Using Reflections in Terraining!

[fladdermasken]

On an opening note, if you don't know what the hell an alpha tile is, the alpha tile is a tile using alpha compositing to allow transparency. This enables us to "poke holes" in the ground texture. Or, more accurately, make it transparent. With this we can experiment with things like reflections without sleeping around with 3rd party image manipulation tools.

Example from my personal gallery:



The river boat reflects on the still surface.

What you actually see is the unseen (bottom) sides of the skybox and another river boat turned upside down.

Shouldn't be so hard to walk you, a fairly average terrainer, through this. I will step-by-step cover importing the alpha tile in the import manager, show you basic tile overgoes, teach you some basic principles of pitch and roll with negative values and finish with an overlook on reflected bodies and some properties they inherit.


NOTE: READ THIS IS YOU WANT TO USE IT FOR PLAYABLE MAPS

There is a question I have been getting about this since July 2010 when I first posted it. Does this work for playable maps i.e. with the standard isometric game camera? The answer is, yes. But you need one more thing for it. The standard WE skybox isn't a full box; it has two sides missing. The upper side and the lower side. This is because in game you only really see it from conventional angles in cinematics. So if you apply the alpha tile with the standard game camera on, you will see a tiny bit of sky texture and then pitch black. You are getting the lower side of the skybox. To fix this you need a skybox with no missing sides, alternatively a skysphere. I don't have one so I can't attach one here, but feel free to go to the Request forum and try your luck.

Now get on with the tutorial.


Tools & Requirements


Alpha Tile - View attachment Alpha Tile.rar

Background knowledge - At least average terraining experience and knowledge of the interchangeable concept of radians and degrees.

DungeonM's UTM - The Ultimate Terraining Map 3.0 - Wc3C.net

Amendment:
Actually you can use whichever template map you want to, just make sure you can reach the water level with the lower height brush alone.


Import the Alpha Tile

Open up your map. Open IM and import the Alpha Tile. Now we need to set the file path. Since I conveniently named my tile Outland_Abyss.blp we can replace the Outland Abyss tile with our alpha tile. So find Outland_Abyss.blp in IM and open up Imported File Properties (on right-click or double-click). Tick the box that says Use custom path. Notice that the text-field Full Path: becomes editable. Change this field to TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_Abyss.blp and hit OK.

Now you're done. Save your map, exit world editor and start your map up again. The texture has now loaded.[/stable]

Amendment:
If you want to use a different path, be my guest.

Paths

- Ashenvale --
TerrainArt\Ashenvale\Ashen_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Ashenvale\Ashen_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\Ashenvale\Ashen_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\Ashenvale\Ashen_Rcok.blp
TerrainArt\Ashenvale\Ashen_GrassLumpy.blp
TerrainArt\Ashenvale\Ashen_Vines.blp
TerrainArt\Ashenvale\Ashen_DirtGrass.blp
TerrainArt\Ashenvale\Ashen_Leaves.blp
- Barrens --
TerrainArt\Barrens\Barrens_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Barrens\Barrens_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\Barrens\Barrens_Pebbles.blp
TerrainArt\Barrens\Barrens_DirtGrass.blp
TerrainArt\Barrens\Barrens_Desert.blp
TerrainArt\Barrens\Barrens_DesertDark.blp
TerrainArt\Barrens\Barrens_Rock.blp
TerrainArt\Barrens\Barrens_Grass.blp
- Cityscape --
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_BlackMarble.blp
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_BrickTiles.blp
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_SquareTiles.blp
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_RoundTiles.blp
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_GrassTrim.blp
TerrainArt\Cityscape\City_WhiteMarble.blp
- Dalaran --
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_BlackMarble.blp
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_BrickTiles.blp
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_SquareTiles.blp
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_RoundTiles.blp
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_GrassTrim.blp
TerrainArt\Dalaran\Dalaran_WhiteMarble.blp
- Dungeon --
TerrainArt\Dungeon\Cave_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon\Cave_Brick.blp Brick:
TerrainArt\Dungeon\Cave_RedStones.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon\Cave_LavaCracks.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon\Cave_Lava.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon\Cave_DarkRocks.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon\Cave_GreyStones.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon\Cave_SquareTiles.blp
- Lordaeron Fall --
TerrainArt\LordaeronFall\Lordf_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronFall\Lordf_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronFall\Lordf_DirtGrass.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronFall\Lordf_Rock.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronFall\Lordf_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronFall\Lordf_GrassDark.blp
- Lordaeron Summer --
TerrainArt\LordaeronSummer\Lords_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronSummer\Lords_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronSummer\Lords_DirtGrass.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronSummer\Lords_Rock.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronSummer\Lords_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronSummer\Lords_GrassDark.blp
- Lordaeron Winter --
TerrainArt\LordaeronWinter\Lordw_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronWinter\Lordw_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronWinter\Lordw_SnowGrass.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronWinter\Lordw_Rock.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronWinter\Lordw_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\LordaeronWinter\Lordw_Snow.blp
Northrend
TerrainArt\Northrend\North_dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Northrend\North_dirtdark.blp
TerrainArt\Northrend\North_rock.blp
TerrainArt\Northrend\North_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\Northrend\North_ice.blp
TerrainArt\Northrend\North_Snow.blp
TerrainArt\Northrend\North_SnowRock.blp
- Village --
TerrainArt\Village\Village_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Village\Village_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\Village\Village_Crops.blp
TerrainArt\Village\Village_CobblePath.blp
TerrainArt\Village\Village_StonePath.blp
TerrainArt\Village\Village_GrassShort.blp
TerrainArt\Village\Village_Rocks.blp
TerrainArt\Village\Village_GrassThick.blp
- Village Fall --
TerrainArt\VillageFall\VillageFall_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\VillageFall\VillageFall_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\VillageFall\VillageFall_Crops.blp
TerrainArt\VillageFall\VillageFall_CobblePath.blp
TerrainArt\VillageFall\VillageFall_StonePath.blp
TerrainArt\VillageFall\VillageFall_GrassShort.blp
TerrainArt\VillageFall\VillageFall_Rocks.blp
TerrainArt\VillageFall\VillageFall_GrassThick.blp
- Underground --
TerrainArt\Dungeon2\GDirt.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon2\GBrick.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon2\GRedStones.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon2\GLavaCracks.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon2\GLava.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon2\GDrakRocks.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon2\GGreyStones.blp
TerrainArt\Dungeon2\GSquareTiles.blp
-Felwood--
TerrainArt\Felwood\Felwood_Dirt.blp Soil:
TerrainArt\Felwood\Felwood_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\Felwood\Felwood_Poison.blp
TerrainArt\Felwood\Felwood_Rock.blp
TerrainArt\Felwood\Felwood_Vines.blp
TerrainArt\Felwood\Felwood_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\Felwood\Felwood_Leaves.blp
- Dalaran Ruins --
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_BlackMarble.blp
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_BrickTiles.blp Brick:
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_SquareTiles.blp
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_RoundTiles.blp
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_GrassTrim.blp
TerrainArt\DalaranRuins\DRuins_WhiteMarble.blp
- Black Citadel --
TerrainArt\BlackCitadel\Citadel_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\BlackCitadel\Citadel_DirtLight.blp
TerrainArt\BlackCitadel\Citadel_RoughDirt.blp
TerrainArt\BlackCitadel\Citadel_FlatStones.blp
TerrainArt\BlackCitadel\Citadel_SmallBricks.blp
TerrainArt\BlackCitadel\Citadel_LargeBricks.blp
TerrainArt\BlackCitadel\Citadel_SquareTiles.blp
TerrainArt\BlackCitadel\Citadel_DarkTiles.blp
- Icecrown --
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_DarkIce.blp
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_BlackBricks.blp
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_RuneBricks.blp
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_TiledBricks.blp
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_Ice.blp
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_BlackSquares.blp
TerrainArt\Icecrown\Ice_Snow.blp
- Outland --
TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_DirtLight.blp
TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_RoughDirt.blp
TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_DirtCracks.blp
TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_FlatStones.blp
TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_Rock.blp
TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_FlatStonesLight.blp
TerrainArt\Outland\Outland_Abyss.blp
- Shunken Ruins --
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_Dirt.blp
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_DirtRough.blp
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_DirtGrass.blp
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_SmallBricks.blp
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_Sand.blp
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_LargeBricks.blp
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_RoundTiles.blp
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_Grass.blp
TerrainArt\Ruins\Ruins_GrassDark.blp

Select Advanced from the menu bar and go to Modify Tileset. Tick the box that says Use custom tileset and you can select Additional Textures. Under Cliff Base Tiles - Group 3, locate the Abyss tile and add it to your current tileset. Keep the window open for the next step.


Basic Tile Overgoes

Consider the Modify Tileset window.

The Shift Right/Left option is key here. As displayed, tiles shifted to the right side of the set are on top, and conversely, tiles shifted to the left are underlying (on the bottom). More concretely, how two tiles interact (read: overgo) when placed next to each other is determined by their precedence. Demonstrated below.

This is helpful to create a natural interaction between land and water, e.g. for shorelines.

If you want to read more on the subject, read Terrain Overgoes - a small guide by Belgarath.

Pitch and Roll

The difference between pitch and roll is which axis the object rotates around.

Consider this simple system of axes

If the object faces along the X axis, pitch rotates the object along the X axis and Roll rotates it around the Y axis.

Also demonstrated here by Admiral Proudmoore.
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/...872978-terraining-principles-pitch-roll-2.png
(credits to Belgarath)

In this case black is the pitch angle and red is the roll angle.

Pitch and roll values are usually split in two: positive and negative values. Setting max pitch/roll to a positive integer tilts doodads/destructibles to fit the terrain gradient, or if the slope is too steep, the max value set by you in the object editor. Negative values on the other hand forces the object to rotate regardless of the terrain gradient.

We want the negative values.

To set a negative value, hold down SHIFT before you open Maximum Pitch Angle/Max Roll Angle.

The editor claims to want the value in degrees, but what it actually wants is radians (or rather the decimal form of it). Here is a simple conversion table for some important values. The Decimal column is the value you input in the editor.

Degrees	Radians	Decimal
360	2 π	6.28
270	1.5 π	4.71
180	π	3.14
90	0.5 π	1.57

Reflected Bodies

A reflection is an optical illusion; a duplication of an object that appears identical but reversed. Formally, if a point of an object has coordinates (x, y, z) then the image of this point (as reflected by a mirror in the y, z plane) has coordinates (-x, y, z).

Start by doing a simple scene like the one below. Lower the ground so you reach water level where you placed your alpha tiles, then place a tree of your choice. Now create a duplica of the tree your picked, i.e. copy your tree model in the object editor and name the new object something along the lines of "Tree (Reflected)". Place the duplica in the exact same spot as the first tree you placed, with the same rotation and scaling.



Now the magic. We want to flip the other doodad upside down. From what we know already, all we need to do is set a negative pitch or roll value, i.e. set the value to -3.14. As you see below, the tree looks like it's reflected on the water surface. This is essentially all there is to it.



Closing

The rest is up to you. Think about how the light hits the object and how it is likely to reflect. Also, on a more recent note: I have noticed a trend in new terrainers. They ignore all the fundamentals of terraining and just add reflections. I know reflections are awesome and all, but don't overdo it, and don't skip the basics before you do this.

A shitty terrain with awesome reflections is still a shitty terrain.

I cannot stress this enough.

Have fun,

fladdermasken

 

[PurgeandFire]

Awesome tutorial.

However, attach the images to the hive instead of uploading them to an image site.

 

[Solaris]

Nicely done, simple and explaining, easy to follow. Till today I havent figured out how that reflection thing is going to work, but now after I´ve read your tutorial it´ll be peanuts to make it work.

 

[fladdermasken]

Glad to hear you liked it.
About attaching images, I did that at first however they came out really small when attached and you couldn't enlarge them somehow. If someone could get back to me on how to do that right I'll fix it right away.

 

[Bernkastel]

It's a good tutorial But after all, the reflections arent so hard to make after all if you know how to put angle for an doodad ^^

 

[fladdermasken]

Suppose you're right, still I think it might come in handy for anyone who wants to try it out but don't know how to do so
EDIT: Updated the tutorial with images uploaded and attached to the hive

 

[Bernkastel]

Exactly, it's very useful tutorial to many members of the hive

 

[PurgeandFire]

Very nice. ~Approved.

 

[fladdermasken]

Thanks, hope it'll come in handy for users

 

[Dromlexer]

Seems easy but difficult with replace that thing

 

[ashbringer753]

does it work ingame?

 

[fladdermasken]

I haven't tried, but I doubt it would work as the angle is vital for this technique.
Should you view it from another perspective, the alpha tiles would show off the bottom of the warcraft skybox.

So sadly, no it doesn't really work that well in game.

 

[ashbringer753]

if the we put a skysphere instead of a skybox do you think it will work?

 

[fladdermasken]

It might work, not sure though

 

[Oziris]

Good work indeed! I was looking for something like this, very helpful, a cookie for you!

 

[fladdermasken]

I'll eat it with pleasure!

 

[Narrat0r]

Thanks for this tutorial, just made my first "halfway-decent" terrain ;-)

 

[fladdermasken]

Thanks for this tutorial, just made my first "halfway-decent" terrain ;-)

Glad it helped, and for a first attempt that terrain of yours was pretty darn nice.

 

[light bolt30]

This is so awesome, never thought about reflections in wc3 terrains until I saw this tutorial. Good work, this will be awesome for many cinematics and many wc3 maps.

 

[fladdermasken]

This is so awesome, never thought about reflections in wc3 terrains until I saw this tutorial. Good work, this will be awesome for many cinematics and many wc3 maps.

Thanks for the kind words. Make sure you give me a profile message whenever you upload a cinematic, because I'd die to see this used in a cinematic. I can only imagine how cool it would look.

 

[darkzxx]

this doesn't work for me :C,i copied the path into the path of the Outland_Abyss
but when i open/close/open map and i went to the change tileset,went to ashenvale and tried to find a white thing but all i got was the rough dirt,no white pics

 

[fladdermasken]

this doesn't work for me :C,i copied the path into the path of the Outland_Abyss
but when i open/close/open map and i went to the change tileset,went to ashenvale and tried to find a white thing but all i got was the rough dirt,no white pics

That's odd. Could you post a screen of your import manager for a better frame of reference? That would really make things easier for me, so I can spot your error.
Also, make sure there aren't any spaces or anything in the path.

 

[Oziris]

I suggest you post an example map of your tutorial, that way people can start off with that map without getting confused.

 

[fladdermasken]

I suggest you post an example map of your tutorial, that way people can start off with that map without getting confused.

A very fine idea. I'll get started right now.

 

[darkzxx]

hmm,i will tomorrow it's totally late now
EDIT: here,i can't find anything wrong

 

[fladdermasken]

Should be working properly. Make sure there are no accidental spaces in the path, that is a common issue in these cases. Should the texture still refuse to load, use my uploaded example as a reference. It can be located in the Conclusion.

 

[darkzxx]

oh thanks,i got what was wrong,when i CnP i accidently added a blank space which you couldn't see,i rewrited the path by hand and it works

 

[AlterEgo]

I'd like to add:
The best standart water to do the reflection with is Ice Crown. Check that^^)

 

[darkzxx]

you can always tint the color of water ? or it doesn't change ?

 

[Orcnet]

Thats is soooo Awesome!!!

Your a GOD! what a good tutorial

 

[Darkwing]

HELL YEAH, this TUT OWNZZZ

if the we put a skysphere instead of a skybox do you think it will work?

OK I'm warmed up, I have an awesome map, but the terrain isn't much, since I'm not much of a terrainer but seeing this made me think of how would I like to create a new jawdrop terrain that makes players shiver in awe!!!

So how do we set up this "skysphere" cuz the stupid skybox is really lame and iritating??

ALSO, I've noticed that your grass has overlaps with alpha tile, while mine has not, it has sharp eges making it look like a chess field, it's really ugly, can we do something about that?

Here is the picture for you to see what I meant under the overlap:

 

[aider]

Great technique!
I want a jawdropping terrain for my next map. But the map is 125x155 with a lot of water, is this too big? Will it take insane amounts of time to complete?

 

[fladdermasken]

Let me first apologize for being slow with solving your issues - I actually failed to notice these replies.

Great technique!
I want a jawdropping terrain for my next map. But the map is 125x155 with a lot of water, is this too big? Will it take insane amounts of time to complete?

This technique is mainly for terrain art, since it heavily relies on a set angle.
If you use a skysphere, rather than a skybox, it could possibly be utilized for a playable map.

However, I have never personally put it to such practice, nor have I ever seen anyone else attempt it on a larger scale -
so as far as the functionality of the technique for playable maps goes, I have little to no information to offer you.

So how do we set up this "skysphere" cuz the stupid skybox is really lame and iritating??

Firstly you would need a skysphere model, which may or may not exist on this forum already.
If not, I bet it wouldn't be much of a strive for any modeler if you'd simply request it.

Subsequently, import your skysphere and apply it with a simple script.
For instance, something like this:

• Sky
  • Events
    • Map initialization
  • Conditions
  • Actions
    • Environment - Set sky to war3mapImported\skysphere.MDX

ALSO, I've noticed that your grass has overlaps with alpha tile, while mine has not, it has sharp eges making it look like a chess field, it's really ugly, can we do something about that?

Here is the picture for you to see what I meant under the overlap

Which tiles that overlaps is easily modified by hitting Advanced>Modify Tileset
Rightbound tiles will be overlapped by leftbound tiles. Use this picture for reference.

I'd say this should fix both your issues.
Contact me either by P.M, V.M or simply posting in this topic if your issues remain unsolved.

 

[Arisaitou]

aw....esome

 

[Chudy]

I'm making rite now a playable map with reflections, to all those willing to do such a thing on a larger scale, well its pretty much common knowledge but i just wanna point it out I found it much easier to place copied doodads with exactly the same parameters one ontop of another so they look like a single doodad, and then after all doodads are in place set the angle turning em uspide down, saves much trouble with fitting, and much needed time to do so.

 

[xDeathKnightx]

This does work really well, in-game that is, if a skysphere is used, and correct reflections with doodads, it looks immense. I have to say, this, is, awesome.

 

[tobyfat50]

Great technique! Great tutorial!
I've been using this technique before even going the hive so mine is a little different. Didn't actually think there would be someone else that knows this technique.

---you ever considered using a full sky box clouds on the bottom side?
see also: http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/tutorial-submission-283/how-add-extra-light-your-map-toby-light-engine-205683/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WATCH THIS!!!

 

[tobyfat50]

Sorry for excessive posting let's make the reflection threads go viral!
Ups! double post!

 

[Boar]

What skybox / sphere did you use for the blue background?

 

[fladdermasken]

I updated this old rag with some better formatting and layout.

 

[myPhoenixBlade123]

sheeet -______________-