CTS - Complete Terrain Shader - Deprecated

No, you need to completely remove CTS, and then save and import the newer version of CTS 2019.

 

Can you please tell me what version of Unity you are using, what pipeline you are using? Also, can you please send me a screenshot of the error console as well?

 

Unity 2019.3.7f1, (same happened in 2019.3.6)
Latest Pipeline (the one recommended) 7.1.8

The console has these errors within it. Plus some too many keywords that keep repeating.

Assets\Procedural Worlds\Gaia\Scripts\Editor\GaiaHDRPPipelineUtils.cs(312,56): error CS1061: 'PhysicallyBasedSky' does not contain a definition for 'airAttenuationDistance' and no accessible extension method 'airAttenuationDistance' accepting a first argument of type 'PhysicallyBasedSky' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?

Assets\Procedural Worlds\Gaia\Scripts\Editor\GaiaHDRPPipelineUtils.cs(313,56): error CS1061: 'PhysicallyBasedSky' does not contain a definition for 'airAlbedo' and no accessible extension method 'airAlbedo' accepting a first argument of type 'PhysicallyBasedSky' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

Assets\Procedural Worlds\Gaia\Scripts\Editor\GaiaHDRPPipelineUtils.cs(315,56): error CS1061: 'PhysicallyBasedSky' does not contain a definition for 'aerosolAttenuationDistance' and no accessible extension method 'aerosolAttenuationDistance' accepting a first argument of type 'PhysicallyBasedSky' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

Assets\Procedural Worlds\Gaia\Scripts\Editor\GaiaHDRPPipelineUtils.cs(316,56): error CS1061: 'PhysicallyBasedSky' does not contain a definition for 'aerosolAlbedo' and no accessible extension method 'aerosolAlbedo' accepting a first argument of type 'PhysicallyBasedSky' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

Assets\Procedural Worlds\Gaia\Scripts\Editor\GaiaHDRPPipelineUtils.cs(320,56): error CS1061: 'PhysicallyBasedSky' does not contain a definition for 'groundColor' and no accessible extension method 'groundColor' accepting a first argument of type 'PhysicallyBasedSky' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

Assets\Procedural Worlds\Gaia\Scripts\Editor\GaiaHDRPPipelineUtils.cs(321,56): error CS1061: 'PhysicallyBasedSky' does not contain a definition for 'groundAlbedoTexture' and no accessible extension method 'groundAlbedoTexture' accepting a first argument of type 'PhysicallyBasedSky' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

Thanks for the response by the way. Much appreciated Brian.

ADDITION: Because of the console errors I cant access Gaia to follow the instructions given in the manual.

FURTHER ADDITION: I have another project same setup which doesnt have the red squares but does have the same Gaia errors.

 

Ah I see now. Gaia with HDRP currently is not available. This update will be coming soon to support 2019.3 HDRP.

 

Does that include Gaia Pro? Im using Pro and in the manual it gives instructions but of course with the errors I cant access the manager.

I will try uninstalling gaia to see what errors show.

 

Yes, Gaia and Gaia Pro will not work with HDRP with 2019.3. Currently, you can use Gaia pro with 2019.3 but only with the built-in render pipeline. You will need to install the patch as well for Gaia Pro to work in 2019.3 and follow the instructions for the patch. https://proceduralworlds.freshdesk.com/a/solutions/articles/33000249597

 

Ah right. Il reinstall it then and apply the patch. Not sure the red squares will go away though

 

Hi, I deleted Gaia Pro from both projects and they now have terrain issues. I am guessing this is CTS related as it was fine before I added CTS 2019.

Issue 1: Project 1: The Red squares are still on the terrain when zoomed into the terrain.
Issue 2: Project 2: Near is fine (not red) but far distance is all black.

Any ideas how I can fix these two issues?

Many thanks. Here are some images of Issue 1 and 2.

 

I have a new serious issue with CTS! After digging why start game inside an empty scene takes 8 second to load I figure out when CTS in inside my project it increase play mode time 3 seconds more (In a new empty scene! without any terrain or CTS script)

 

For issue number two: Project 2: Can you please check your quality settings and make sure that it is on high. This is one thing that could be causing the issue. Please let me know!

 

It could be the( Scripts/Editor/DirStructChecker.cs ) you will want to delete this as it keeps checking for older CTS and could be slowing it down. Please let me know if this fixes the issue!

 

That's correct. After I removed DirStructChecker.cs it reduced time.load from 9 seconds to 5 seconds! (Inside an empty scene) thanks. Please remove this script from newer versions

 

Hey, thanks for a great asset.
I have two questions:
Is it possible to have multiple terrains in a scene with different profiles?
Snow only shows up in play mode for me, what am I missing to make it show in the scene view?
Thanks!

 

Yes as the profile is attached to one terrain not the entire scene.

 

Hi,
when i activate the cutout mode the transition with the snow is squared, i am using Unity 2019.3.9f1 deferred.

 

We will investigate this and come up with an answer as soon as possible!

 

Hello,

I recently purchased cts 2-19. (beautiful results btw)
however when I try to add my own textures (I'm using naturemanufacturer's meadow pack)
I get the black marks.
So what I did is when I added the texture, I went to the profile, clicked bake textures then apply profile.
And when I look for the texture that I added, in unity terrain, it's gone.

Since I'm new there has got to be a button that I'm not pushing.
Any constructive help would be appreciated.

I'm using the first minute or so of the attached video as a reference.

Although I suspect It might be an older version.

Thanks!
--Joshua

 

This error with plugin installed? I deleted the substance plugin and still get the error

The type or namespace name 'Substance' could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

Code (CSharp):

1. #if SUBSTANCE_PLUGIN_ENABLED
2. using Substance.Game;
3. #endif
4.  

 

Hi,
after uninstalling the plugin did you check that SUBSTANCE_PLUGIN_ENABLED is not in Project Settings -> Player -> Scripting Define Symbols?

 

Thanks! never knew of such a thing

 

Basic/Lite mode reduces my game fps from 58 to 47 That's too much to lose around 10 frames for terrain shader
My PC is also powerful.

 

A tad confused at the moment. Just came back to my project after a small hiatus. I noticed my Gaia was now Gaia 2 (which meant changing unity to 2019.3). However, my CTS did not change. I checked for an old version of Gaia, which is no longer in my assets. Can I use the old CTS with Gaia 2, and if not, did I miss something?

 

A new update for CTS 2019 was released on the PW Store and the Unity Asset Store:

v2019.1.6:

- Changed URP shaders to prevent an unity issue with URP shadow cascades (black ring artifacts being rendered on the terrain)
- Support for SRP versions 7.2.0 to 7.3.1 added. The summary of supported SRP versions is:

SRP 4.8 in Unity 2018.3 & 2018.4
SRP 5.7.2 in Unity 2019.1
SRP 6.9.1 in Unity 2019.2
SRP 7.2.0 - 7.3.1 in Unity 2019.3

 

Anybody know how to fix that?
That happens when i use tessellation

 

Hi,

How do I use various CTS profiles (with Lite, Basic and Advanced shaders) in a build?
Changing profiles in editor works fine, but when I do the same in the build the terrain is not rendered at all.
If I stick to Basic (which is used in the scene) the terrain is rendering correctly. Trying to set profile with Lite or Advanced shader makes terrain look like this:


All the CTS shaders are added to Preloaded Assets. What can I do about it?

 

I will look into this and see what I can find!

 

You would need to upgrade to CTS 2019. You do not need to use Gaia 2 you can still use Gaia 1. If you are still wanting Gaia 1 and you have upgraded to Gaia 2 already please follow this solution!
https://proceduralworlds.freshdesk.com/a/solutions/articles/33000252471

 

Hello,

Is there any update on when you might be able to get Light Layers in HDRP to work correctly with CTS? Just wondering if it's still being looked at?

Thanks.

 

The asset is beautiful.
But there's a problem.
A very large files are created for .assets file under Profiles/Array. Over 100 Mb for file if using a 2048 or higher resolution. Unfortunately it is not possible to use CTS with systems like GitHub / GitLab. Git (default without GLF) that do not allow files of size greater than 100 Mb.
Is it possible to split these files?
Or use a different compression (Different from the default DXT5) by sacrificing a bit quality?

This an example with 9 layers.



Even these files in Assets folder are impossible to commit.

However, these files can be deleted. (?)

 

Another small problem with CTS.
CompleteTerrainShader works a lot in OnEnable ().
Run ApplyMaterial (); UpdateShader (); etc...
This creates many problems in case "world streaming" with a noticeable lag at every activation of a terrain.

 

It is still being looked at, however it will require us to completely rework the CTS shaders using Shadergraph to make sure all features of the SRPs such as the light layers are supported, so this is no easy undertaking and we can't currently give an ETA for that.

 

Splitting is not possible, but you can change the resolution and the compression in the optimization settings of the CTS Profile and then rebake the textures, this should result in a lower file size.

These files look like terrain data files which hold information about heightmap, texturing etc. These are part of the unity terrain system and are not created by CTS.

In general you need to consider if you want to edit your project so it fits in the limitations of your source control setup, or if it shouldn't be the other way around - if your project requires file sizes over 100 mb (which is not that uncommon in an unity project), the source control should be able to handle that. We use Git internally to work on our projects as well and use Git LFS to handle files > 100 MB.

To combat this, you can use the "Disconnect Profile" button in the CTS component. Disconnecting a profile will

• Create a persistent material in the Profiles\Material folder
• Create persistent copy of the terrain splatmaps in the Profiles\Splatmaps folder
• Remove references to the CTS profile, normal, color map and cutout mask texture
• Remove all terrain layers from the terrain
• Remove all splatmaps from the terrain data object

In other words it will turn CTS to a persistent material on the terrain that is not refreshed in "OnEnable" anymore, this should get rid off the spikes you were seeing in world streaming.

 

Ok, thank you for the update. CTS is a great terrain shader, and I'd love to see it be as feature complete as possible.

 

Thanks for information, apparently these were unnecessary files, deleting everything works as it should.
Maybe it was just a remnant of some of my previous test.

I also use GLF but I would gladly avoid it because of the slowness it implies in the push even for files less than 100 Mb if inserted in the gitattributes.
All I can do that halving the resolution of textures.

This is beautiful news!


The final effect with CTS is really pleasing, also with 1024 textures.


Thanks.

 

Unfortunately it is not possible to disconnect the profile without problems occurring.

It seems that the Layers IDs disappear.

I would also have another question.
Does the CTS.CTSTerrainManager script/gameObject have to be unique for each scene or is it okay to be "DontDestroyOnLoad" and therefore the same for all terrain that will be loaded during the game?

 

I had a look at this issue, and I was not able to replicate it from my side: When I create a profile for a terrain and then disconnect it, the look of the terrain stays the same during runtime. Note that it is correct that the terrain layers disappear: Those are being removed to save memory because CTS has the same textures referenced in its internal array, so the texture layers on the terrain are not needed anymore at that point.

To analyze the issue further, could you please double click on the material in the terrain inspector....


Then take a look at the albedo texture array that is referenced in there....



This should point to an array of textures, you can see the textures that are stored in there. These should be the baked textures from the CTS Profile, you can browse through the textures stored in there with the back and forward buttons.



Could you please check how the textures in this array look like when you are encountering the issue? And could you please do a comparison when the profile is disconnected and the textures are still OK, vs. how the textures in this file look during runtime? I'm currently assuming that there is something wrong with those textures during runtime for some reason.

If you load / remove scenes additive for terrain streaming, one single CTS.CTSTerrainManager script in the Master scene should be enough, and the individual terrain scenes would not need another CTSTerrainManager. If you are switching between scenes in the sense of "changing levels", I would not use DontDestroyOnLoad because I would fear this would end up with the CTSTerrainManager keeping references to removed terrains from the unloaded scenes.

 

Hi,
Light Baking (AO ) with "Draw instanced" is still not fixed in this one?

 

Hi, first of all, I love the results achieved with CTS. However, I have an issue with performance where any non-Unity shader selected in my profile (Lite included) results in stuttering. I've tried disconnecting the profile before running, and I've tried this in a test scene with only one texture applied to the terrain from the profile (there are still 13 total) and I still get the stuttering. Graphics are set to linear/deferred. In my test scene I'm using 3x3 terrain tiles of 4k size and 4k heightmap, 2k others. The profiler seemed to indicate the spikes were time spent in EditorLoop, however it was the same result in a build. Any suggestions would be welcome, as I'd love to have the ability to use the triplanar rendering for cliffs and the other CTS features in the Basic/Advanced shaders.
Unity version is 2019.4.2f1, and I am on an i9 9900KF, RTX 2080 and 32GB RAM so I hope computing power/memory is not the issue. CTS version is 2019.1.6.

 

Hi. Quick question, does CTS or GAIA can do mesh with terrain blending.

I'm looking for something like this:
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/vfx/shaders/terrain-blending-starter-kit-91921#reviews

I could not find the answer and as I know some competition solutions does this that is why I have got some hopes that it does.

 

In 2019.3.6f1 with the standard pipeline, everything runs fine in the editor but the PS4 build has weird artifacts going on. The terrain doesn't render at all and there's flashing of black quads. I'm attaching a number of shader errors from the build log which is most likely the issue. Is this something you can fix as we have a project a few weeks out from going into QA and we really need a better terrain solution.

Thanks,
Reggie

 

"
I don't know if I answered your question in the Freshdesk ticket system so I will answer it here as well.

In general, CTS should perform comparably to Unity Shading with the lite and basic shader types. We have had some reports from other users in the past that the may experience stuttering or worse performance, those are usually difficult to track down because they tend to be not reproducible e.g. when changing Unity versions or when the same project is running on different hardware. i.e if you sent me the project I may not experience the same issue.

One thing you may try is to update the graphics card drivers as this does indeed sometimes be the issue.

 

CTS does not support mesh blending. This was something we were looking into but found it to be something we would investigate further in the future possibly.

Gaia 2 / Pro offers the ability to turn a terrain into a mesh. You can export your terrain into a mesh in the advance tab of the Gaia Manager.

 

I will look and see if I can find any information for you!

 

What about the other way around? Can I use any imported FBX as "terrain"?

 

Yeah sorry about that, I posted here before I went through the process of signing up for the ticket system and compiling the reports. I'll try to remember to post the solution here once it's found though, in case other users are experiencing the issue.

 

Should be possible yes

 

It's a hard thing as results vary depending on your project etc. I have seen when you update the game ready driver this has been helping!

 

So then theoretically, I should be able to use CTS on anything, not just on terrain as such.
For example I should be able to stick a concrete texture on a building facade and have it hide the repition of the tiled map, correct?

 

CTS is a terrain shader it could be possible to manipulate it to do such a thing but we do not support anything other than terrain.

 

Then I'm confused

If you support a terrain imported as an fbx from 3ds max, which for all purposes are just a mesh, not an actual terrain object, then what is the difference of using any other mesh as a "terrain", be that a ground plane, a building, an animal, or any other fbx?

I'm not understanding this..