Fractal World is a windows program for generating fractal terrain that you can use in your NWN2 modules. Fractal World is not a plugin, but a stand-alone program. It works with all patch versions; there are no worries about incompatible DLLs when the game is patched.
Fractal World generates height-mapped terrain and it also generates masks for grass and dirt textures, plus a cliff texture mask that corresponds to steep, non-walkable terrain. You select the tile size for your area and the program computes the correct sizes for the height-mapped terrain bitmap and for the texture masks.
Fractal world provides a wide variety of fractal algorithms and processors that allow a high degree of terrain customization. Create wide valleys or deep ravines, rough badlands or high mountain peaks, tropical islands or rocky mazes with twisty passages.
Visit the Fractal World web site for online documentation and support forums. Feature requests, bug reports, and constructive feedback are all appreciated.
ERF of a ridged multi-fractal processed with a bias transform that flattens lower elevations to create a bowl-shaped canyon. Height map, texture maps, and color map all created with Fractal World V4. No editing or additions in the toolset. Key features are cliff walls that partition the area into sub-spaces and bound the entire region. Screen shots right.
NWN2 Module with single area. The area is made from a fractal Brownian motion processed with an absolute value transform (available in V4.0.4) to create a dry riverbed. Height map, texture maps, and color map all created with Fractal World V4. No editing or additions in the toolset. Fractal World does not place water (yet), so the river bed is dry. Key features are the twisty, winding river bed and the towering granite peaks. Screen shots right.
NWN2 Module with single area. The area is made from a channel fractal processed with a gain transform to create a desert landscape with high mesas and steep cliffs. With the use of creative transitions the tops of the mesas could be used as well as the desert floor. Height map, texture maps, and color map all created with Fractal World V4. No editing or additions in the toolset. Fractal World does not place water (yet), so the river bed is dry. Key features are the twisty, winding river bed and the towering granite peaks. Screen shots right.
ERF of a channel fractal processed with a gain transform to create a high plateau bounded by sheer cliffs down. Height map, texture maps, and color map all created with Fractal World V4. No editing or additions in the toolset. Color map is slightly exaggerated to draw attention to its usage. Vertigo warning: not recommended for players afraid of heights. ;-) Six screen shots are available as a separate, smaller download.
OLD VERSION! LATEST VERSION IS V4.0.6! This is V4.0.4 of Fractal World. This update includes a couple of minor bug fixes and several new features. One of the biggest improvements is a 20X faster blur for NWN2 texture mask generation. A full list of changes is outlined in the change notes in the zip file.
This is the latest version V4.0.6. Updates include: new multiple render threads, bug fix for localized decimal separator, and bug fix generating NWN2 texture masks. More information available in the change notes
That is a really great idea. However, the terrain grid is fixed in the NWN2 game engine. There's nothing that can be done in a separate tool like Fractal World to change the grind spacing. _________________________ Fractal World Software
Modify it so that when it generates things such as cliffs you get a gradual increase which doesnt stretch the texture over what would seem a few texture vertices. So in effect, you bunch these texture vertices closer together to get a decernable pattern along the cliff face. Also, this way normal mapping could work better to define minute details on a cliff , such as erosion.
_________________________ Time is vital so manage it well.
Posted by lothyr at 2009-05-02 13:28:04 Voted 10.00 on 05/02/09
Thanks for putting this out there. I am currently planning outdoor area(s) based on random Fractal World generated graphics. FW seems easiest to use and integrates seamlessly with YATT which adds to FW's indispensability. Any further enhancements planned ? One question i have is why do the .bmps have different resolutions?
I very much look forward to using this tool for at least one planned module. The author is offering excellent support and I'm excited about the additional features for NWN2. This could well become the community standard for easy (relatively speaking) terrain generation and assist non-artistically inclined builders such as myself.
With Fractal World you can select the tile size of your area, and the program computes the correct dimensions for the height map and the texture masks.
The placeables were added by hand in the tool after importing terrain. I'll modify the captions to make that clear, maybe add some unmodified shots this weekend.
Posted by nicethugbert at 2008-06-17 04:55:50 Voted 10.00 on 06/16/08
The docs mention support for NWN2. Could elaborate on that a bit. I love to use L3DT, but, I then have to calculate ratios between NWN2 areas and the maps L3DT makes, then resize the maps. Does this make the maps in dimensions that correspond to NWN2 area sizes? _________________________ NTB's Hills and Valleys Vol. 00
Ah... I just visited the website. You mention that you added the placeables to the screenshot. It is also clearer what this does. It generates images that can be imported into YATT to make areas in NWN2 (using YATT). It does the same thing as World Machine, L3DT, Wilbur and Terragen. :)
Interesting. But like the others said, it's not clear what it does. Also, in your screenshots I can see a building. I assume that your program didn't place that building. Does that mean that you modified these areas after using your program? If so, I think it would be better to make screenshots of exactly what the program does. That way people have a clearer idea of what it is capable of. :)
So based on the comments by nicethugbert, I find myself a little confused.
What exactly does this do? Generate a "blank" area that's already got the height variations, valleys, uneven ground, etc... that you then have to load in the toolset and add in texturing?
Something else? The above plus something else?
This appears to be a time saver, but more description would be helpful. Thanks.
Posted by nicethugbert at 2008-06-16 18:13:29 Voted 10.00 on 06/16/08
Looks great. But, I'm disappointed. I first thought it actually made the areas. I thought it would replace outdated YATT. _________________________ NTB's Hills and Valleys Vol. 00
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