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CryEngine 3 SDK: Create/Add Rivers

October 31, 2011
Category: CryEngine 3 SDK

We continue with CryEngine 3 SDK tutorials. If you are just starting to learn and use CryEngine 3 SDK, start here.

In this tutorial we cover how to create/add rivers in your environment.

Topics covered:

• How to create/add rivers
• Applying river texture
• Edit rivers and its properties
• Edit material properties for more control and visual look

Make sure to check this page for all the tutorials on CryEngine 3 SDK.

VIDEO TUTORIAL:

TERRAIN PREPERATION

Before we add a river, we need to reshape the terrain where the river will go. Carve out an area with some depth where you can place the river.

HOW TO CREATE/ADD A RIVER

To create/add a river in CryEngine is very similar to adding roads.

To add roads in CryEngine go to RollupBar --> Objects --> Misc --> River

Begin placing control points of the river on your terrain. Every time you Left Click, it will place a control road point. Place as many as you need and shape the river path.

Once you are happy with how the river path looks, double-click to end the river.

EDITING RIVER CONTROL POINTS AND KEEPING THE RIVER FLAT

Important part of creating rivers is they need to be a flat surface. You may have slight elevation of control points, but it is best to keep the river surface flat.

One way to do so is make sure XY constraint is enabled.

But if you need to fix and align the control points, you can go into an orthographic view and align them.

In order to Edit each control point you need to enable Edit in River Parameters.

You may then select each control point and move them along a specific axis you choose.

APPLYING RIVER MATERIAL

With the river selected you click on No Custom Material icon.

Material Editor will open. Here you can browse and assign a river material.

You will find various river materials in levels folder and ocean folder.

Once you have selected the material, click on Assign Item to Selected Objects.

The material will assign to the river.

RIVER PROPERTIES (RIVER PARAMS)

At this point you may set various properties. Select the river and in the RollupBar of the river you will find River Params. Some properties to start with:

• Width: width of the river
• Depth: depth of the river
• Speed: speed of physics objects moving in the river
• FogDensity: fog in the river, how thick it is
• FogColor: fog color in the river
• FogColorMultiplier: how bright the fog is

You may also set a specific width for each control point and override River Params width in the edit menu.

Select the river, hit Edit and select which control point you want to modify.

You can easily add or delete control points of the river.

Select the river and go to Edit mode.

Delete = Double Click on the Control Point to delete

Add = Hold Ctrl + Left Click to add control point

MATERIAL EDITOR PROPERTIES FOR THE RIVER

In the Material Properites you have few more options of how the river water will look.

Click on the Material of the river.

Material Editor will open and for the material you selected for the river you will find Shader Params and Shader Generation Params.

Modifying various properties and see how it effects the visual quality of the river in the environment.

PAINT THE BOTTOM

Use the Terrain Layer Painter to paint the bottom of the river texture.