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Voxeland - Voxel Terrain Tool

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by Wright, Jun 25, 2013.

  1. Marcurios

    Marcurios

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    so how big can voxeland terrains be ?
    cause i have a feeling that a big terrain will hurt performance badly, since it looks like it uses a standard mesh setup.
    So there will be tons of vertices in a large terrain am i right ?
     
  2. Wright

    Wright

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    Voxeland can use dynamic build - this means that it build only that meshes that are close to camera. So, terrain can be 4km*4km (it is the biggest terrain I've tested in v.2), but only a part of it (like 200*200 meters) will be displayed. If the camera comes to other position - missing chunks will be build.

    In v.3 maximum size of the terrain will be almost infinite (500*500km should work without any errors). And it will use chunks lods and planar (non-voxel) far lod to display terrain on the horizon, so maximum visible distance could be set to km or more.
     
  3. Wright

    Wright

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    Demo Scene Contest

    $VoxelandDemoScene.jpg

    I came up with an interesting idea. A couple of times I have asked a plug-in for non-profit projects, in exchange for some of achievements or just for free (mainly I did not deny). So I decided to hold a contest for the best demo scene for the third version of the Voxeland. If some has the time and desire to toy with demo build and publish here on forums the resulting screenshots and saved Voxeland data - please feel free to download it:

    Demo build (all-in-one file, no installation, automatic unpacking)

    The one with most gorgeous screenshots and scene will get Voxeland for free. Perhaps the same prize will receive not only the winner but also the creators of nice or interesting scenes. And maybe some of the Voxeland owners will also be interested in taking a look - just out of curiosity.
     
  4. tbg10101_

    tbg10101_

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    Not competing because I already own Voxeland but I wanted to try it out:


    Full Size (2560x1440)
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2014
  5. FragMASTER

    FragMASTER

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    Wow, Perfect timing. I love this preview.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: May 11, 2014
  6. daeuk

    daeuk

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    awesome!

    $voxel.png
     
  7. OnlyNoob

    OnlyNoob

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    I love voxeland :D
    $voxlen.jpg
     
  8. FragMASTER

    FragMASTER

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    I love both demos the old and the new , I wish the grass moved in the new demo and a few more Textures and things to play with. But it is still the BEST Voxel system I have seen for now. Keep up the great work.

    $Freedom.jpg
     
  9. Olafson

    Olafson

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    When do you expect to be finished with v3?
     
  10. Wright

    Wright

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    Thanks for the screenshots, keep up doing the nice work!

    Olafson, Voxeland is in beta stage now. I plan submit it to Unity tomorrow (or maybe day after). Then it should be reviewed by Unity, usually it takes couple of days. And than it will be available on asset store.
     
  11. tbg10101_

    tbg10101_

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    I can't wait!!!! :D
     
  12. Olafson

    Olafson

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    Awesome! Thanks for the quick reply.
     
  13. pixelR

    pixelR

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    My screenshot from the v3 demo. Using a bug of too many lights. :)

    $voxeland1.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: May 14, 2014
  14. pixelR

    pixelR

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    Same scene, without the bug (after a reload) and some trees...

    $voxeland2.jpg

    (Gosh, something's utterly wrong with either the forum or my browser... :/ )
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2014
  15. NightmarexGR

    NightmarexGR

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    I really want to compete in this event and have chance of getting voxeland for free but when i download the .exe demo i cant run it cause it is for 64-bit and my computer is x86(32-bit)
     
  16. Wright

    Wright

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    Last edited: May 15, 2014
  17. noanoa

    noanoa

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    Congrats on ver 3! But where are the changes listed??
     
  18. Wright

    Wright

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    I am pleased to announce that v3 really available in Asset Store. Thanks Unity for really fast review (just a few hours)!

    You can see changelog by clicking on the version in store. Briefly, the changes are:
    - code was fully rewritten on C#
    - new infinite terrain data structure
    - multithreaded chunk building (experimental)
    - triplanar shaders
    - enhanced terrain Generator
    - independent from the block type grass
    - new undo system

    I assume that someone can encounter difficulties due to complete change of plugin's language and main algorithms. Please make a backup copy of old version before upgrading!
     
  19. Jose_Gallardo

    Jose_Gallardo

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    Hi, you are doing a really good work man, i love it.

    I would like to know a few things

    1) Can I use a heighmap?

    2) Can I generate a map with inner caverns and conexion like in minecraft?

    3) Can i do the 2 things at same time?

    :D
     
  20. GamePowerNetwork

    GamePowerNetwork

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    Amazing job! I purchased Voxeland around the time it was first released and man... it has come a long way!

    However I noticed something in the demo scene that bothered me just a little. Every so often the scene would freeze for half a second.. it seems like it must be loading the terrain. Is there a way to prevent that stuttering while loading?
     
  21. tbg10101_

    tbg10101_

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    @RetromadeGames I know you can import a heightmap. As for the rest, I have yet to test.
     
  22. Wright

    Wright

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    RetromadeGames, you can import flat heightmap to the terrain. Then you can sculpt caverns in your terrain. However I do not understand clearly how can a heightmap contain caverns to make two things at the same time.

    PyroStudios, the terrain is not loading - it is building from blocks data. Turning infinite terrain off will make Voxeland build all chunks in range at once. This will require some memory for vast terrains, and of course there will be no infinite terrain. Or you can turn auto build off and manually generate terrain by clicking a button when its necessary.
     
  23. Joshua-Classen

    Joshua-Classen

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    Quick question...

    Our project is running in C# would this be a problem seeing as the add-on is Java-script?

    Kind Regards
    ~Joshua
     
  24. sefou

    sefou

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    Voxeland v 3 01 use C#.
     
  25. noanoa

    noanoa

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    can you easily make minecraft-like blocks in voxeland??
     
  26. Wright

    Wright

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    Joshua, current version is written on C# indeed.

    noanoa, you can set the smoothness value for block type. Zero smoothness will make blocks geometry take a form of a cube. But please note that it will not affect block lightning as the vert normals are welded.
     
  27. Jose_Gallardo

    Jose_Gallardo

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    No, no, maybe I do not explain myself in the right way.... Imagine you have a flat terrain, where the ground is the middle level, i want to use the heighmap to sculp over the ground, as usual for valleys, hill and mountains, but after the terrain is sculpted could be cool a tool to generate caverns underground and connect them with galleries (or not). Do you follow me now?? :D
     
  28. ncho

    ncho

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    I just bought this but "Voxeland Terrain" is not showing under GameObjects - Other after import. Any advice?

    Addendum: When I load the demo scene no terrain shows either and I get a hundred "CheckConsistency: Transform child can't be loaded" errors.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2014
  29. Wright

    Wright

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    ncho, do you have all of your scripts compiled? If console writes errors (maybe with scripts that are nor related with Voxeland at all) no additional Unity menus are displayed, only the default ones.

    Edit: Check consistency appears sometimes when "Save chunk meshes" are turned off in settings.
    This is an unpleasant message (I'll fix it when catch and 100% reproduce), but it does not affects plugin behavior in any way.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2014
  30. ncho

    ncho

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    Importing Voxeland into a new project just by itself without no other scripts doesn't fix it. However the reverse happens of what you just describe it- if I import Voxeland along with other assets, none of the other ones show up either.

    Console unfortunately shows no errors at all (only when loading the demo scene).

    Edit: Unity Version is 4.3.1f1
     
  31. Wright

    Wright

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    Voxeland requires Unity 4.3.3, I wonder how could you download it. But the thing is that it should work in 4.3.1

    Just checked out new project, Voxeland Terrain menu appears under GameObject -> Create Other -> Voxeland Terrain like a charm.

    Sent you a direct link to the package, maybe downloading it from store from previous unity loses some data, check your private messages.

    PS ncho and me figured out that downloading Voxeland from asset store from Unity 4.3.1 gives a menu bug, while direct sending of package works ok. Please note that required Unity version is 4.3.3
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2014
  32. bocs

    bocs

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    The plugin has become totally unusable, am I the only one seeing this?

    New project, imported from asset store (3.02)

    1. Demo scene gives these errors on open
    http://img.ctrlv.in/img/14/05/17/5376fd76e3452.png

    2. Press Play...takes like 30 sec to startup!!

    while walking around, massive Stuttering
    modify terrain, massive Stuttering

    3. Exit Play again takes like 20 sec to exit...then this
    http://img.ctrlv.in/img/14/05/17/5376fdd31ef5f.png


    ok...

    let's try a new scene, and add a terrain

    each click to modify takes a few seconds
    moving around the scene, massive Stuttering

    Click Play, wtf 20-30 seconds to startup
    Click Stop, 20-30 seconds to exit


    something has gone very wrong converting this to c#


    Computer Stats:
    Unity 4.3.7p1 (same on 4.3.4)
    980X CPU (that's 6 cores + HT = 12 cores)
    24gigs ram
    512gig ssd HD
    GTX 690 Video card
     
  33. noanoa

    noanoa

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    That's amazing. I've seen many unity voxel engine but never saw one that can actually render both realistic terrain and minecraft-like blocks easily. (ruaumoko hardly does it, maybe TerrainEngine can do but who knows)

    Thanks!
     
  34. tbg10101_

    tbg10101_

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    I would submit this on the Idea Informer site but my account isn't working for some reason,

    Is it possible to turn off the texture blending when the smoothness is set to zero? I see grass blending up my brick walls...
     
  35. Wright

    Wright

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    bocs, on my old home Core 2 Duo starting takes less than dozen of seconds, and each click is almost not noticeable (certainly less than a second). Something really went wrong on you pc, because with such a processor there should not be any visible delay at all.

    Try running 64-bit demo or 32-bit demo. Will they freeze?

    Try changing terrain with Profiler turned on and take a screenshot of CPU Usage Overview on chunk rebuild peaks, with VoxelandTerrain.Update() expanded.


    noanoa, thanks for your feedback!


    tbg10101_, added your idea to idea.informer. Just checked it out - you can post idea without signing in at all )
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2014
  36. ncho

    ncho

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    Everything worked fine yesterday but now whenever I generate a terrain and try to edit it I lose focus of the Voxeland object after almost every click. Strangely enough this didn't happen yesterday. I am assuming this is a bug?

    Edit: Somehow changing the chunk size fixed it but now my whole terrain is screwed. Oh well.
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2014
  37. Wright

    Wright

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    ncho, please upgrade Unity. Voxeland requires 4.3.3, I have not tested it on previous version.

    Press "Set" and then "Rebuild" button after changing chunk size.
     
  38. GamePowerNetwork

    GamePowerNetwork

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    So the stuttering and quick pausing is a known issue? I experienced it on multiple computers while inside the demo scene. Is there no way to prevent it?
     
  39. ncho

    ncho

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    Thank you but I already updated. Restarting Unity did the trick. I do wonder though if the issues I am having and the general unresponsiveness of the asset (despite me having decently high specs) is a known problem?

    Edit: And now Unity just crashed with Fatal error - too many heap sections", which sounds like a memory issue, yet my terrain was only 256 in size and I have 16 GB RAM. What gives?
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2014
  40. Wright

    Wright

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    Neither I' nor any of testers have encountered unresponsive terrain. Was it only once or it is repeating behavior? How can I reproduce it?

    It seems that you have the same problem as bocs: heavy freezes on building which then ends with memory error. I try to fix it asap, but I need some info to find out what it is: could you please pm me screenshot from Profiler of CPU Usage Overview on chunk rebuild peaks, with VoxelandTerrain.Update() expanded?
     
  41. NightmarexGR

    NightmarexGR

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    Hello everyone, i finally got some time to upload the images from the demo scene !
    I am very excited with the v3 release but dissapointed cause i cant collect enough money for it so here is my chance !
    There are 12 different images , hope you like it and also the memory performance is amazing !!!





    http://i.imgur.com/ImUVHri.png
    http://i.imgur.com/3L9aceG.png
    http://i.imgur.com/8ZfZINI.png
    http://i.imgur.com/TRqETXL.png
    http://i.imgur.com/vxU0E5y.png
    http://i.imgur.com/5l8ZZFu.png
    http://i.imgur.com/nIJtFZY.png
    http://i.imgur.com/q56WSR1.png

    (I also have saved the map in case so1 wants it or if it is required for the image event)
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2014
  42. bocs

    bocs

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    I'll try to get some profiling info later, my first attempt ended like this ( I just clicked play):


    maybe i'll make a video so you can see how long it takes to enter/exit play mode.
     
  43. bocs

    bocs

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  44. Joshua-Classen

    Joshua-Classen

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    Oh sorry i thought it was Java based...
     
  45. Wright

    Wright

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    bocs, ncho - seems that the problem is in garbage collections - it takes most of the time, and most probably to memory errors. Maybe 4.3.4 handles garbage in a different way... I've updated Unity and try to reproduce bug.

    Joshua Classen, Voxeland was really written in javascript, but there were too many requests to make it compatible with c# projects. So since v3 it was re-written on c#.
     
    KaletheQuick likes this.
  46. sagron6015

    sagron6015

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    Did some testing, seems there's two different causes for the spikes. The spikes (for me at least) are often the GC, but they seem to be caused by the collider update as well.
     
  47. Adancin

    Adancin

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    Hello Wright,

    I want to do a 2.5D sidescroll game that loads the next puzzle without have to put a loading screen. May be your plugin can help me and I have some doubts about the plugin, before buy it.

    a) It's posible to have 2 voxel terrains at same time.
    b) It's posible to load the next voxel map with a thread to allow the game feel like a continuous game (no freezing :cool:).
     
  48. Wright

    Wright

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    bocs, ncho - fixed far mesh GC and for now I'm working on some optimizations to make playmode change faster.

    sagron6015, collider spike is pure unity's lack - refreshing the collider mesh causes some lag, and it is the only way to build collider.

    Adancin, it is possible to have 2 or more terrains in one scene. And it is possible to speed up terrain building using separate thread (however multithreaded editing is still experimental), but some operations like mesh assigning or above-mentioned collider should be executed in main thread. So some freeze will still exist, but it can be almost unnoticeable, depending on how vast your terrain is and what device will be used to build it. What is your target platform and what terrain size do you expect?

    NightmarexGR, I like the cave on your screenshot, and it seems that you have digged to the bottom of the world ))) Such efforts deserve encouragement - I'll contact you to provide you a copy of Voxeland. However, I want to note that the contest is still open. Looking forward for screens and scenes!
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2014
  49. Adancin

    Adancin

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    Will be for PC
    The terrain size blocks will be 128 x 64, it's possible to have a rectangular terrain instead square?
     
  50. sagron6015

    sagron6015

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    Understood, just wanted the collider noted since that does cause small hitches. I gained some performance by pooling the gameobjects (using PoolManager). Lo and hi mesh generation arrays appear to be a lot of the garbage is being collected.
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2014