World Building EasyRoads3D v3 - the upcoming new road system

I know you would use side objects for things like guardrails and streetlights but do you also use them for things like traffic signals and stop signs, or do I place these manually in the scene at intersections?

 

It is an URP project. I left the stuck loop running for a couple of hours and eventually it "went through", so now I can use the system for this project. However, I believe any time the API updater runs for something else it also tries to "fix" the 3droads.dll and this leads to the same error again. Based on what you said, it seems that the problem is on my end. The fact that it happens even in new projects is awful though, so I might need to fully wipe Unity out of my machine and reinstall it - that's so odd.

 

Hi OccularMalice,

Side objects are indeed more used to spawn or generate objects along the full road or road marker sections.

Traffic signals and stop signs at intersections can be done by adding them as child objects to the connection prefabs in the project folder. The Custom Connection tutorial video does show something similar for the rail road crossing.

The v3.3 Flex Connector will work different in a way that the shape will adjust to corners angles and these connectors are not based on prefabs in the project folder. Traffic signal and stop sign options will be available in the Inspector.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hello Setmaster,

It is strange. We do sometimes notice something similar in newer Unity versions upon selecting the road network object in the scene the first time. But it only shows for a short time, at most a couple of seconds. It certainly does not involve a recompile of the EasyRoads3D scripts. After that the road network is selected instantly and everything is responsive straight away.

As mentioned in my previous post, if you want you can send a project so we can test your setup.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

So should I build custom connectors now or wait for 3.3? How long away is it?

 

Hello OccularMalice,

Is this related to the stop signs and traffic signals question?

That depends on your connection types? Are you using the v3.3 beta and Flex Connectors? Contrary to the current built-in X and T crossings Flex Connectors support flexible angles between road objects. This means that there is no fixed position for these traffic signals and stop signs. So in this case indeed you want to use these options I mentioned. It is planned for the next beta update.

For all other connection types the other option will work, also for built-in connection prefabs like X and T crossings. I only mentioned the Custom Connector tutorial video because in that video it also shows how child objects can be added. So the same applies to built-in X and T Crossing prefabs which are located in /Assets/EasyRoads3D/Resources/dynamic prefabs/

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Yes it was for the intersections. I'm using the asset store version (which I checked was 3.2x). I know it has flex connectors as it's created some in my scene already. I think I'd rather switch to the flex ones as they seem more powerful. I'll look at updating to the beta and go that route then as anything shippable for me is months away at least.

 

Hello OccularMalice,

Flex Connectors is v3.3 beta. Do you have the additional Demo package imported as well? This demo package has the v3.3 beta already imported. The imported version is visible in the most right Info tab in the EasyRoads3D toolbar in the Inspector.

Flex Connectors are indeed more powerful and fairly stable depending on how they are used. Flex Connectors with different road types attached that have significant differences in road widths need more work.

The beta update with these new options should be available in the next couple of weeks. It will work by positioning this type of prefabs based on specific offset values relative to where the road object connects to the Flex Connector. If you have other specific wishes regarding this, feedback is always welcome.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

I have EasyRoads3D Pro and the HDR Add on. I'm simply trying to hook up a connector and I get this error which hangs Unity and I have to restart everything. I can't get past it. I've tried using different roads and connectors and I've used a range of different settings but I can't get past this error. Please help!

 

Greeting!
I'm working on an exciting project that requires to dynamically generate roads and road networks. To achieve this, I'm using EasyRoad3Dv3 and specifically trying to utilize its OSM file functionality within a runtime script. but I have been unable to find any information about how to do this in the Easyroad3D manual. I'm hoping to achieve the ability to upload an OSM file from my system and then use that data to generate roads in the terrain.

If any of you have an idea about this, and can give me an example script, it will be beneficial for me

Thanks in advance.

 

Hello Bethsheba_Ashe,

There are no known issues like this when connecting road objects to intersections so I need to more info.

What are the exact steps after which this happens?

Does it happen with specific road types and connectors?

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hello Wajid_Ibrahim,

Importing OSM files is a fairly simple process. It is covered in the manual, http://www.easyroads3d.com/v3/html/general_settings.html#importData

The first point of attention is the terrain, does the terrain bounds match the OSM data bounds. In that case it is not necessary to enter the coordinates of the terrain. Otherwise the terrain coordinates can be entered, that way the road data is parsed relative to these terrain coordinates.

After that OSM road types can be assigned to EasyRoads3D road types, this is optional.

The final step is to press "Open OSM File", select the OSM file from your system, after this the road data will be extracted and road objects will be created accordingly.

Let me know if you have more questions.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Thank you @raoul
but I want to generate the roadnetwork using runtime script, simply means that the user can upload the file to my application using UI and based on user input osm file, I generate the roadnetwork in a terrain

 

Hi @Wajid_Ibrahim,

My apologies, it was late last night, I missed the runtime bit. In the current v3.2 the OSM option is only available in the Unity editor.

But recently runtime support for this was requested and meanwhile this is implemented. It will be available in the next update.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi Raoul, Thanks for getting in touch. This is a URP project, and I've discovered it happens when I connect a road (a cul-de-sac actually) to an X. i.e. both ends of the road are connected to the X. The weird thing is, I've discovered that if I add an I connector to the middle of the road then the issue disappears and I can connect both ends of the road to the connector.

This doesn't seem to be road specific. I've tried it with a tertiary road (new) and with an NM asphalt advanced road.

The only other issue I have apart from that is that retaining walls are breaking through on/around the connectors. I usually set them to -0.02 on the roads, but I don't see how to manage them on the connectors as they auto generated there.

 

Hi Bethsheba_Ashe,

In your original post you mentioned the HD Roads Add On package. In this post you mention cul-de-sac, does this happen when this connector is involved? It seems you created the cul-de-sac? What is the exact setup?

HD Roads Add On road types have a 3 node setup, I Connectors can be used to connect road types with a different shape setup so this may indeed be involved. But it would explain why Unity hangs, when attempting to connect different road shapes directly the middle connection will turn red as an indication that the road shapes do not match. That is it, Unity should not hang.

Regarding retaining walls, what does this look like? Is this indeed side object "Y Position" related?

Thanks,
Raoul

 

I want to visualize multi-lane (4 lane)


I tried it, but I couldn't set it up.

In the lane info I tried.

What file should I put in the material?

 

Hello wjsehwls,

"Lane Info" is a v3.3 (beta) feature. At the moment it is used to generate lane data for AI. In this tab the lane positions can be set as visible in your screenshots.

Indeed eventually in v3.3 there will also be material options that will visualize the lane count. At the moment it is a matter of using a road texture with the specific lane count.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

So I have to create a multi-lane material??
There is no multi-lane material in your esay road's file.

If 3.3 version have multi-lane material,
Teach me that keyword.

 

Hello wjsehwls,

EasyRoads3D is a framework that can be used with your own assets. You can create your own materials and assign them to road types just like with the provided examples.

The additional free demo package, https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/terrain/easyroads3d-demo-project-105045, includes several road types and side object presets. It also includes a 2x2 road type.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi Raoul,
The roads connecting to the X are all identical (see pic). It doesn't like it if both sides of a road are attached to the same connector, but I think it treats it as a separate road if I insert an I connector and allows it. I've attached a pic of the bleed-through I'm seeing from the retaining walls too.

 

Hi Bethsheba_Ashe,

How did you create the roads and Flex Connector in the first image and at which point did this not work?

This is what I just did in the demo scene.



What I did notice was that initially the road end could not snap to a section of the same road (I will check that). That was solved by extruding a new road from that section, the Flex Connector is inserted. And snap this road section to the other end point, resulting in one road object, no I Connector involved.

The retaining walls in the second image also bleed through the road, so this does not only happen on the connector.

This is not a provided retaining wall preset. What are the exact settings, especially the alignment settings?

Does the same happen when assigning the provided retaining wall example in the demo package?

Thanks,
Raoul

 

hello Raoul

I have3 Question .



1. How can roads of different sizes be connected smoothly?



2. I built a multi-lane road with decal.
I want to extract it as an external program and change the color.
Teach me how to extract it.

3

3. Is it possible to separate the roads of the nodes that have already been created?


Raoul..I'm a beginner.So my question is stupid,
but I ask for your detailed explanation .
And I bought your Easy Road, Easy Road Pro, and add-on too ^ ^

thanks

 

Hello wjsehwls,

This is more advanced. I see you already managed to connect both roads using an I Connector.

By default the I Connector will simply connect both road objects. But it has additional options.

Can you select the yellow handle between the two road objects and look in the Inspector.

Both road objects are listed. For both road objects there is a field "Connector Distance" with a default value of 0. Entering a value of for example 5 will create a transition mesh of 5 units. Below this field you will see the "Stretch Width" slider. This can be used to change the width at the connection point.

There is also a "Stretch To Fit" Button. This will match the width of the other road object. And in the dropdown you can select how the transition should be done: linear, exponential or smooth.

Finally, for larger width changes you want probably want to set "Sub Division" to 1 for smooth road texture results.

These options are mainly intended for connecting asphalt and dirt tracks with transition meshes and matching material.

Another option and easier in this case, is in the exact situation of the screenshot with that marker selected, press the R key. In Unity this activated the scale tool. For EasyRoads3D it can be used to scale the road width of the selected marker. Just drag the handle to scale the road.

And because in your screenshot both road objects look the same apart from the width this last option can also be used on a single road object, no need to create two roads with an I Connector.

These last two options do require a road shape with a node in the center.

I am not exactly sure what you mean with "external program". What exactly do you want to do here?

I see these line markings are created with side objects. Do you mean you want more of these decals on the same road object at another position and with another color?

In that case, have you seen the side object tutorials? It is good to watch these videos and get familiar with the system.

In this case it is a matter of duplicating the specific side object, change the "X Position" value, and assign a different material with the color of your choice.

What exactly do you mean with "separate"?

Road markers can be selected and moved to change the shape. Road markers can be inserted using the "i" key Road markers can be removed with the "r" key. And road objects can be split at marker positions by pressing Shift + J or "Split Road at Selected Marker" in the marker section in the Inspector.

No problem, road networks can be complex, please ask if you have questions

Thanks,
Raoul

 

I'm making a 100 kilometer open scene. I love E3D, but recently I had a problem that I needed to make prefabricated roads when I was making roads. However, if you drop the road back into the folder and find the prefab grid during the production process, it will be lost, making the prefab unusable. I had to think differently about how to use it. At the moment, we put our roads in a separate scene and load the scene dynamically rather than pre-built them. I hope it can be made into a preform directly, so that I can use it better. I hope there is a solution. Thank you Raoul

 

Hello Hugo99999999,

Unity stores dynamically generated meshes (the road meshes in this cases) by default in the scene file. And Unity prefabs require the mesh asset to be physically present in the project folder. That is why the mesh asset is missing in the prefab.

After updating the terrain, with the middle mountain tab active in the Inspector there is a button "Store Mesh Assets in Project Folder". This will create the mesh assets in the project folder and link them to the road objects. It is recommended to use this when work on the road object is completed.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi Raoul,
I Just bought ER HD Pack to have 1) better looking roads 2) new connection prefabs out of the box.

Experimented on Unity 2021, HDRP 10.2, new scene from HDRP sample scene template.

But I meet a lot of problems with it.
1. HD SRP Road Material - params "2nd road noise mask power" and "2nd road noise mask threshold" are not working at all. So any "dirty" roads rendered only as dirt on the scene. It seems 1st texture is just ignored.


2. Connectors are really hard to use even when there are library of them
2.1 Trying to connect "NM two lanes" with "NM two lanes dirty" - impossible
2.2 Trying to connect "NM two lanes" to other "NM two lanes" to connect like highway exit - no way
2.3 I have about 80 connection objects. Previews are not rendered (gray box). And it's impossible to choose needed.


Could you please point me to some tutorial how to create "highway exit-like connector"?
I bought it because I thought Y-connector is exactly highway exit, but its not.
And also what about the bridges with suspension?

3. Demo scene is not working
3.1 opening w/o import of HDRP package -> scene ok, but pink materials, as expected
3.2 opening after import of HDRP package -> a lot of errors with transforms not attached to real game objects

BTW I have the following exceptions during try.

1. Switching between road types
Convert road type to another for new road
Convert NM double side to NM dotted
PPtr cast failed when dereferencing! Casting from Material to PhysicMaterial!
UnityEngine.StackTraceUtility:ExtractStackTrace ()
EasyRoads3Dv3.OOCQQDODCC:UpdateRoadTypeByRoad (EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularBase,EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularRoad,int,EasyRoads3Dv3.QDQDOOQQDQODD)
EasyRoads3Dv3.OOCQQDODCC:UpdateRoadType (EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularBase,int)
EasyRoads3Dv3Editor.ODQDCOOOQQ:OnInspectorGUI ()
UnityEditor.EditorGUI/PopupCallbackInfo:SetEnumValueDelegate (object,string[],int)

2. Most any instantiation of connection prefabs:
ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Index was out of range. Must be non-negative and less than the size of the collection.
Parameter name: index
System.Collections.Generic.List`1[T].get_Item (System.Int32 index) (at <6073cf49ed704e958b8a66d540dea948>:0)
EasyRoads3Dv3Editor.ODQDCOOOQQ.OnSceneGUI () (at <dd33561264d24db997cb26a555e2d9b7>:0)
System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.Invoke (System.Object obj, System.Reflection.BindingFlags invokeAttr, System.Reflection.Binder binder, System.Object[] parameters, System.Globalization.CultureInfo culture) (at <6073cf49ed704e958b8a66d540dea948>:0)
Rethrow as TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.

3. Insert ER X connector
FormatException: Input string was not in a correct format.
System.Number.ThrowOverflowOrFormatException (System.Boolean overflow, System.String overflowResourceKey) (at <6073cf49ed704e958b8a66d540dea948>:0)
System.Number.ParseSingle (System.ReadOnlySpan`1[T] value, System.Globalization.NumberStyles styles, System.Globalization.NumberFormatInfo info) (at <6073cf49ed704e958b8a66d540dea948>:0)
System.Single.Parse (System.String s) (at <6073cf49ed704e958b8a66d540dea948>:0)
EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularBase.OQQQQOCQCO (System.String roadShapeString, System.Collections.Generic.List`1[T] strings, System.Collections.Generic.List`1[T] crossingElements) (at <8b5768fb027940b3839216d839c4da69>:0)
EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularBase.OCDCCQOQDD (EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularRoad OOQDQCDQCQ, EasyRoads3Dv3.ERCrossingPrefabs prefabScript, System.Int32 ODCODDOOQO, System.Int32 startConnection, System.Boolean swapFlag) (at <8b5768fb027940b3839216d839c4da69>:0)
EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularBase.OQCOCQDOQC (UnityEngine.GameObject prefab, EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularRoad OOQDQCDQCQ, System.Int32 ODCODDOOQO, System.Int32 connectionSegment) (at <8b5768fb027940b3839216d839c4da69>:0)
EasyRoads3Dv3Editor.OOOQQODDCC.ODQOQOCDOC (EasyRoads3Dv3.ERModularBase scr, EasyRoads3Dv3Editor.ODQDCOOOQQ eScr) (at <dd33561264d24db997cb26a555e2d9b7>:0)
EasyRoads3Dv3Editor.ODQDCOOOQQ.OnInspectorGUI () (at <dd33561264d24db997cb26a555e2d9b7>:0)
UnityEditor.UIElements.InspectorElement+<>c__DisplayClass59_0.<CreateIMGUIInspectorFromEditor>b__0 () (at <3d6ac16e3c754a199373804b462a1b72>:0)
UnityEngine.GUIUtilityrocessEvent(Int32, IntPtr, Boolean&)

 

Still fighting with crossing/connections/connectors. Not working.

This tutorial not working for me with different errors:
- Create connection object - throw obfuscated exception
- For some prefabs - they are not visible in vertex view

I'm using latest ER3d:


Here is only one success case I got, but it's for only one type of roads:


Here are other attempts. I can't get why sometimes flex connector is ok and in other - fail. And how to force flex connector for different road types? Or how to create custom connector with variable angle (the same - exit from the highway).

 

Hello oleg_v

Is this related the advanced shaders blending road textures? This blending is controllable per marker by changing the marker vertex color.

The desired default blending level can be set through the vertex color in the specific road type settings.

All HD Roads road types have the same setup and all road types can connect to HD Roads connection prefabs.

In what way is this not possible on your end? Do you see red handles?

The Preview option in the Inspector is based on the Unity API creating snapshots. There are many prefabs and it may take a little bit time at first to create the snapshots but there are no known issues with this.



And perhaps relevant, often there will be a selection of these prefabs that are mainly used in a scene. When using the default test display it is possible to select prefabs so they are pushed to the top for quick selection. This can be useful when many prefabs are listed in the Inspector.

That is known for the demo scene in an HDRP project. It is the same scene as used for the default assets in the package using the Unity built-in render. The scene can be viewed in a project using this built-in render pipeline.

I just tested this and I can recreate the issue for some of the road types. We will check these road types what is causing this when changing road types on a road object.

In any case, physics material options are available in the Road Type section and by itself the warning is harmless.

When exactly is this error raised, after which step? What do you mean with "Most any installation of connection prefabs".

There are no known issues with connecting road objects to these prefabs.

Insert ER X Connector sounds as if a default X Connector is inserted on a HD Roads Add On road type. In that case, how are you doing this?

HD Roads Add On road types have a 2 node setup, built-in X and T connectors have a 2 node setup. Inserting this type of X connector on an HD Rods road object will not work, the specific connector will not be in the list of the available connectors for this road object. Or there will be a warning: "EasyRoads3Dv3: The selected connection prefab could not be attached".

What are the exact steps before the error is thrown?

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hello oleg_v,

I will go through the last three screenshots

First, you mention the Flex Connector, your previous post shows that v3.2.2 is imported in your project. The Flex Connector is v3.3 beta.

Screenshot 1:

These are HD Roads Add On road types. The angle between the two road objects is small. This is more a situation for the v3.3 Flex Connector available in the v3.3 betas. The first screenshot in the post shows that v3.2.2 is imported.

In this image two different road types are involved. There are different ways within EasyRoads3D to connect roads, insert connections. Your approach is to move one road over the other. Because two different road objects are involved, the question here is, what connection prefab to insert? That is why the red handle appears.

When both road types were of the same type, a blue handle will appear and the two road object can auto connect.

In this situation, please insert a road marker at the connection point. With that marker selected open the the Connections tab in the Inspector and select the type of connection you want. And attach the other road object to this onnection as well.

Screenshot 2:

This is a similar situation as above, two different road types are involved. This is a motorway 2x2 road type from the demo package. It is part of the demo package to show how the Custom Connection system can be used to import your own connection models into the system. This demo package includes matching ramp prefabs for this road type and and custom roundabout. These are the matching connection prefabs for this specific road type in the demo package.

Screenshot 3:

This is more a situation for the Flex Connector mentioned above.



Or a custom connector.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi!
You are right, IDK how but I have implicit switch from 3.2.2 to 3.3beta (where Flex connector is implemented).
Here is my pure experience in 3.2.2:

You can see there a bugs I told about in upper post.

Are there any ways to get "road exit" like connectors as you show w/o creation of custom connector per each possible road exit?
I'm trying to switch to large scenes with generation of roads by OSM maps.But it seems it'll require a years to manually fix all the roads/connections.
Another question is how to split the roads for streamed additive scenes with terrain chunks.

 

I'm also interested in this very much. MicroVerse + EasyRoad is a killer for me, and I would really like to use them together. I hope you guys can figure this out :0

 

Hello Oleg_v,

The video:

0:45, "Why marker is not everywhere". What do you mean with this. The blue handle is visible along the road. Only at the far right it is not visible because the road angle is too strong and perhaps because it is near the end of the other road.

1:14

1. "It is not a road exit". What do you mean with this?

Do you want a Flex Connector here. This option is not visible in the Inspector. Do you still have v3.2.2 imported? The Flex Conenctor is v3.3

2. "How can I get back to road marker selection".

The crossing is selected. In this state no road markers are visible. Click on the terrain to deselect the crossing, all road markers will be visible again. And that is exactly what happened after that in the video.

1:27. "What is this rectangle" and "How to remove it"

It is a sidewalk section. You pressed the grey handle which activated it. Press the handle again to deactivate is and press the outer grey handles to activate the sidewalks on attached road objects.

2:17 "I still need exit like connections".

Customizable motorway exit type of connections are not yet available. They can be done by importing exit prefabs. The demo package includes examples of this. I mentioned that in my previous post. It includes examples for the Primary road type used in this video.

2:13, "No way to connect"

Again, the road angle is too sharp. It seems again you want an exit type of connection here. Insert a marker at the connection point, thenwith that marker selected insert exit connection and attach the other road. The same process I mentioned in my previous post for two different road types.

The video continues trying to do the same thing, connecting roads at a sharp angle.

3: 40 switching to HD Road Add on package which has fixed X, T, Y and roundabout assets.

Also with these road objects the same is visible, trying to connect road objects at sharp angles.

4:31 road type "NM_Asphalt_Double_Lines" , connection "Asphalt_Lines_Damaged_ER_OX" is inserted. There are errors in the console.

I tested this with the same road type and connection.



There are no errors. On your end there are similar errors with other prefabs. Is this perhaps a package Import issue? Can you select a connection and Shift + Click in the scene to instantiate the prefab directly in the scene?

[Edit] further in the video it is actually visible that this does work well for other connectors. So this may indeed be an inssue with the specific prefabs in the video. Were they altered? Reimporting them from the package may well fix this.

5:30 The prefab preview does show now. As mentioned yesterday, this is done through the Unity API using the prefab snapshot feature. Glad to see that this does actually work for you as well. Perhaps next time, deselect / reselect road network object may help to trigger the snaphot process again.

5:35 Pink materials, you have all the packages imported. URP and HDRP support was added in v3.2. All road network objects in the v3.2 demo scene that use custom shaders are optimized for URP and HDRP.

Older v3.1 assets can be updated by assigning one of the v3.2 shaders. And please use the Unity render pipeline conversion tool to update all materials that use Unity built-in shaders / materials.

6:30 "Most funny case when you have a scene with a completed road network and need to change it a little "

I don't know what you mean with this. Road networks are fully editable up till the point that a road network is Finalized. When a road network is finalized all scripts are removed and indeed the road network will not be editable anymore. That does not appear to be the case in the video.


7:08 The same situation as in your previous post, moving road type A over road type B, what connection prefab to auto insert? Next in the video you do insert the connector from the Inspector.

7:23 "I am still looking for road exit-connector".

Motorway exit type of connectors are not advertised for the HD Roads Add On package. We would clearly put them in the demo scene and video if they would be available.

Have you seen the v3.2 demo scene? It includes examples of how exit type of connectors can be imported and used.


8:33. Ok, so you did find these exit type of connector examples.

8:59. The HD Roads Add On package also supports URP and HDRP. Please check the short PDF manually. There is no need to manually update materials.

Summary

The main situation seems to be exit road specific. Road network tools are one of the most complicated because of there are so many different situations in the real world . Every single situation requires a specific implementation. We are doing our best to cover all this but it is a step by step process.

One of the first features we implemented was the Custom Connection system. It is possible to import your own models into the system so you are not limited by what is provided built-in. That is how exit roads can be done, as mentioned the v3.2 demo scene includes examples that can be reviewed.

There appears to be an issue with some of the prefabs in the HD Roads Add On package in your project. The first thing we would try is remove these specific prefabs from /Assets/EasyRoads3D/Resources/custom prefabs/. And reimport that same specific folder from the package. I explicitly mention that folder only because your project is HDRP, by only importing that specific folder the HDRP setup will not be overwritten.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi tosyk_tsw,

We are looking into this in different ways because I belief MicroVerse works with Unity splines while EasyRoads3D has different control types for which it seems they cannot all be converted to Unity splines. So full integration may not be possible, also with regard to for example random bumpiness and tilting which will require custom spline curves and rotations.

And we are looking into this anyway.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi Raoul,

Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry about the delay in replying, I've been tweaking other parts of the Island and went down a rabbit hole.

I don't have the demo package installed at the moment, just Pro and the Add on. I was getting errors and crashes with the retaining wall so I changed to using the mountain wall and clicked on "retaining wall" in the settings for mountain wall which seemed more reliable. The road network is large, covering the entire Island. There's generally no bleed-through on the roads except for sections near the connectors (there are 3 connectors with issues), and by the looks of it the wall bleeds through between the connector node and the first node of the road. I've tried resetting and refreshing things with no luck. I've tried altering the smoothness in and out, and that that makes no difference.



I'm going to try deleting one of the connectors and replacing it today, to see whether the issue resolves itself. *fingers crossed*

~ Beth.

 

Ah... that's interesting! I went to delete the connector through the Easyroads interface and it didn't display the screen with the button for "delete connector". So I went to delete it anyway, and an Easyroads message came up asking me if I wanted to delete the object and I said yes, and it didn't delete the mountain wall underneath! It's given me this!

 

Okay, I think I have it sorted. The fix involved refreshing the side objects and then resetting the road smoothness options which got rid of the bleed. I was able to then go ahead and attach a new flex connector.

Raoul, when I'm applying this fix I get a message from Easyroads. I think when I delete the connector it's not telling Modular Base.

But anyways, I'm happy now because I can get the roads fixed and it now looks awesome.

Thanks for all the hard work you've done on this asset!
Maybe in the troubleshooting section of the manual you could mention resetting the road smoothness after deleting the connector and just making a new connector? I don't know, but I hope this info helps.

 

Hi Beth,

The Inspector screenshots in your previous post are all road type and road object specific.

The interesting one is that of the retaining wall in the Side Object Manager, especially the bottom section. What is selected for "Alignment"? "Path Normal" is what you want to use here, it will align the retaining wall exactly with the road object orientation at that point?

I just tested various connection types, Flex Connectors, T Crossings (with and without "Activate Bending" switched on. The retaining wall example in the demo package is aligned well with the road objects and all connector types.



That is why I asked if you tested the provided example. When that side object presets works well in you scene it can be used as a reference and to compare settings.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Yes, the side objects on connectors are actually interpolated on the road objects.

It seems you manually removed the specific connector. In that case the wall sections will still be visible because they are part of the road objects. Refreshing these road objects, or the specific side object on these road objects will fix that.

Thank you, glad to hear you like the tool overall.

Higher random road smoothness and tilting can indeed effect side objects that should be aligned with the road.

But this too can be controlled. The retaining wall example in the demo package has "Clamp to Road Geometry" toggled on. That way the retaining wall shape will follow the road bumpiness and tilting.

Below is a more extreme example of random bumpiness and tilting. The wall is still aligned with the road.



Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi,

it's really cool to see the progress towards non-destructive creation. Are there any tries to use ER3D together with MultiVerse terrain stamps?

I'm looking forward to this

EDIT:

Can you guys help me to convert materials to HDRP? I'm on unity v2021.3.18f1. I read the manual in the ER folder but when I imported HDRP_12_1_0.unitypackage into my scene I get more errors and objects are still pink

 

Hi tosyk_tsw,

The EasyRoads3D package is a framework, it can be used with your own road and side object assets. That is why the main package includes limited additional assets.

The Introduction video uses the demo package which is free if you have EasyRoads3D Pro, https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/terrain/easyroads3d-demo-project-105045

It is mentioned near the start in this Introduction video where around 01:50 the available packages are covered.

Regarding non-destructive real time terrain updating, I belief MultiVerse uses Unity splines introduced in Unity 2022.2. So that is what we are looking in to support. The tricky part is that our spline curves are customized and adapting for examples on connections for smooth transitions, how to recreate that in an efficient way. The quick video I posted is what we are also working on in between things, all in EasyRoads3D.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Can you guys help me to convert materials to HDRP? I'm on unity v2021.3.18f1. I read the manual in the ER folder but when I imported HDRP_12_1_0.unitypackage into my scene I get more errors and objects are still pink

 

I'm on v2021.3.18f1 which is also supports these splines without any errors

 

I didn't say there are spline errors. What I meant was that EasyRoads3D uses custom spline curves resulting in a specific shape especially on connectors. The mesh generation system is based on that. And the tricky part is recreating this with Unity splines.

 

The EasyRoads3D root directory includes general SRP read me files.

Those materials that use Unity built-in shaders can be upgraded using the Unity render pipeline converter tool.

Then it is a matter of importing the respective HDRP packages from /Assets/EasyRoads3D/SRP Support Packages/ if that was not done automatically.

I see you meanwhile also imported the additional demo package. HDRP packages are also included for this package, DEMO_HDRP_12_1_0.unitypackage

Finally, URP and HDRP support was added in v3.2. The road network assets in the v3.2 demo scene are fully supported in URP and HDRP. The older v3.1 demo scene is not fully updated. If you still see pink materials, then these are older assets. It is a matter of assigning one of the v3.2 shaders if you want to use these assets.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

I'm pretty much sure, Microverse just uses a standard brush paint approach, it just done on the GPU. Unity splines are just sampled to get a position. Jason stated that instead of writing another custom spline tool, he decided to rely on Unity's splines as it's a native and now supported system ! So Microverse is not actually related to Unity splines !

I think that a proper way of implement such feature is to just look into implementing a GPU brush/paint system ! Still, terrain heightmap is just a texture and GPUs are great at dealing with textures ! The point is that to get a good performance you have calculate heightmap on a region only instead of the whole terrain system.

if i'm not mistaken, Unity''s terrain API allows you to alter a region of the heightmap only, like for example you are adjusting a single marker, you get the bounding box of the road to neighbor markers of that marker and just alter that terrain region which would improve performance.

 

what I did is:

- imported ER latest version into my project
- imported ER Demo Scene latest version into my project
- imported HDRP_12_1_0.unitypackage
- imported DEMO_HDRP_12_1_0.unitypackage
- converted all project materials into HDRP with unity converter

Now when I reload the unity I see these warnings and still pink materials. How can I resolve this?

 

Hi Vagabond_,

Yes, that is what we do alter a region of the terrain.

With regard to Microverse, regardless the inner working of the tool and which spline system it uses, it is still necessary to pass the road data in some form. That is the challenging part.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi tosyk_tsw,

The Inspector shows that road related assets are not pink, so it seems DEMO_HDRP_12_1_0.unitypackage did import well.

I see older v3.1 demo scene assets, I mentioned in my previous post that the v3.1 demo scene assets are not optimized for HDRP.

Did you check both the v3.1 and the 3.2 demo scene? Do you see pink materials in the v3.2 demo scene?

The demo package is intended for learning purposes. What you can do is, look at the older v3.1 demo scene in a Unity project that uses the built-in renderer. This way the scene can be explored and you will see what these older assets look like. If you want to use them you can update them with v3.2 shaders. Otherwise, if you want to use this full demo package in your project, the connection prefabs the folder /Assets/EasyRoads3D/Resources/Custom Prefabs/ that you do not need can be removed from that folder. They will no longer appear in the Inspector.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Thank you. The only reason why I have this demo asset is to have different presets for the roads to use within my project. So I need to change all the pink materials manually now?

Here's my 3.2+ demo scene in the attachments