Question about map modeling

[halofreak4567]

I am currently working on a map that, most likely, will not be released. This is just a map for my learning pleasure.

Below is a screenshot of the map so far. I used a heightmap to create the geometry and I was wondering if there was any way to smooth it out. Mesh and turbosmooth look....weird. You can still see the faces of the cliff edges when I use turbo/mesh smooth. If anyone has any advice, I would really appreciate it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v350/halofreak4567/map.jpg

[FireScythe]

I personally wouldn't use heightmaps to model a map, I would use a spline to outline the bottom of the map, extrude that spline with 4 - 5 segments and then move the verticies around to make it more chaotic/organic. Reason being that, as is obvious from your attempt, the technique you are using creates a hell of alot of useless polies, and also makes "blocky" cliffs.

[Bad Waffle]

look at wireframes at the cliffs in B30, or dangercanyon, or any map with a cliff (basically all, actually)

[Ki11a_FTW]

yeah, any map bungie made your safe with

[halofreak4567]

I personally wouldn't use heightmaps to model a map, I would use a spline to outline the bottom of the map, extrude that spline with 4 - 5 segments and then move the verticies around to make it more chaotic/organic. Reason being that, as is obvious from your attempt, the technique you are using creates a hell of alot of useless polies, and also makes "blocky" cliffs.

I'll have to try that.

Thanks for all of the advice guys. If anyone else knows any other good ways to model a map, that info is always accepted. :)

[Cowfrommars]

Try using the tutorial on halomaps.org ( ftp://files2.halomaps.org/h2v/Maing_A_Halo_2_Map.zip ), it shows you how to make a simple map with, what looks like, the way you're doing it.

To smooth it out, you pretty much have to do it manually, as the heightmap is created in paint (in the tutorial, at least). Mine didn't turn out too bad...

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/8131/00005fg6.th.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/my.php?image=00005fg6.jpg) http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/9205/00004sm2.th.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/my.php?image=00004sm2.jpg) http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2375/00008mq1.th.jpg (http://img529.imageshack.us/my.php?image=00008mq1.jpg)

Although it was my first time using 3DS max, so yeah :P. Took a bit of effort to (try to) smooth out the cliffs, I'm not sure if there is a tool to do it for you, but that would be nice :P. Also, the 'ground' bitmap didn't load for some reason, so I had to use the material ID for the cliffs. (lame!)