Log into your account to keep track of your progress. You can work through the lessons without logging in but your progress will be lost when you refresh the page.

TOTAL DURATION: 3h 7m 37s

Learn how to create a procedural landscape color map based on the information generated while building up the terrain. Heightfield masks can be generated based on the features of the terrain then used later to create the color map. Along the way you will build digital asset tools to automate the process. In the end the map will be exported out for use in Unreal.

Download Project Files
Overview [5:36]
A quick overview of each lesson and what you’ll be learning along the way.
1 | Creating HeightField Masks [31:40]
Learn various techniques for creating heightfield masks. Later in the project, these masks will be used to create the color map and as landscape layers in the Unreal material.
2.1 | A Quick Introduction To VEX [7:22]
Those new to VEX should know some basic principles, such as what a variable is and how to structure a “for loop.” This short video will introduce some of those basic VEX principles.
2.2 | Color Layer Setup [10:13]
In this lesson, you’ll begin setting up the nodes for the “Color Layer” digital asset. This digital asset will allow you to use the previously created masks to add color to the heightfield layers. In this first section set up the required nodes and parameters.
2.3 | Color Layer - Writing VEX [12:21]
Begin constructing the logic for the Color Layer Digital Asset using a HeightField Wrangle and VEX.
2.4 | Color Layer - Save As a Digital Asset [4:48]
With the nodes setup, it's time to save them as Digital Assets to create a reusable tool.
2.5 | Color Layer - Color Tips [10:57]
Using the new Color Layer Digital Asset, you can begin building a color map for your landscape. In this lesson learn some tips to help you pick accurate colors in Houdini.
3.1 | Color Adjust - Setup [8:43]
Learn how to use a heightfield wrangle and VEX to adjust the hue, saturation, and brightness of the heightfield’s color. This can be used with a mask to adjust only selected areas of the color map to add additional details.
3.2 | Color Adjust - Save As a Digital Asset [6:20]
Save the nodes as a Digital Asset to create a reusable tool that can be combined with different masks to build up extra layers of details on the heightfield color.
4.1 | Occlusion Mask - Setup [9:11]
Over the next few lessons, you’ll learn how to create interesting masks to be used with the Color Adjust tool. The first is an occlusion mask that layers occlusion for small, medium and large features.
4.2 | Occlusion Mask - Save As a Digital Asset [7:47]
Save the assembled nodes as an Occlusion Mask Digital Asset.
5.1 | Texture Mask - Setup [14:54]
This second mask tool will create an interesting textured mask that combines noise, curvature, and slope masks.
5.2 | Texture Mask - Save As a Digital Asset [15:39]
Save the nodes as a Texture Mask Digital Asset.
6.1 | Unreal - Create The Landscape Material [46:45]
With the color map complete, the heightfield and color map can be exported from Houdini and imported into Unreal. In this video, learn how to set up an Unreal Project, how to use a HDA to import the landscape into your level, and how to begin building a landscape material.
6.2 | Unreal - Importing The Color Map [14:40]
In the final video, you’ll import the color map and combine it with the tiling textures to add additional detail to the landscape.

CREATED BY

iansmithartist
IAN SMITH

Ian Smith has 10+ years of working on pre-rendered and real-time projects and is currently working with SideFX on Project Pegasus, a showcase of Houdini procedural workflows with UE5. Ian is also CG Supervisor at NSC Creative, an award-winning studio specialising in immersive experiences, including VR, theme parks and fulldome.

More from Ian Smith

COMMENTS

  • Leonel_GN 7 months ago  | 

    ive followed from the begaining to end of this section and its nor working the bgeo fail to import in unreal

    • iansmithartist 4 months, 2 weeks ago  | 

      Sorry, it's hard to diagnose the issue without more information. My goto suggestion would be to ensure that your Unreal Houdini Engine Plugin version matches your Houdini version. You'll also need at least a Houdini Indie License to use Houdini Engine.

    • oniregoc 7 months ago  | 

      THANK YOU ! Very good series just like the first one a few months ago! But how do you apply this to a very large open world? I have one that is 2400 square km and of course I can't create a digital asset in one piece... so I divided it into 121 squares (about 2x2 square km) but I'm facing a new challenge: the pieces do not keep their relative positions between them when imported into UE5....is there a solution to create several digital assets to import into UE5 without losing the position between each part?

    • lorick.lussier 7 months ago  | 

      Just went through all the video of phase 2! Great content thank you so much! I have a quick question, any reason why you guys don't use the ID map workflow done in phase 1? I was wondering if you fell upon some limitation during development of the workflow? Thank you so much again!

      • iansmithartist 4 months, 2 weeks ago  | 

        There are some limitations with the ID map workflow, e.g. the ID workflow didn't allow to have a gradual blend between layers or blend based on a height map. But both workflows have their limitations, ID map approach would be more efficient.

        It was really just an opportunity to demonstrate an alternative workflow.

      • cristobaldaniel 4 months, 2 weeks ago  | 

        Hello, are the nodes with the 'Pegasus' logos custom HDAs created by you? If so, is there any way to download that library? I'm working on a project for my institution, and it would be very helpful. Thank you very much!

        • iansmithartist 4 months, 2 weeks ago  | 

          The project files above include all the custom nodes with the Pegasus logo, and the video series demonstrates how to create them.

        Please log in to leave a comment.