When selected, a Unity Terrain can be edited by using the Terrain Toolbar. Height Map visualized (values adjusted to improve the visibility). The images below show a height map extracted from the website and imported into a Unity Terrain. Consider, though, that they will contain real-world distances and might need to be adjusted in an external tool for optimal usage in Unity. Although the website is meant to be used in the Cities: Skylines game, the maps work just as well in Unity. Alternatively, it is also possible to change the height map directly outside Unity and import height maps to the engine.įor example, the website Cities: Skylines Height Map Generator provides mechanisms to extract height map information from the real world. The alteration acts immediately, and we can see the results of our change in the terrain. When we work with a Unity Terrain by elevating or lowering its parts, we are technically altering its height map. Notably, the Unity Terrain height map alters the position of the vertices on the y-axis. More specifically, the height map information shifts the mesh’s vertices to display features such as elevations, cliffs, plains, and craters.ĭue to its 2D nature, a single height map can only interfere with one axis of the vertices at a time.

Placing a skybox and applying post-processingĪ height map is a texture that changes how a specific mesh is viewed by the player, similar to how normal maps work.

Real ambient occlusion and light baking.

Proposed terrain workflow for better results.

Options for sculpting and altering the terrain.By the end of the article, I present a typical workflow for making nice Unity scenes using free assets and the Unity Terrain tool. Then we will discuss the primary mechanisms to modify a terrain. We start with the theory of how terrain generation works by using height maps. In this article, we will see the basics of how to use this tool and its main features. It provides easy mechanisms to mold and modify terrains using the concept of height maps. The Unity Terrain is a Unity native, powerful, and versatile tool for level and environmental designing. Easy environment design with Unity Terrain features Yvens Rebouças Serpa Follow I am a Brazilian Nordestino in the Netherlands working as a Game Dev & Design teacher.

Unity grass texture download