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# 1 25-05-2006 , 01:42 AM

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Join Date: May 2006

Location: Moosomin, Sask, Canada

Posts: 16

Hello all i just started useing maya, i'm not that good yet but just wait.

I was also wondering if there was an easy way to make a landscape, or could i possable get one from someone else?

Thanks

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# 2 25-05-2006 , 01:55 AM

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Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: Fairfield, CT

Posts: 2,436

welcome to simply maya!

Well, you can always use a displacement map, or you can make a Nurbs Plane, right click, select cv's and move them to make like hills and stuff.

That would be the easiest method, but I would do the displacement map (more complicated, and is very memory intensive on the computer, but results are very nice)

Live the life you love, love the life you live

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# 3 25-05-2006 , 02:57 PM

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Location: Moosomin, Sask, Canada

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Wow

thx but how do you make the displacement map?

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# 4 25-05-2006 , 09:23 PM

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ok- go into photoshop, or paint, and paint a black and white terrain map.

Something like- this.

user added image

It's not good, but I just drew it in a minute for the purpose of this short tutorial.

Then- in Maya, create either a Nurbs or Polygon plane. The more faces/patches you have, the more precision you get. You don't want to overload your computer, though. I'll just use 10 patches U and 10 patches V on a Nurbs Plane.

user added image

Now, assign it a new material. Open up the Hypershade, and create a new texture (create->2d texture->file). Open up your displacement map with the file texture node.

user added image

Now, middle-click and drag the material down to the work zone. THen, middle-click the file node and drag it onto the material. Then, when the mini-menu pops up, select Displacement Map.

Finally, grab the plane, assign the material to the plane, and keep it selected. Then go to modify->convert->displacement to polygons.

This should be your result: note the high poly count- more patches U and V would make the map be more precise and take up even more polys (up to millions). scale your plane if necessary.

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# 5 25-05-2006 , 10:01 PM

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Location: Moosomin, Sask, Canada

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wow

thank you alot im gonna go try it now and ill tell you if it works user added image

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# 6 25-05-2006 , 10:46 PM

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Location: Moosomin, Sask, Canada

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hmm i couldent get it to work i did what u said but all i got was another square abover the one with diaganol lines on it, i also only have maya PLE (personal learning edition) so i might no be able to do it. user added image

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# 7 25-05-2006 , 10:58 PM

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Location: Fairfield, CT

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im sure you can do it- what version are you using?

Oh- and in the hypershade- middle-click drag the material itself (little block with sphere) down into the work zone

That might be it

PLE has the full functionality of Maya Complete. Only limitation is watermark.

Live the life you love, love the life you live

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# 8 25-05-2006 , 11:04 PM

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Location: Moosomin, Sask, Canada

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i am using maya 7.0

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# 9 25-05-2006 , 11:08 PM

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Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: Fairfield, CT

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well, read what I said above, and try it. If it still doesn't work, i'll still be glad to help you.

Im using 6.5 so there shouldn't be a big difference

Live the life you love, love the life you live

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# 10 25-05-2006 , 11:15 PM

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Location: Moosomin, Sask, Canada

Posts: 16

yah

ok nvm i got it user added image

this is amazing but it doesent work as a good landscape, i need one with like moutians and stuff,and one that i could like make a car drive on it casue i need it for a project.

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