Hi guys,
i have wm 2.2, i have finished creating my terrain etc. but want to create a splatmap from the results of the basic coverage macro.
how do i go about this? using color selector? unity accepts splat maps in ARGB32bit format.
Hi, theAfrican,
I’m not exactly an expert of splatmaps in WM2 yet myself, but I’ll just point you to two references that have helped me in using splatmaps in WM2. But first of all, I’d personally recommend that you upgrade to WM2.3 (current version is 2.3.4.1), because there’s a new Splatmap Converter device in WM2.3 that makes it easy to create a splatmap. Both of these references refer to using this Splatmap Converter device.
The first is this run-through of using splatmaps with Unity, found here: http://www.world-machine.com/learn.php?page=workflow&workflow=wfunity
The second is actually an new example file included with WM2.3, which you can open from within World Machine 2.3 with File > Open Example World > New Examples for WM2.3 > Techniques > Splatmap Converter. There you’ll find a documented example file of a terrain built with a splatmap output.
From what I understand, the Splatmap Converter is just a macro built from a custom solution that was a method commonly used by WM2, so there are custom ways of doing this, but the Splatmap Converter in WM2.3 makes shorter work of it. With that said, there are a couple other references I know of showing you how to create a splatmap from scratch, from the days before WM2.3.
Here’s the best one: http://fragileearthstudios.com/2012/09/15/generating-complex-terrains/
Here’s another one, that speaks briefly of the same technique used, but with Tom’s Terrain Tools in the workflow: http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/114732-Splatmap-generation-in-World-Machine-2-for-use-with-Tom-s-Terrain-Tools
Sorry, this isn’t much, but I hope these give you some of what answer you’re looking for here. I think I might create an example file that shows two ways of creating a splatmap–one using the Splatmap Converter device and one using a custom setup–just for future reference, if I find a little time.
In any case, my best suggestion would be to consider installing WM2.3 to access its handy Splatmap Converter device. Good luck! 
Good post Brian and yes the converter with the example tmd makes life a whole lot easier.
monks
thanks, this made it easier to understand the splat texture concept.
Throwing some more info in here. I had to create two splat maps, which I thought would add to the complexity but it really didn’t thankfully after Stephen explained here: http://forum.world-machine.com/index.php?topic=2298.0
Also I found that there is a problem with opening splats in Photoshop- it made the whole learning process more difficult. Photoshop doesn’t handle png alphas really very well- the way it displays them. There is a plugin you can get here - IF it works in your version (it didn’t in mine). http://www.fnordware.com/superpng/
And splats and normal image alphas are not necessarily the same thing…image alphas are opacity. whereas splat alphas refers to transparency- the opposite. This is a useful link from another terrain software website. This fills in some more details: http://www.bundysoft.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1919
If you’re creating splat maps from a coverage macro, remember that you can go inside the macro itself and grab the individual components such as height/slope/lightmap, etc. Wenda shows how to do that in his great vids here. It’s either in the 1st or 2nd part. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0o3bqoM0Qg
I thought though that creating the coverage myself was easier.
Hope this will help anyone searching this subject on the forums.
monks