User Guide

52
HOW TO BUILD A GROVE OF TREES
Using the Grove tool, you can create random groups of multiple types of trees to give your vegetation a
natural appearance. Some tips:
✯ Trees are objects and can impact performance in large numbers. You can create nice effects with as few
as six total trees. Create groves of more than 40 trees only if you’re sure you want them.
✯ When creating forested areas, remember that you are creating the impression of a forested area; you are
not creating an entire forest. If the player is not going to spend much time in the area or won’t cross the
forest at all, then you might be able to just place trees around the edge of the area.
1. Select the Grove tool from the toolbar.
2. In the window, enter the total number of trees to create in the Total Tree Count textbox.
3. To allow placement of trees in water, click the appropriate box. Make sure that water is shallow enough.
Submerged trees are hard to find.
4. To allow placement of trees on cliffsides, select the appropriate box. Avoid placement of trees on nearly
vertical cliffsides.
5. In the tree drop-downs, select the types of trees that you want to add to your grove. Enter the
percentages for the selected trees.
✯ The total number of trees is always created, regardless of whether the percentages add to 100.
6. On the map, click and drag a rectangle for your grove. When you release the mouse button, the trees are
placed.
❍
To undo the placement of the grove, press
v
+
Z
.
❍
To delete an individual tree, click and press
y
.
7. When you have placed your grove, check to make sure that all trees are in good positions. You can move
trees individually, select them using the Select Similar menu command, or rotate the camera to view the
grove from another angle.
8. If you need to add trees, you can add them individually or use the Grove tool again.
HOW TO BUILD A LAKE USING THE DEFAULT WATER
PLANE
Each map contains a default water plane, which sets the “sea level” for the entire map. Whenever possible,
use the default water plane, as it is inexpensive in terms of system resources in World Builder and the game.
The default water plane can be raised and lowered. Where possible, create your largest body of water using
the default water plane.
1. If you have not done so, use the terrain tools to dig the bed of your lake.
2. Click the Water tool in the toolbar.
3. In the map, find the blue polygon on the perimeter of the map. That blue polygon defines the default
water plane.
4. To reshape the default water plane, click and drag any corner. When shaping the water plane, you are
not defining the perimeter of the lowest lake; you are using the polygon to define the water level for a
specific area of the map. The default water plane does not have to mark the perimeter; it simply must
encompass it.
5. In the Water Options window, you can apply a name to the default water polygon, and you can use the
slider bar to change the height of the water level. Changes to the water level update in real-time.
✯ The other options in the Water Options window do not apply to the default water plane.