So not sure if I am trying to do something that isnt possible but I think it is and I just don’t know how to do it.
So I created an area thats 128km by 128km for the main extent, then I created 4 extents to break up the main one and then 4 more in each of those 4 making 16 extents that are 8km by 8km which I plan to then export as tiles allowing for easy import when done.
What I thought I would then be able to do is manage each of those smaller extents and mold those smaller terrains as I wanted to, and in the end the main overall extent would be the continent that I am looking to create.
But for whatever reason when I select the smaller extent and change the device information it affects the overall extent not just the small one. Is what I am trying to do possible and if so what am I missing? I ask because I cannot seem to find any details on this other than the setting them up to get different views.
A World Machine world is a single object defined by the sequence of devices you connect together. A render extent is a rectangular view upon that terrain that will be exported.
So when you are working on an extent, you’re not just modifying the small region, but the entire world defined by the devices, because the entire world is defined solely through those devices.
Now, if what you want is localized changes, WM has an easy way of achieving that: the Layout Generator. You can simply create a box aligned to the local area you want to change from the global, and use that as a mask for any effects being applied there. This would probably be a chore for 16 tiles, however…
Let me know if I’m not understanding what you’re trying to achieve here.
Thanks Remnant that helped me understand extents as well as masking better. So I played around and have been successful in creating a better generation of a continent I am trying to create. Its still not clear on some of the other devices or how I would use them in order to create a large landmass with mountains, valleys, cliffs etc but is also surrounded by water such as a normal continent or even a large island which is what I am starting with. Not much help in the available documentation or tutorials on how to go about creating such an area.
So, you want to have a large landmass in an ocean, that has different land types in different parts, is that correct?
The first part is the simplest. I recommend taking a look at the example file “(RGB) Tropical Islands.tmd” under the Examples\RGB Examples folder of your World Machine Documents folder.
It shows the creation of a number of islands scattered in the ocean. The first Perlin Noise device in the bottom-left creates the basic island shapes, which then is used to mask another perlin noise that creates some variety on the islands (lowland areas / mountain areas), and erodes it. the rest of the network creates the texture.
Take a look at that example (and the others too!) to see what kinds of different terrain shapes you can make. Creating specific terrain types is part of the fun and challenge of terrain creation.
Hi Houndie, I’ve been working on and off on a world building project fro the last 6 years. I’m trying to get correct rivers- those that flow downhill and form a consistent network. You probably don’t need to do that, but I’d still recommend giving your valleys (whether glacial in origin or rivers) some consideration. You will definitely get a more realistic looking continent.