with the different zooms alterations (photoshop skills required here)

Try the same with the other 8 series...

Download ::here:: my textures series if youre interested...

tip: when doing your textures make sure to name those as the instance reference.

Step D: Make the textures as FSH files and import them...

Using Wouanagaine's FSH converter, just scroll all images into the program, and the program will convert automaticaly all images into FSH files...

1-Open reader and open the Reference_TerrainMod.DAT file and remove all FSH and DIR files.

2-Import the new FSH file (by left mouse click, insert & compress file)

3-Import first the 460 FSH file

-Go at tools / TGI Editor

the type should be 7ab50e44

the group should be 891b0e1a

and the instance number 00000460

select in the FSH you imported...

Then repeat same process with the another file from step 2 to 3, as for the instance change it depeding of the instance number that the texture has...

Note: to type at TGI editor, use a note pad then copy paste it...

4-Once you done, save it and go test at game...

If is theres a crash to desktop, there may be some missing instances, or either mistakes you did, make sure to do all correctly and patiently...

Let's see what I got with my Californian terrain mod: 

....

Step E: Configure the controller

These are the most common propierties to configure, the beach, cliff width and terrain height

Change these values as best fits to your terrain mod... i'll change the max height to 12,000 meters... and see the difference...

... well looks kinda desert... but I like

When doing your terrain mod dont forget to do your own water, rock and beach mod, later i'll explain how to do these, but by now just dl some off the stex...

Hope this was useful, take care...

BTW, download the terrain mod here!

enjoy!

[Heblem 600]

More pictures of this new terrain mod:

[Muck308 55]

That looks great. Thanks for posting!

[sumwonyuno 42]

Great job on the tuturial and the result is amazing. It's giving me an urge to think about my region, though I'm not sure how I'll figure out how to do all the varying geography (rocks and dirt) that is needed to do my goals.

[Don Giordano 0]

Absolutely amazing. I always wanted a terrain close like home. =D

[kellydale2003 2,276]

OMG!! Superb Job!!!

[Heblem 600]

thanks all! hope this thread gets sticked, because its a tutorial!,

[Deathcat001 8]

You should put this into the Omnibus  

[tungston 19]

Originally posted by: Heblem

thanks all! hope this thread gets sticked, because its a tutorial!, quote>

The Omnibus would be the place for the tutorial.   It's just that every good topic can't be pinned.

[Jeffmaster223 24]

you should add snow to very tall mountains in that mod cause californian mountains get snow too, such as Mt. whitney, mt shasta, lassen peak, job's sister, job peak, and all those othersnow-capped californian mountains.

[gyrms7403 1]

Well ... Writing a good material to win eoganhi's hard...

[Struckar 5]

Wow nice tutorial.

Would you even be so kind to make a special terrain mod for someone like me, that is a bit computer illiterate in these things? I would be eternally grateful and would name the most precious and beautiful boulevard of my capital city after you. =)

Thank you in advance for the answer.

[Eva2010 0]

good article..thanks for sharing

[Mr Montmorency 1]

Minor question. When you import the FSH files, should you be immediately seeing a preview of the image, or is it normal for there to be no preview? I've tried converting my images using Irfanview and wanted to know if it's normal for this to happen or not.