World Machine

In this lecture, Dax Pandhi, an experienced industry professional, takes you through the fundamentals of procedural terrain generation using World Machine. Whether you’re new to World Machine or an artist looking to expand your skills, this lecture is designed to provide you with essential knowledge and practical techniques.

Dax begins by introducing the building blocks of digital terrains and demystifying the complexity of function graphs. He guides you through a series of terrain development techniques that progressively increase in sophistication. These techniques utilize procedural noise generators and incorporate various erosion methods such as stochastic erosion, thermal weathering, coastal erosion, and snowfall. Throughout the lecture, Dax showcases examples of terrains like dry mountain ranges, volcanoes, snow-capped peaks, and coastal cliffs.

Texturing techniques are also covered in the lecture. Dax demonstrates how to create both direct bitmaps for immediate usage and erosive masks. He shares insights on achieving realistic results and explains practical techniques like ad-hoc masking, selective erosion, combining multiple forms of erosion, and cross-breeding filters to create complex and believable effects.

This lecture is specifically designed to cater to artists who are new to World Machine, providing them with a valuable resource to learn from an experienced industry professional. By the end of the lecture, you’ll have gained a solid understanding of procedural terrain generation and the practical skills to create realistic and visually stunning terrains using World Machine.