Mesh Terrain Editor, a mesh-based terrain creator, converter and editor

Mesh Terrain Editor
a mesh based terrain creator, converter and editor
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>>> Join the Discord Server to download latest versions! <<<​

MTE 4.x Pro (the paid version) has already been published as a new product. MTE 3.x had been published on Unity asset store but has been depreciated. Please join the discord channel to get information about how to download MTE4.x Free or buy MTE 4.x Pro.

https://discord.gg/dQqp8B6

The content of this page is really outdated. Please refer to the latest MTE documentaion instead.





Introduction
Mesh Terrain Editor(MTE) has three main functions:

• MTE Creator: create mesh-based terrains.
• MTE Converter: convert or split Unity3D's terrain object into a mesh-terrain.
• MTE Editor: edit a mesh-terrain: height tools, texture painter, vertex color painter, grass painter.

40+ terrain shaders are included.
Only one drawcall is needed to render a mesh-terrain with 2 to 12 splat-textures. You can edit multiple mesh-terrains together.

• compatible with Unity 2019.4+
• compatible with Win7/10 and macOS 10.13+ (tested on macOS Catalina)
• compatible with built-in pipeline and URP
• URP shaders are written with Amplify Shader Editor for easier customization

Free Trial & Buy
Free vs Pro: https://zwcloud.net/#project/mte/features
Download directly (Recommened as this always provides the latest package.)
On Asset Store:

• MTE Free
• MTE Pro

According to Unity asset store EULA 2.4, as an editor extension, MTE Pro uses a per-seat license, so you need to activate MTE Pro on your machine with the invoice number.

Spoiler: Where is my invoice number?

Only the number is needed! Don't input IN,OR or other non numeric characters.
In the pdf file attached in an email sent from Unity3D after you parchase the asset. The subject of the email is "Unity Asset Store purchase confirmation".

Online Documentation
https://zwcloud.github.io/MeshTerrainEditor-issues/

Issue Tracker
https://github.com/zwcloud/MeshTerrainEditor-issues/issues

MTE Creator
Create a mesh-terrain directly or multiple tiled mesh-terrains at once. You can create a mesh-terrain as a plane, from a height-map and from a curve.
UI


MTE Converter
You can convert a Unity's terrain object or a mesh into a mesh-terrain, which is just a mesh with a special terrain shader.


UI

Output files

• 1/2 control/alpha textures(.png)
• 1 mesh file(.obj)
• 1 prefab file.(optional for mesh converter)
• 1 material file

The material

• legacy diffuse
  
  
• legacy bumped diffuse
  
• legacy specular
• standard
• LWRP
• URP

MTE Editor
You can edit mesh-terrains just like terrains. The height, texture and vertex colors are editable. You can also edit the mesh by directly moving vertices sideways and cutting holes with the mesh toobox.

Every editing operation is undoable! Press PageUp/PageDown(on Mac: Fn+↑/↓) to undo/redo.

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With MTE editor, you edit multiple mesh-terrains together.

Height Tools

• Raise and lower
  
• Paint height
  
• Smooth height
  

Vertex Color Painter


Textures Painter


Grass Painter


Object Painter


Mesh Toolbox (Pro feature)

• Move vertices sideways
  
  
• Cut holes
  

Video
YouTube

History

>>> Join the Discord Server to download latest beta versions! <<<​

 

I would greatly appreciate any ideas, thank you!

 

Can you use your own shaders and can you cut holes(neat, undoable) in the mesh? Can you displace vertices sideways? Will the operation retain texture information?

 

1. Use custom shaders
Sure, but the shader's path should contain the text "MTE", so that MTE can figure out it.

2. Cut holes(neat, undoable) in the mesh
I will absolutely make it for you!!!
You are the first one respond to this post and I'm so glad someone pointed out what they want from MTE.

3. Displace vertices sideways
The same as 2.

All operation will retain texture information (You mean the texcoods, right?).

EDIT:
MTE's working flow has been tested in a real project. I modified T4M when working on a mobile game project so it can be used in Unity5 and added functions to it so it can draw textures and modify heights of the vertices. MTE is based on that experience.

 

Well i'm looking for a process that is automated as possible and uses a few elements - terrain generated by using gaia to create a base heightmap, map magic to process the heightmap and add terrain details then I can revert and make changes safely. I would like to be able to make a mesh with this kind of tool to overcome limitations of a regular terrain - no holes and an inability to create caverns and out croppings

If it retained the texturing from the previously created terrain splats then that could make this a really useful tool

 

For the time being, MTE can only retain first 4 splat texture and the first alpha/control texture when converting a Unity3D terrain object to mesh. If this is not enough for you, I'll improve MTE so that it can retain more than 4 splat textures - maybe 8 or 12.

 

I haven't used gaia or map magic so I'm not sure if they use Unity's terrain object or some kind of custom data.
I'm looking into them now.

 

OK, I find it out. Since Gaia and Map Magic work with Unity terrain object, there is no problem now. Just wait for my next release.

New features that will be added in next version of MTE:
1. Cut holes in the mesh
2. Displace vertices sideways
3. Retain first 12 splat texture when converting unity terrain object.

 

Hi
1) how MTE works on mobile devices with MTE shaders? Does it reduce draw calls compare to Unity terrain?
2) I used T4M package for a while, does MTE includes the same shaders like T4M (only different names)?
3) Does T4M shader will work with MTE?
Thanks

 

Hi @Max1982 ! Thanks for your attention.

1. MTE's output is just a mesh with a simple CG shader that samples color from the four splat textures and combines those colors according to the alpha/control texture. So the performace is as good as a mesh that has the same number of vertices and indices. So it surely reduces draw calls compared to Unity's terrain object.


2. No, MTE doesn't and won't include the same shaders like T4M using only different names.

3. No, but I think there is no problem after some proper modification. I haven't looked into every shader provided by T4M but one called "T4M 4 Textures". Now only one simple shader is provided by MTE, which is similar to "T4M 4 Textures" provided by T4M. More useful shaders will be added in next version.

 

Progress:
1. Cut holes in the mesh 20%
2. Displace vertices sideways 20%
3. Retain first 12 splat texture when converting unity terrain object. 100%
And sure you can paint textures with MTE. Not tested on mobile yet.
4. Provide common shaders 30%
Provide shader that makes the mesh the same looking with original Unity terrain object. Not tested on mobile yet.

 

支持一下，很实用的工具

 

Progress:
1. Cut holes in the mesh 90% Undo/redo function is ready!
2. Displace vertices sideways 90% Undo/redo function is ready!
3. Retain first 12 splat textures when converting unity terrain object. 100%
Undo/redo function for painting textures is ready!
And sure you can paint textures with MTE. Not tested on mobile yet.
4. Provide common shaders 30%
Provide shader that makes the mesh the same looking with original Unity terrain object. Not tested on mobile yet.

I'm now improving the convenience of the two mesh tools.

 

Draft package is submitted to unity asset store team. Waiting for their approval.

 

MTE 2.0 pubilshed. http://u3d.as/oWB
I'll update the information here after I get off work.

Sorry for the late release. I'm very busy in May.

Information here is updated.

 

MTE v2.1 published! http://u3d.as/oWB

What's new:
Now you can convert a 5-texture terrain object to a 5-texture mesh which uses a single drawcall on target 2.0. And sure the mesh can be edited with MTE v2.1.

 

MTE v2.2 published!

Change log:
Mesh-terrain mode added.

1. Several single-pass shaders are added to optimizing the rendering performance and compatibility on mobile platforms.
2. Converting and editing functions are updated for single-pass mesh-terrains.

Single pass drawcall: 1

 

Hi! I just purchased your tool and it works good for my workflow. I have some feature requests though...

- It seems like I can't paint the height of the mesh if I don't use your shaders. I would really much be able to use whatever material I want. (I use Vertex Paint for blending my textures.)
- If you throw in a vertex painter in the tool, it would be the best tool ever! A lot of people use vertex colors for their blend materials, especially for mobile.
- A softness value when raising and lowering the vertices.
- Undo mesh paint strokes.

I hope you continue to develop the tool, it has great potential.
Best regards
Jenz

Edit:
I'm currently using Ikari vertex painter to mask out my textures. But it creates extra meshes and stuff so it would be much better to have it integrated in your tool!
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/24645

 

There is a shader error in the preview shader when building to Android.

Shader error in 'Hidden/MTE/PaintTexturePreview': 'Matrix' : syntax error syntax error at line 23 (on gles)

Compiling Vertex program
Platform defines: UNITY_NO_DXT5nm UNITY_NO_RGBM UNITY_NO_SCREENSPACE_SHADOWS UNITY_NO_LINEAR_COLORSPACE UNITY_ENABLE_REFLECTION_BUFFERS UNITY_FRAMEBUFFER_FETCH_AVAILABLE UNITY_NO_FULL_STANDARD_SHADER UNITY_PBS_USE_BRDF2 SHADER_API_MOBILE

 

Hi @Jenzo83
Thanks for your purchase! I'm vary grateful for your feedback.

Currently the editing functions are cupled with the shader. (I won't know this is annoying if you don't point it out.) They should be decupled in next version.

Vertex color painting, OK. This function was once included in an early development version of MTE but was abandoned when releasing the first version of MTE. I will add it back in next version for you. I'll look into the Ikari vertex painter, thanks for providing that infomation.

The shader error of the preview shader will be fixed soon.

Thanks again for your feedback!
And please continue telling me what you want from MTE in the future.
.

 

Hi @Jenzo83

I have just found out a solution to the shader error. Try replace 'Matrix' with 'float4x4'.

PS: The preview shader is only used in Editor. It is used to render brushes when painting textures. So it don't have any influence on your game.

 

I think it is the best tool in the store for converting, editing and painting mesh terrains.
The vertex color painting is a very good addition. I would like I could export the terrain basemap to a texture to use it on mobile (best solution for performance).
BTW are the mobile shaders S.M. 2.0 compatible?

 

Thank you!

Yes, the vertex color painting will be added in the next version.

It's a bit tricky to extract the exact base map from the terrain object, but I'll try. I can generate the base map myself if I can't find a way to do that, anyway.

Yes, the mobile shaders (used in the single-pass mesh-terrain) have a sub-shader with `#pragma target 2.0`, so I think they are S.M. 2.0 compatible.

 

Can the Mesh-Terrains be rotated? The built-in Unity Terrains can't, so I'm looking for something that does.
Also, I'm trying to do procedural generation, so I'm wondering if the height-editing tools can be accessed through code, or, alternatively, if the converter can be used at runtime so I can use my existing code.

 

Hi @Zefalcon,

Yes. The Mesh-Terrain can be rotated. It is just an editable mesh.

Currently the code of MTE is not provided. Procedural mesh generation is a good idea, I'll taken that into consideration in future versions.

 

Press PageUp/PageDown to undo/redo . I'm sorry I missed this point.
The undo system of Unity3D is very slow for big object like mesh. So I have to make one myself to guarantee a good user experience.

 

Progress:

1. All editing functions have been decupled with the shader. Some reasonable naming conventions are used instead.
2. The vertex color painting funtion is almost done:

 

How do you get this working with more than 33k verticies? Is that an easy fix?

 

Whoa, 2 drawcalls with 5 to 8 splats?
I am interested!

Does it stays at 2 draw calls on any terrain size?

 

Would you consider a free version. I know 30 isnt a lot, but to some we cant afford that.

 

Because the mesh-terrain is just a mesh. A mesh with 33k vertices is nothing special but a little big mesh.

 

Yes. Because the mesh-terrain is just a mesh. The layered mode will be removed in next version because it seems to be useless on mobile platforms. I'm trying to support 6 or 7 splat textures and still only one drawcall in future versions.

 

Sure. The free version is being planned. You will see it soon!

 

Cool, so a future update I might be able to edit a 500k mesh?

 

Unity3D has a limitation on vertex count. And if there are more than 65534 vertex in a mesh, Unity3D will split it into sub-meshes so each one's vertex count does not exceed 65534. I think there is no point to use so many vertex in one mesh, but I'm sure that future version of MTE can edit a mesh with no more than 65k vertices.

 

Think the free version, should at-least contain the basics raise and lower, paint height, smooth tool and mesh tool. Question with the mesh tool seen is screen shot, where you only moving one vertex at a time, is there a way to select multiple vertex.

 

Aww bummer

I have a few massive meshes due to them being cinematic quality (still real time) "next gen" graphics type things. It would be amazing to be able to edit the whole mesh (even though it is broken up in 65k sections) as if it was one.

 

Don't worry. That's possible! I will list your request in the TODO list. As I have said: just tell me what you want from MTE, and I will make it happen for you.

 

Apart from cutting hole, can you extrude more vertices & triangles with MTE?

While Terrain -> Mesh is possible, can MTE also convert Mesh -> Terrain?

Proud user of Shader Forge here!
Make the shader compatible & editable with Shader Forge
(It would be lovely for us to be able to extend the shader to cater our needs, such as adding detail texture and special variations that are needed in the level!)

 

@Gekigengar
Below is the reply on the new forum community.unity.com, which seems to have been rolled back.

That's possible. OK, it is in the TODO list now.

That's possible. But I think it's a bit tricky to achieve that while not conflict with other editing functions. I'll try, anyway.

MTE v2.3 is published yesterday. In this version, all editing functions have been decupled from the shader, only some reasonable naming conventions should be followed. For example, the property names for control(alpha) textures should be _Control and _ControlExtra.

 

@Jenzo83
Below is the reply on the new forum community.unity.com, which seems to have been rolled back.

What does softness mean? There is a strength setting in the editor window. Doe this meet your requirement?

 

Draft of MTE Pro and MTE Free v2.4 are submitted. Waiting for approval.
ChangeLog:
1. Add a baking basemap function. @angel_m
2. Add a converting to Unity3D terrain function. @Gekigengar
3. Fix several issues.

And the free edition will be available together with the v2.4 pro edition soon. @tillian

 

MTE Free is published. @tillian

 

What's the limitation in comparison to the pro version?

 

1. Only support 4 splat textures in converter and editor.
2. No baking basemap and converting to Unity3D terrain functions.
3. No mesh toolbox.

 

Its my problem
tested in 5.4

 

I cannot reproduce the bug on the latest Unity3D 5.4.0f3.

I'm stilling trying to reproduce the possible bug. But maybe you can try again on the latest Unity3d version?

 

my unity is 32bit version
i don't have 64bit version

 

yes i change dll import setting to x86 and its now work

 

I'm glad that you found a solution.
I didn't realize that someone uses x86 platform, sorry.
I'll change the import setting to AnyCPU in future versions.