The next TerreSculptor pre-beta build will be released within the next week.
This release will include a variety of updates including: BT (Binary Terrain) file import/export support, a set of valid UDK Landscape resolutions added to the New and Resample dialogs, a Flatten Edges tool update, additional work on the 3D Primitives, more work on the File Split and Frame Sequence features, plus a number of additional small features and fixes. The TerreSculptor Reference Manual will receive an update, plus there are new pages already on the Wiki with more still to come.
The completed File Split feature won't be available until the following release. In order to properly support file split exporting, some refactoring and rewriting of the current export code must be done. The File Split could have just been hacked into place, but it is always preferable to rewrite the code as required for better performance, usability, and future expandability.
The next four months or so should see the completion of the following features: File Split and export, Frame Sequence and Movie saving, initial functionality for the Mask and Weightmap Editor, deep multi-threading of the Noise Generators for vastly improved build performance, fine-tuning and improvements on the Erosion tools, the World Stack's initial Terrain Layout group functionality, the high-quality Flow Erosion tool, plus additional file import/export formats.
Next year is when the more powerful features will start to emerge, which will include new World Stack objects and further development of the 3D engine. These two areas will start to really open up what TerreSculptor can accomplish with terrain creation. Some key points for these two technologies will include:
- World Stack objects: primitive-based terrain deformation, spline-based terrain deformation, spline-based roads and rivers, new "GeoTools" stack objects, and new powerful features not found in any other heightmap software that are under development but have not been publicly announced yet.
- 3D engine development: batched primitive drawcalls; object picking with mouse; object translate/rotate/scale with mouse, terrain mesh painting, and more.
In addition to all of this, there are many planned features for future versions including: more noise and terrain generation tools, more erosion algorithms, more import/export file formats, new Modify and Transform tools, and much more.
Each pre-beta release still allows for free commercial and non-commercial use until the software is functionally ready for retail sale.
The time between pre-beta release executable file expiry has also been increased to four months.
-eol-