TGEA GroundCover Terrain Surface Reference

Download Code File

This is a port of TGEA 1.7 port of twSurfaceReference to work with GroundCover.
You can watch a Video of this in action.

Step 1

Note: If you allready followed the TGEA 1.7 port of twSurfaceReference resource you will not need to do Step 1, which is...
Copy twSurfaceReference.cpp and twSurfaceReference.h from the provided ZIP file to engine/T3D/fx/ and then add those files to your project.

[edit - forgot to mention this, which is part of previous resource]
You will also need to do the following.

In engine/console/sim.h add below this line

DeclareNamedSet(sgMissionLightingFilterSet);

the following

DeclareNamedSet(twSurfaceSet);

and in engine/console/sim.cpp add below these lines

ImplementNamedGroup(ChunkFileGroup)
ImplementNamedSet(sgMissionLightingFilterSet)

the following

ImplementNamedSet(twSurfaceSet);

and in engine/console/simManager.cpp add below these lines

InstantiateNamedSet(BehaviorSet);
InstantiateNamedSet(sgMissionLightingFilterSet);

the following

InstantiateNamedSet(twSurfaceSet);

Sep 2

Open engine/T3D/fx/groundCover.h

find

static void initPersistFields();

put below it

bool GetTerrainTextures(float,Point3F&, U8 *);

find

F32 mNormalizedProbability[NumCoverTypes];

put below it

bool mSurfaceExclusionMode[NumCoverTypes];
U32  mTheSurface[NumCoverTypes];

Your done with groundCover.h
Now open engine/T3D/fx/groundCover.cpp

find

#include "sceneGraph/lightAllocator.h"
#include "T3D/fx/windEmitter.h"

put below it

#include "twSurfaceReference.h"

find (in GroundCover::GroundCover)

mBillboardAspectScales[i] = 1.0f;
mNormalizedProbability[i] = 0.0f;

put below it

mSurfaceExclusionMode[i] = false;         
mTheSurface[i] = (U32)twSurfaceReference::eAny;

find (in void GroundCover::initPersistFields)

dSprintf( fieldName, sizeof( fieldName ), "clumpRadius%d", i );
addField( fieldName, TypeF32, Offset( mClumpRadius[i], GroundCover ) );

put below it

dSprintf( fieldName, sizeof( fieldName ), "SurfaceExclusionMode%d", i );
addField( fieldName, TypeBool, Offset( mSurfaceExclusionMode[i], GroundCover ) );
dSprintf( fieldName, sizeof( fieldName ), "SurfaceType%d", i );
addField( fieldName, TypeEnum, Offset( mTheSurface[i], GroundCover ), 1, &gSurfaceTypeTable );

find (in U32 GroundCover::packUpdate)

stream->writeString( mShapeFilenames[i] );

put below it

stream->writeFlag( mSurfaceExclusionMode[i] );
stream->write( mTheSurface[i] );

find (in void GroundCover::unpackUpdate)

mShapeFilenames[i] = stream->readSTString();

put below it

mSurfaceExclusionMode[i] = stream->readFlag();
stream->read( &mTheSurface[i] );

find (in GroundCoverCell* GroundCover::_generateCell)

// Do we need to check slope?
         if ( !isZero( typeMaxSlope ) )
         {
            if (mAcos(normal.z) > mDegToRad(typeMaxSlope))
               continue;
         }

         point.set( cp.x, cp.y, h );

put below it

// -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
if ((twSurfaceReference::ESurfaceType)mTheSurface[type]) // if we are checking for specific surfaces and not just 'any'
{
	if ( BaseSurfaces[(twSurfaceReference::ESurfaceType)mTheSurface[type]].isAvailable)
	{
		U8 alphas[TerrainBlock::MaterialGroups];
		if (GetTerrainTextures(4000.0f, point, alphas))
		{
			bool skip = mSurfaceExclusionMode[type];
			for (int i=0; i < TerrainBlock::MaterialGroups; i++)
			{
				if (alphas[ i] != BaseSurfaces[(twSurfaceReference::ESurfaceType)mTheSurface[type]].alphas[ i])
				{
					skip = !mSurfaceExclusionMode[type]; // even one non-match means this is not the same surface
					break;
				}
			}
			if (skip) continue; // don't place here
		}
	}
}
// -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

got to end of the file and add

bool GroundCover::GetTerrainTextures(float distance, Point3F& pt, U8 *alphas)
{
	RayInfo rInfo;

   if (gClientContainer.castRay(pt, Point3F(pt.x, pt.y, pt.z - distance ), TerrainObjectType, &rInfo))
   {
   U32 CollisionType = rInfo.object->getTypeMask();

      if (CollisionType & TerrainObjectType)
      {
		   TerrainBlock* ter = static_cast<TerrainBlock*>(rInfo.object);
		   Point2I gPos;
		   const MatrixF & mat = ter->getTransform();

		   Point3F origin;
		   mat.getColumn(3, &origin);
		   F32 squareSize = (F32) ter->getSquareSize();
		   F32 halfSquareSize = squareSize / 2;

		   float x = (pt.x - origin.x + halfSquareSize) / squareSize;
		   float y = (pt.y - origin.y + halfSquareSize) / squareSize;

		   ter->getMaterialAlpha(Point2I(x,y), alphas);
		   return true;
      }
   }
   return false;
}

COMPILE.

Sep 3

If you allready followed the TGEA 1.7 port of twSurfaceReference resource you do not need to do the following, however you might have to check creator.ed.cs for TGEA1.7.1 as the array index could be wrong, see my code below.

Script changes

Open game\tools\missionEditor\gui\objectBuilderGui.ed.gui and find

function ObjectBuilderGui::buildfxFoliageReplicator(%this)
{
	%this.className = "fxFoliageReplicator";
	%this.process();
}

put below it

function ObjectBuilderGui::buildtwSurfaceReference(%this)      
{      	
	%this.className = "twSurfaceReference";      	
	%this.process();      
}

Open game\tools\missiodeditor\scripts\editors\creator.ed.cs and find

%Environment_Item[16] = "TerrainBlock";
%Environment_Item[17] = "MegaTerrain";
%Environment_Item[18] = "Atlas";

put below it

%Environment_Item[19] = "twSurfaceReference";

Open game\common\clientScripts\missiondownload.cs and find

function clientCmdMissionStartPhase3(%seq,%missionName)
{
   onPhase2Complete();

put below it

StartSurfaceReferencer();

That should be it for scripts

Step 4

How to use.

You will find in Mission Objects -> Environment the twSurfaceReference.
Place this over a piece of terrain that contains some unique texture.
Now check the new object's properties, you want to select a SurfaceType for it.
Lets say you choose "Grass"

Now, go to Mission Objects -> Environment and select GroundCover
GroundCover wants a billboard, so in its properties find the group "Ground Cover Billboard" and find your billboard texture under it.
I found that GroundCover work as follow.
There are 6 "Ground Cover Type" groups.
For each you can specify a shape to use as groundcover.
Lets say you only wanted to use 3 shapes, the other 3 will make use of the billboard you specified.
This is important to know cause you might notice your Billboards still rendering over areas you did not want.
Easy to fix, just make sure to select for each of the Ground Cover Types a SurfaceType, which by default is Any.

ok, so since you created a twSurfaceReference with surfacetype previously you can just go and set all the SurfaceType properties for each of the Ground Cover Types to "Grass"
and everything will render on your grass texture where ever its used on your terrain and stay off your other textures.

Nice thing about GroundCover is that you could add a second twSurfaceReference over another texture, lets say some sand like texture and then give it a surfaceType if Dirt for example.
Now you can go set one of your Ground Cover Types' SurfaceType to Dirt and that shape will render on the dirt only ;)

Note: whenever you add a new twSurfaceReference or GroundCOver object, save and exit and reload the mission else you might not otice updates.