[Help] Texture Format / General Questions

Hi,

I have read through the wiki and forums but I am battling to put all the information together.

I am trying to render terrain using the following maps :

1) Height map
2) Color map
3) Light map
4) Coverage map (detail map)

1) What is the difference between a color map and a base map?

2) Am I correct in saying that a single coverage map is equivalent to 4 alpha maps?

3) Any ideas on what texture format I should use? As far as I can see, Splatting5 seemed to be the most appropriate but I couldn't include a base/color map (as far as I know). I do not mind if I am restricted to using shaders and I do not want any information computed at runtime (e.g. deformation, run-time detail calculations).

4) I have tried to find any configuration files for making use of the light map but have only come across the VertexNormals & VertexLit options. Should this be done by using the LitBaseMap option to modulate the light with the base map? This would be fine if it were not for the problem in (3).

I greatly appreciate any response on the above.

Thanks a lot,
Grant

Hi,

I have managed to answer (2) which would be that the coverage map is simply a PNG with 4 channels, each channel being a separate alpha map for the detail. This is what I have concluded anyway.

Is anyone able to help me on the other questions.

Thanks a lot.
Grant

Hi,

Can no one help me with any of the above questions? Even some sort of hint would be great.

To try to get lighting to work, I have tried the LitBaseMap option but the problem is that this only works with a generated base map, not a pre-generated one. Anyway to get this to work with a pre-generated map.

I would greatly appreciate any help. I would like to use PLSM2 as it definitely looks like it could be put to great use.

Thanks,
Grant

Hi,

Well can someone tell me at least if there is any texture format where the lightmap is used at runtime, or should you always modulate your base texture by it?

Thanks,
Grant

1) What is the difference between a color map and a base map?
Color map is somewhat a user provided map, base map is a texture map where colors of pixel are based on heights
2) as you already found, yes.
3) Make your own, those provided are really only samples.
4) using a pregenerated lightmap is about adding a material pass/texture unit containg the Light keyword as texture file name.

For instance, use SplattingShader, add in the splattingshader.material

texture_unit
{
texture Light
}

and in the SplatShader.cg modify it to take that light texture in account.