World Building EasyRoads3D v3 - the upcoming new road system

Look like the answer to my prayer. Thank you for making this Raoul!

 

Raoul, I love Easyroads 3d, I have the full version, and there's only one issue for me:

I have 4 terrain tiles, and when I enage the "multiple terrains" option, it indeed places the road across multiple terrains, and the ctrl-alt clicking works great, but it only correctly adapts the terrain to the road in the terrain that is selected at the moment I calculate the road. I work around this by creating a duplicate of the road, and if marker "25" is (for example) at the split between terrain 1 and 2, I keep marker 1-25 for the terrain1 road, and keep 25-40 for the terrain2 road. As you can imagine, this doesn't end up as nice as it can be, so I would love to know if there's a better way to do it.

Again, the road works on both terrains, but on the terrain that isn't currently selected the splat doesn't get handled, the height doesn't get transformed, etc.

Thanks!

Jack

 

, it is getting shape and it is what we ourselves are looking for, hope you will like the final version as well...

 

Hi Jack, glad you like it!

You can use the same road across multiple terrains. the trick for terrain flattening etc. is the same as when adding markers. It is handled per terrain. In v2 this is the recommended workflow:

1. Build your road(s), afterwards one by one build the terrains and check if everything looks the way you want.by switching between Edit Mode and Build Mode.
2. Once all looks good, in General Settings uncheck the Restore option and repeat step 1. When you now switch back to Edit Mode the current terrain will not be restored. This way you can build all final terrains one by one.

It is recommended to keep backups of the terrains, just in case...

In v3 you will be able to choose to either only build the active terrain or all terrains at once.

Raoul

 

Hi,

is there a machanism to have more realistic roads on terrain? The roads are too artifical, bug free and dirt free. If i build a road in the desert, i want some flaws, terrain corresponding dirts and holes. How can i achive this apperance? At the time i have to use the old way, mostly on flat terrain put the road components together by hand with snapping...

And more frustrating things:

- register for side objects, just put them in the EasyRoad3D Pro... Do not punish us if it is not necessary.
- cannot change the side object side distance by typing a number, changing with the mouse is impossible, inaccurate... The only one workaround is to use the arrow keys to step with (just) 1 units. And this all seperatly for all markers.
- road flickering, why do you not fix this issue by default?
and more...

At all, i have to move on without this asset, pity...

(forget the animation, that i wrote in my last post)

 

Hi mkgame,

EasyRoads3D primarily handles road geometry and terrain deformation. You can use any material you like for the visual aspect. You could use a material with a transparent shader to blend the road smoother with the terrain and add things like cracks. Embedding the roadshape in the splatmap generally also improves the visuals. When you enable this feature the roadshape is automatically embedded in the terrains splatmap but optionally you can manually tweak this roadshape and add some variation. You can also assign different materials to roads through the LOD segment feature. With this feature you can cut the road in pieces controllable per marker so you can use different materials with holes in the road etc.

1. The side objects are example side objects. most people will want to create their own side objects and not always having to import assets they will not use. That is why it is not part of the package itself. The example side objects are intended to get familiar with the system, just like the demo project. This is just additional contents for those interested, I have no intention to punish anyone and I cannot see how I am punishing anyone here. In fact, regarding things like support, I hardly ever ask people for verification.

2. Do you mean typing in the textfield on the right of the slider? This used to be an issue but should work fine in the latest Unity and EasyRoads3D versions. In v2 the inspector controls use fixed widths which maycause the slider pointer to appear when moving over the textfield on the right of the slider itself. But when you move further to the right the slider pointer should change to the cursor and you should be able to select the textfield and enter text. Changing the width of the Inspector may also help. I just double checked, "Distance Sideways" in the markers inspector is selectable over here, I can type values. I checked most other sliders and couldn't find one that was completely unselectable. Anyway, in v3 inspector controls no longer use fixed widths. But if there is a serious problema with this, please let me know and I will change it.

3. Road flickering, when does that happen? Do you mean expected z-fighting issues with the terrain? The EasyRoads3D shaders deal with this. In that respect, what exactly do you mean with "why do you not fix this issue by default"? The default road material uses the EasyRoads3D diffuse shader which prevents flickering (caused by z-fighting) by applying an offset. Can you double check the shader on the road material?


Raoul

[Edited]
It seems you have disabled PMs, I tried to send a PM to find out if you were able to incorporate my suggestions or if you need further help. And also to figure out what you meant with "and more..." because I cannot really comment on that without more info. v2 will stay as it is right now unless there are issues, but I can take feedback into account for v3...

 

I see the release of v3 in the Asset store. Is that just pre-release sales or is the version ready to hit the shelves?
-Tano

 

Hi Tanoshimi2000, that is pre release. V3 will first be released in betas. When everything is working correctly and the v3.0 feature set is complete it will be released. With a Pro license you will have access to the betas and you will get v3 for free.

Raoul

 

Raoul, can you give a vague indication of time scale for the release of v3, it's just that currenlty promoting a pre-v3 release special price and having demo videos up on YouTube suggests that the release is just around the corner, hence my purchase over a similar asset - Are we talking a few weeks, a few months or is it a case the new version being so early in development that you have no timescale? If the latter are you going to release an interim update for v2 in the mean-time?

Thanks.

B_G

 

Hi ballboy_gray,

I have mentioned it before, instead of releasing a quick first beta, this will now take a little bit longer. The first beta release will have most new features ready and should be fairly stable. That is why it is taking longer. Regarding the beta we are talking rather weeks then months. The last couple of weeks this has been alpha tested. meanwhile I have changed some things to make the Inspector more friendly because especially the crossings Inspector is fairly comprehensive. This is all done, more crossing types are now being implemented. I am sure there are more bits and pieces to look at but once that is done the first beta will be available.

The public release will depend on the feedback from the beta users and the final v3.0 feature set.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Raoul

 

Hi raoul,

I was wondering if you had any info on EasyRoads and using it at runtime for procedural terrains.

My use case would be something like placing a few "cities" on the terrain (all of which are generated at runtime, both the terrain and the cities) and then creating roads at runtime through script to connect them together.

Can EasyRoads handle this?

 

Hi Rico21745,

v3 is being developed to also work at runtime as and if your procedural terrains are Unity terrain objects created and ready before generating the roads I cannot see why this wouldn't work.

Scripts for generating roads from code is already functional. The only thing here that still needs to be implemented is auto inserting crossings assuming you need that functionality as well. But that should be functional too in the first beta release although this first release will not focus on runtime functionality. But as mentioned the scripts are being designed to handle that and I can provide support / feedback and a provisional API to do these things.

Raoul

 

Does EasyRoads3D work together with TerrainComposer ?
I'm interested in buying EasyRoads3D together with TerrainComposer to quickly create breath taking race tracks

 

Hi KillerKahuna, If you first create your terrains with TerrainComposer and then create your roads, TerrainComposer and EasyRoads3D already work well together in the current version 2.

Raoul

 

Hey Raoul, that is excellent news !!
Thank you for the swift reply

EDIT: You'll be glad to know I've purchased EasyRoads3D Pro, really really looking forward to V3.
Those intersections are the bomb !! The addition of loopings, screwdrivers and such are very welcome too.
I'll be writing a review as V3 hits the store

 

What about turning lanes and multiple lane roads?

 

So is the new version 3 out and ready for us to use so we can purchase this? Can't wait to use this. Thanks.

 

@DesertRaven, turning lanes will be supported but probably in a next release. Regardng crossings, the first v3 release is about standard X, T crossings, roundabouts and full support for sidewalks because those will be used most. After that more crossing types will follow and meanwhile you will have the option to turn meshes into a crossing prefab. So if you need something specific there is always the option to créate a mesh of it and use that in the system..

@Migueljb, it is not ready yet, all this is taking a lot of time, my apologies for that. At the moment I am finishing terrain deformation for roundabouts, the last thing time consuming thing as all this is dynamic. After that I will spend some time on the list of small things and I will also make the current alpha manual more complete. Then the first beta will be ready. You can already purchase a license for this, the Pro version includes v3 and all future version releases.

 

Hey Raoul, I sent you a PM. I could really use Beta access to V3. I need T-junctions, and your video looks like that feature is stable for me!

 

Sorry snowsrf1, seems like with the new forum the reply notification alerts has been reset, I only just saw your posts. I will check your PM now!

 

Hello, can i make all this stuff in runtime? When will this system be released? Will i get source codes with pro version?

 

Hello tr1te, this will work at runtime, the first beta will include a simple API to create roads. After that more options will be added so you can also create crossings at runtime. Or do you need a full solution that will allow the users to create road networks through an interface? We may include that at some point depending on demand but you could always implement that yourself.

Last week the final alpha was released. Unless there are still major issues reported, next is the first beta which will include X, T crossings and roundabouts and several new road functions. Finishing this is a matter of paying attention to bits and pieces and the manual. The alpha and betas do not include full source, I am not sure yet regarding the final build.

Raoul

 

Hi Raoul, will the betas support multi terrain or will that be final release?

 

Hi John G. I am completing multiple terrain support right at this moment. Compared to v2 you can select whether to process a single terrain only (useful to speed up the process during development) or all terrains at once.

Raoul

 

When i change names in sideobject manager, it initially changes it, but doesn't save. When I open the sideobject manager again, or choose an easyroad object, I see that it's not applied.

Also if i delete any of defauld sideobjects from there, it spawns back.

And sometimes that list becomes corrupted. All sideobjects I've made gets removed. And i need to load from a backup (If i have any):

Are these known issues?

 

Hello Meceka,

First of all, to avoid misunderstandings this is v2 related, not v3.

When you delete a side object, do you actually apply the changes or do you simply close the Side Object Manager? You have to Apply the changes, this should work just fine. Can you double check that?

Regarding name changes, I don't think this is possible, I will check that. What you can do anyway is duplicate the side object, give it another name and remove the original. But do not do this if the original side object is currently being used with complex customized settings per marker. Otherwise it will simply be a matter of enabling the duplicated side object in the scene.

I am not sure about the last one. In what way does the list become corrupted? Do you get error messages? Does this happen after specific actions?

Raoul

 

I always apply changes.

If i create a sideobject with a name, it takes that name. But when modifying one, it stays the same.

By corrupting i mean, all side objects that are generated are gone. They are deleted. And if i click a roadobject instance, all objects get removed, and in sideobject list (under the roadobject) There isn't sideobjects that I've created. If this happens, i re-import from a backup. No error messages. And i don't understand why it happens, i will keep you updated if i understand.

Also, is there a button to hide all sideobject markers? Sometimes I forget them in the build. (There are really many sideobjects in my game). And i need to check all of them one by one to see if they are closed or not.

Is there a way to make sideobjects appear in a layer that has been set?

 

After double checking this, I don't have problems deleting side objects. This works just fine over here.

Yes, I mentioned that changing the name is probably not possible. I will add this for v3. If you really want to do that, you could try changing the name directly in the side objects data file. But you might want to create a backup first before doing that.

Yes, please provide more info regarding the corrupted side objects list. An example project would be ideal.

In the Inspector, after building the side objects, a button “Hide Markers” is available. Is that what you are looking for?

You cannot automatically assign side objects to layers. I can see that could be useful, I will add that for v3.

Raoul

 

Where is that hide markers button? I couldn't find it. Do you mean "process the terrain and build road geometry"?


Also i have recognised that, after adding sideobjects (or modifying the list), Some roadobjects switch chosen sideobject . It changes to sideobject just above of the chosen one in the list.

 

Thought long and hard about it (im just a beginning dev working on my first game and was planning on only using the free edition) but just bought this assets because:

1) i found the free edition easy to use and the developper had a long and good reputation.
2) bridges, railroads, river tool, side objects and editable roads
3) v3 looks really cool! Especially looking forward to loopings and corkscrew roads and all this now for half price.

there's just one question popping up right now. Is it possible to rotate the roads on all axis (also Z)?
(don't no if corkscrew's are going to be prefab meshes or can i generate my own corkscrew's?)

 

Yes, after clicking the middle mountain tab and flattening the terrain all markers are hidden. As side object settings can be tweaked per marker, the markers become visible again once you click the "Build Side objects" button. At the top, just below the toolbar tabs, you will see a button "Hide Markers" to quickly toggle off / on the markers.

I just tested this again. I create 5 side objects and activated 3 and 4 for road object X in general Settings. I delete side object 2, Side object 2 is removed from the list in the General Settings of road object X and side objects 3 and 4 are still activated. I add a new side object (6). This side object is added to the end of the list for road object X and side objects 3 and 4 are still the only side objects activated.

Everything seems to work fine regarding this. Can you give exact steps how to reproduce the problems you have? Or did I misunderstood the problem?

Raoul

 

Hi pietersmobile,

I don't think it is very useful to be able to rotate the road on the X and Y axis. You can rotate around the Z-axis just like you can do in v2. In v3 it works by angles so you could do a full 360 degree rotation although that depends whether the road is attached to the ground. This is not fully tested yet but the "tilting" code has been adjusted in order to be able to do that sort of thing.

Just like with crossings, corkscrew's and loopings will be directly supported through dynamic, customizable, prefabs. But you will also be able to import your own corkscrew meshes if you prefer that.

Raoul

 

Hi Raoul,

This tools looks really nice!
Currently I'm researching unity extensions to create road networks for my game. Spline roads with intersections are what I'm looking for, but I also need to create navigation data for traffic AI. Is there any way to hook such system(navmeshes or custom waypoints) into your system? Obviously I could create navigation separately, but it always takes a lot of additional time.

Thanks

 

Hi EF,

Currently AI is not integrated in v2, it doesn't include runtime scripts. There are several AI packages that support EasyRoads3D.

v3 will have runtime functionality but not sure about AI yet. Perhaps in v3, but no guarantees. However, a system to create waypoints for AI can definitely be implemented.

Raoul

 

Alright, nice, that'll prove very useful for traffic simulation
I'm totally hyped for V3, I'm literally waiting for the update to put roads into my scene

 

Hi KillerKahuna,

It is not far away. Over the past weeks I have been implementing more small new road specific features than intended for the first beta. I have come to the point where I will leave this for now and instead focus on fixing and completing the last few things on the current list.

There will still be some things to do / expand on after this first beta, but at least you will be able to start creating road networks / intersections...

Raoul

 

Ah, that's exiting news Raoul!

I'm glad things are coming along nicely, however please don't feel rushed.
To me quality and stability goes above and beyond release date

But I have no doubt you'll deliver on all fronts for V3

In the meanwhile I've been modeling road props

KK

 

Hi Raoul,

I'm totally hyped for V3, I'm literally waiting for the update to put roads into my scene

Please bring it soon....I can not wait any further...

 

@KillerKahuna, as mentioned, it will not be entirely finished, it is a first beta, but it is at the stage I like to test it in a bigger group for more feedback, especially the new workflow which is fully implemented. Whether it will already be useful for production depends on the requirements. It should be fairly stable though.

@patelkes, Hi, doing my best. Hope it will already work for you...

Raoul

 

Hi there,

I am currently using V2 in a project and have a scene with two roads in it. Since the update of Unity 4.5.0f6 I get the following error:

IndexOutOfRangeException: Array index is out of range.
RoadObjectEditorScript.EasyRoadsGUIMenu (Boolean flag, Boolean senderIsMain, .RoadObjectScript nRoadScript) (at Assets/EasyRoads3D/Editor/RoadObjectEditorScript.js:671)
RoadObjectEditorScript.OnInspectorGUI () (at Assets/EasyRoads3D/Editor/RoadObjectEditorScript.js:66)
UnityEditor.InspectorWindow.DrawEditor (UnityEditor.Editor editor, Int32 editorIndex, Boolean forceDirty, System.Boolean& showImportedObjectBarNext, UnityEngine.Rect& importedObjectBarRect, Boolean eyeDropperDirty) (at C:/BuildAgent/work/aeedb04a1292f85a/Editor/Mono/Inspector/InspectorWindow.cs:1124)
UnityEditor.DockArea:OnGUI()

The program freezes all together for some time, the Error is being displayed multiple times and it only stops, when I am able to deselect the road. The freeze happens only when I access the roads General settings.

Any idea?

 

Hello SGtRumpel,

So far no issues with Unity 4.5 have been reported. I will do so some quick tests upgrading projects to 4.5 and see if I run in issues. Does this happen immediately after the upgrade? Do you have problems with new roads created in 4.5?

Also, please post v2 support questions here: http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/easyroads3d-v2-is-out-road-rivers-procedural-geometry-for-unity.82331/

Raoul

 

@SGtRumpel, I just tried this in 4.5.1f3. Reimporting a 4.3.x project does not result in errors. Moving markers / adding markers and building the final road including two side objects worked just fine. Starting a new project in 4.5 also worked fine.

When exactly do you get the errors? Only when you activate the General Settings tab? Do you have active side objects? In that case, can you open the Side Object Manager without problems? You could also try resaving the side objects in the Side Object Manager. Other than that I cannot see why Unity would freeze only by selecting the General Settings tab.

If you want I can have a look at your project (if you want stripped down to EasyRoads3D only). Send me a PM or contact me through http://unityterraintools.com/contact1.php for the email address.

Raoul

 

Unfortunatly I cant sned you the project. I will try and disable step by step all plugins, maybe Esay Roads has some problems with one of these... I will keep you informed...

 

Ok, If you have more feedback, also regarding the suggestions I made and questions I asked, please let me know.

Raoul

 

I finally broke down and bought this to use for paths/roads. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me. I added a road object, made sure layers 30 and 31 were active, shift-left clicked to add the markers and nothing happened. I tried numerous times and nothing showed. I have the object in the hierarchy but the markers do not show up on the terrain.

I purchased from the asset store so should not have to register further, right?

I do use multiple terrains but am only using it on one terrain. Still not showing up.

Edit: I tried it with a single terrain in a new project and it works. So does this mean it won't work with multiple terrains even if you are not moving across the boundaries?

 

Hi Teila,

When you have multiple terrains in the scene "Multiple Terrains" in "General Settings" should be enabled, also when you are only working on one terrain. Also please select the currently active terrain (the one you are working on) from the dropdown. Alternatively you can use CTRL + ALT + click to select the active terrain in scene view.

Please let me know if this doesn't help.

Also, for other people reading this, this is still v2 related. In v3 everything related to Multiple Terrains will be automatically handled.

Raoul

 

you are a great man raoul, such an amazing asset thanks again !

 

This worked. Still trying to figure out how to add my own textures. Thank you!

 

Hi Zcicki, glad to hear you like it. I am finishing one last thing at the moment, then some more work is needed on the manual and provisional v3 videos. After that the first beta will be available.

Raoul

 

Hi Teila,

In v2 materials are shared which means all roads will use the same material;

/Assets/EasyRoads3D/Resources/roadMaterial

To use your own textures, you can simply assign the texture to this material. Alternativaly you can drop your textures in the textures folder and use the specific naming convention (see the manual). This way you can select your textures directly from the texture window available in the Inspector.

If you have serveral roads in the scene and you want to use different materials, it is recommended to keep the material as it is until you are finished with the road. At that point you can assign a different material to this road.

All this works different in v3, you can create road presets and assign different materials to each preset, the roads will be build accordingly

Raoul