good way to make a horizon

[Master chief]

quick question , i have been working on trying to build decent looking landscapes and im making some that look ok , but there's one part that i cant seam to make work , and that's the edge of the terrain , is there any way to make it look like a horizon or the such , im generally working with a square at the moment if looking down upon the ground

[John Bigboote]

Have you discovered the terrain wizard? Could be a big help. Generally, in 3D...the further away you place the camera means the more geometry you will need to make. Your going to need a bigger model. Try the terrain wizard- it's a gem... make a new model- right click in the model and select Plugins/Wizards/Terrain and hit us with questions as they arise.

[HomeSlice]

For horizons, one trick is to raise the edges of the terrain up, so when the camera is down closer to the ground, it can't see that there is nothing behind that last hill.

 

If you want the camera to be way up in the air, looking down, you have your work cut out for you. First, it helps if the terrain stretches from one side of the camera frame to the other. Then it helps to curve the whole terrain slightly. Finally, it may still be helpful to raise the back edge of the terrain up a bit.

[Zaryin]

Also for the sky you might try a gradient material with blue on top and a subtle orange at the horizon.

[largento]

Would a skydome help you out? Because it's curved, you won't see the corners of your terrain. Some fog off in the distance or depth of field might help with keeping the line of the horizon not looking too harsh.

[Master chief]

the terrian wizzard causes am to crash out right and the AM teraform program crashes before fully loading so i guess im out of luck ..........sigh

[Rodney]

Perhaps the most simple way of creating terrain is to use the Grid wizard combined with Magnet Mode.

 

In a Model window

Right Click

Go to your Wizards

Create a Grid

Make sure Magnet Mode is on

Pick a Control Point and move up/down

Watch as the adjacent splines and CPs follow

 

Its handy to do this with two Windows open. One showing the Top View and One the Front.

(Or better yet, Drop the grid into a Choreography and then adjust the Model)

 

You are only out of luck if you give up.

[largento]

You may want to check out the latest "Pigeon Impossible" podcast.

 

At one point, he shows a city scene broken apart into the separate elements and you can see an example of the ground plain being curved up to reach the horizon.

[Luuk Steitner]

If you're getting a clear look at the horizon and don't want to get a hard line, use fog and make it distant. That will give a nice blend and it will look more realistic.