Random Generators

Three options that are rarely used in the Terrain Editor are the Random Generators:

• Random Extent which deals with how much surface the terrain extends over or the scale of the terrain's features
• Random Position which deals with the position of the terrain within the entire "fractal terrain universe"
• Random Character which deals with the look or character of the terrain

The Random Generators control the randomness of the terrain, so deselecting any one or more of them means that you turn off the randomness of that option.

To access these options, click on the triangle option next to Fractal and select any fractal type except for Bryce Classic.

The options will be active and enabled near the bottom of the menu.

If Bryce Classic is selected, these options will be greyed out and not available.

So, if these options determine the randomness of the terrain extent, position, and character, then what good are they? Basically, if you find a terrain that you like the look of, you can turn off the options so that the feature you like isn't changed.

To take advantage of the Random Generators:

1. Create a new terrain and enter the Terrain Editor.
2. Set the resolution to 128. This allows you to get results more quickly.
   
   
3. Select any fractal type except for Bryce Classic.
   
   
4. Click on the Fractal button until you find a terrain that has a pleasing scale to the features.
   
   
5. Bring up the fractal menu and deselect Random Extent. Since we like the scale of the terrain, we want to keep the same scale as we continue.
   
   
6. Click on the Fractal button again. Notice that even though the terrain changes, the overall scale remains the same.
   
   
7. Continue clicking on the Fractal button if you would like to see what else comes up.
8. Once you have a terrain that you like the look of, deselect Random Character so the terrain retains the look you like.
   
   
9. Click the Fractal button and notice that even though the terrain changes, the basic look of the terrain remains the same.
   
   
10. Once you have a terrain that you're happy with, deselect Random Position as well.
    
    
11. Set the resolution to 512 or larger.
    
    
12. If you will be using the terrain in a larger tiled terrain group, click on the Fractal button one more time to redraw the terrain at the selected resolution. This is needed when tiling to ensure that the terrain matches up exactly with the other terrains.
    
    
13. Exit the Terrain Editor.

To use this terrain for tiling, continue to the section on "Tiling Terrains."

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