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  • Gem RTS v1 Documentation
  • Foundational Knowledge
    • Game local files and Player Profile locations
    • Game resource architecture
      • Packages
      • Package file structure
    • Basic knowledge about configuration files
      • Include instruction
      • Define instruction
      • Mod instruction
  • Mod Development
    • Creating mod
    • Advanced package configuration
    • Creating Settings templates
  • Editor
    • Camera control in the Editor
    • Useful Editor shortcuts and Console commands
    • Map Editor
      • Creating a new map
      • Scene Editor
      • Entity Editor
      • Landscape Editor
        • Heights Editor
        • Polygons Editor
        • Terrains Editor
        • Color Editor
        • Flags Editor
        • Material Editor
        • Grass Editor
        • Foliage Editor
      • Water Editor
      • Specifics of Map Editing
        • Creating destroyed vehicle entities for map entourage
        • Creating terrain folds
          • Creating Ground Surface relief
          • Rock and cliff entities
        • Stone entities
        • Entity for water sound effects
        • Building entities
      • Creating a minimap
    • Mission Editor
      • Mission Properties Editor
    • FX Editor
    • Environment Editor
      • Basic knowledge about HDR
      • Creating environment preset
      • Setting Environment preset parameters
    • Debug Tools
      • Console
      • Debug Processes Window
      • Render Layer List Window
    • Simulation Mode
  • Textures and Materials
    • Physically Based Rendering
      • Texture compression formats in GEM RTS
      • PBR parameters
      • Texture Conversion in Gem RTS
      • Texture conversion to PBR materials using Nvidia Texture Exporter
  • Modeling
    • 3ds Max Plugin
    • Vehicle Model Setup Pipeline
      • Bone hierarchy in vehicle models
        • Body
        • Turret
        • Engine
        • Gun
        • Secondary bones
        • Transmission
          • Сhassis mechanisms
  • Localization
    • Variable strings in localization
    • Adding a new localization language
  • Game settings
    • Movement on slopes
    • Configuration of movement types for human units
    • Configuring entity interaction with wind
    • Sensor
    • User control sound
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On this page
  • Key elements of the Material Editor
  • Quick guide to using the Material Editor
  • Detailed information for each Quick guide point
  • Material List
  • Base Material
  • Material Selection
  • Material configuration
  • Managing textures in a material
  • Main material parameters
  • Brush
  • Brush settings management
  • Ways to apply material textures
  • Pure Application
  • Blending
  • Transitions between materials
  1. Editor
  2. Map Editor
  3. Landscape Editor

Material Editor

Last updated 10 months ago

Material Editor [Textures] is part of the Land Editor (Land). This tool is designed for editing and configuring materials applied to the ground surface in the game world.

Key elements of the Material Editor

  1. Textures brush

  2. Sliders for brush parameter adjustment

  3. List of all ground materials on the map

  4. Texture preview window for selected material

  5. Properties window of the selected material

Quick guide to using the Material Editor

  1. Selecting a material

    1. Select the desired material from the material list [3] or use the eyedropper to select a material from the map.

    2. If the desired material is not on the map, add it using the Add button [3.1] or import materials from another map using the Import button [3.2].

  1. Configuring texture parameters in a material

    1. In the properties window of the selected material [5], choose the material scheme for each layer:

      • [5.3] - layer1;

      • [5.4] - layer2.

    2. Configure the material parameters for each layer:

    • select the diffuse texture [4];

    • adjust the density and tile size [5.1];

    • set the parameter values for each layer of the material [5].

  1. Brush Settings

    1. Adjust the brush size using the + and - keys on the Numpad.

    2. Use the Soft-Sharp and Slow-Fast sliders to adjust the brush edge softness and texture application speed.

    3. Adjust the texture blending in the material if necessary.

  1. Applying Material Textures

    1. Use the brush to apply the selected material to the desired areas of the map.

    2. Create smooth transitions between materials by using the same texture in both materials..

Detailed information for each Quick guide point

Material List

Material List displays available materials for painting. All available materials on the map are displayed in a separate window as a list, with each entry showing the names of two textures.

Element
Description
Note

[Name1]...[Name2]

A ground material consists of a pair of textures:

  • primary texture - left;

  • secondary texture - right.

Add

Button to add material to the list.

When you click the Add button, the editor adds a copy of the currently selected material from the list. Then, in the newly added material row, you need to change one of the textures: left or right, to save the added material in the list.

Import...

Button to import a material list from another map.

The editor allows you to choose a map from the list available for loading in the editor.

Base Material

When creating a new map, the entire surface is filled with the default material, where the left and right textures are the same.

It is recommended to immediately replace the right texture in the default material, creating a base material for the ground surface so that it is convenient to make transitions with other materials.

Material Selection

There are two ways to select a material from those available on the map:

  1. Left-click (LMB) on the material row in the material list [3].

  1. Use the eyedropper to select a material. To activate the eyedropper, hold down the Ctrl key and click LMB on the visually suitable point on the map surface.

Material configuration

Selecting a material will highlight the corresponding row in the material list [3]. The preview [4] and settings [5] windows will display information about the textures in the selected material.

Managing textures in a material

Action
Description
Note

Replace texture in material

LMB on the texture visualization tile [4] opens the texture selection window.

When replacing a texture in a material, it will be replaced not only in the material but also in all places on the map where the selected material is applied.

This can spoil the visualization of transitions between materials. It is recommended to replace textures in a material only when absolutely necessary

Swap

Swap textures in a material.

This action will change textures not only in the material but also in all areas where the material is applied on the map, which can spoil the transitions between materials. It is recommended to do this only when absolutely necessary

Fill

Paint the entire map with the primary texture of the selected material.

Useful if you need to completely change the map's texture painting (e.g., change the season on the map)

Main material parameters

№
Parameter
Description
Recommended Value

4.1

Texture size

Side length of the texture square in pixels

1024

4.2

Texture density

Number of texture pixels per 1 meter of terrain surface in the game space

128 pix/m

4.3

Tile size

Step with which the texture will repeat when evenly covering the terrain surface

Should be chosen so that the texture density on the terrain surface varies within 120-130 pix/m

5.1

Lend texture basis

Base value of the material tile

15

5.2

MTL№

Field for setting the material type (one-layer or two-layer)

Only two-layer materials are used for applying to the terrain surface. Single-layer materials are used in the Water Editor

5.3

Layer 1

Field for choosing the scheme type for the first layer texture

The scheme type affects the composition of texture maps in the layer and the set of parameters in the texture settings

5.4

Layer 2

Field for choosing the scheme type for the second layer texture

-

Brush

The textures brush allows you to apply materials to the ground surface in the game world. Texture application occurs on the vertices of the terrain mesh that fall within the brush circle.

Brush settings management

Action
Tool
Note

Changing sizes of a brush

+ and - keys on the Numpad

Adjusting brush edge softness

Soft-Sharp slider

Soft - soft edges; Sharp - sharp edges

Adjusting texture application speed

Slow-Fast slider

Selecting material from the list

LMB on the desired row in the material list window [3]

-

Pick a material from the map

The eyedropper tool

Hold down the Ctrl key and click LMB on the desired point on the map

Ways to apply material textures

Pure Application

  • To apply a texture to the surface, move the mouse while holding down the LMB or RMB (for applying primary or secondary textures respectively).

Blending

  • Apply one texture over another by clicking LMB or RMB.

  • Fix the degree of texture blending using the slider position in the texture visualization window.

Transitions between materials

To create smooth transitions between materials, use the same texture in both materials at their borders. This ensures a seamless gradient from one material to another.

Illustration Description

In the example shown, materials 1 and 2 share the same secondary texture – forest_ground01_pbr.

Smooth and visually seamless transitions between materials are achieved by applying their common texture, forest_ground01_pbr, along the entire perimeter of the transition.

In the illustration, the transition contour between materials 1 and 2 is shown with an orange arc, where the secondary texture of both materials is used to create a smooth transition.

Attempts to join materials using different textures result in sharp seams, as shown in the area marked by the red square.

It doesn't matter which texture (primary or secondary) is shared. The key is that the transition between materials is made through a common texture.

By default, when creating a new map, the entire surface is filled with the primary texture of

the base material
Interface elements of the Material Editor
The Preview textures window
Texture blending slider
Illustration of transitions between materials 1 and 2