Search Unity

  1. Megacity Metro Demo now available. Download now.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Unity support for visionOS is now available. Learn more in our blog post.
    Dismiss Notice

[RELEASED] RampBrush: a sculpting tool for creating slopes and ramps on terrains

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by Phong, Dec 6, 2011.

  1. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083


    A terrain sculpting brush for creating smooth slopes and ramps on your Unity3D terrain objects. It is great for creating:

    • roads
    • paths
    • causeways
    • valley bottoms
    • ramps between platforms
    • sloping meadows on hillsides
    • ziggurats

    Demo
    Asset Store

    It is very easy to use. Just drag the RampBrush component to a game object. The click on a starting point, an ending point and presto you have a ramp. Brush options include brush size, opacity, softness. The brush also supports undo. Look for it in the asset store.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2013
  2. jc_lvngstn

    jc_lvngstn

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2006
    Posts:
    1,508
    In your youtube video, the ramps were somewhat narrow. But, let's say I had a tall mountain peak, that I wanted to slope...to create a sloped mountain. Like in this picture, the mountain on the left is very sloped. This would take a very large brush it seems.

    http://cybertraveltips.com/north-america/canada/Weather-In-Canada.html

    Is this doable?
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2011
  3. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    The maximum brush size is 1/4 the width of a unity Terrain. I have also had good results making two ramps next to each other that overlap. I think good results could be achieved playing with the softness and the opacity settings. I made the picture bellow in about 10 min.

     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2011
  4. gecko

    gecko

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2006
    Posts:
    2,240
    Awesome, I've needed exactly this for years!
     
  5. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    I just submitted an updated version to the Asset store this version includes:

    - A bug fix for "index out of range" errors that would occur if part of the brush was off the edge of the terrain object.
    - User can control the number of brush samples. This can result in smoother ramp edges for larger brushes.
    - Increased the maximum brush size.

    My understanding is that users that have purchased RampBrush can access the update. If this is not the case, let me know and I will investigate.
     
  6. artician

    artician

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2009
    Posts:
    345
    Has there been an update since then? I purchased your tool on the weekend of the 17th (Dec. 2011), but the described shortcuts do not work at all. I am following all directions and demo videos. The only other scripts on my terrain are from Slarti's Terrain Mapper. Please let me know if there's some conflict with that or another bug.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  7. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Sorry, for being so late getting back to you. I have been on holiday for a few days so I haven't checked the forums infrequently. The brush does have a weird quirk in that for the endpoints of the brush to "take", the mouse has to be wiggled slightly while holding down [ctrl][alt] or [ctrl][shift]. This is due to a limitation of the inspector editors which doesn't catch key events in the scene window. I was able to get around this by detecting whether the control keys were held down while the mouse was being moved.

    I have submitted another update to the store which fixes a bug and adds the above comment to the hints.

    Let me know if you continue to have problems and I can try to refund your money.
     
  8. artician

    artician

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2009
    Posts:
    345
    No problem at all, I figure a lot of peoples schedules are interrupted by this time of year.
    I got the update and it now creates a ramp. There was a rather large bug in this version as well, but I PM'd the info to you. Otherwise it's now working. Thanks for your help!
     
  9. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Here is a mountain I created recently with the RampBrush tool. The highest peak was sculpted completely with RampBrush. I used the TerrainToolkit to add some erosion effects and texture it.
     
  10. mattcscz

    mattcscz

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2010
    Posts:
    411
    Hey there, I bought the brush, but can't find the update, am still getting an Array is out of range error. And when I go into the unity asset store I can't see updates by others, or updates of any means for that point... Lil help please :D?

    Thanks =)
     
  11. ProjectOne

    ProjectOne

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2010
    Posts:
    442
    hI, is RampBrush still developed/supported? Is it fully compatible with Unity 4 and iOS?
    thanks
     
  12. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    These problems have now been fixed and an update submitted to the asset store.
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2012
  13. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    RampBrush has been tested on Unity 4 and woks perfactly.

    Regarding iOS. Unity terrains don't work on mobile so I don't think Ramp Brush would be very useful. There is a T4M "terrain for mobile" tool in the asset store. You could create a terrain, modify it with Ramp Brush, export it to a mesh with T4M and that would work.
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2012
  14. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    An update has been submitted to the asset store which fixes bugs with non-square terrains and translated terrains.
     
  15. ProjectOne

    ProjectOne

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2010
    Posts:
    442
    Thank you Phong
     
  16. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Big new update in the asset store!

    • Can now create curved (spline based ramps)
    • Added a spacing jitter option
     
  17. Hool

    Hool

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2013
    Posts:
    1
    I bought this last year, but cannot download the new release. The Unity store says always waiting on server. Any other options for updates? thanks!
     
  18. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    I would try opening a new project and importing. If that does n't work, pm me with a copy of your invoice and your email address and I will try to send you the package.
     
  19. almabstracta

    almabstracta

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2014
    Posts:
    8
    I've just bougth this asset. I've read up this thread it's not compatible with mobile (Android, iOS) development, but it was two years ago...
     
  20. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    The problem is that Terrain's are not compatible with Mobile and this asset modifies terrains. There is another asset in the asset store called Terrain4Mobile that will convert a terrain to a mesh. You could use RampBrush to modify the terrain, then use Terrain4Mobile to convert it to a mesh that will work on Mobile.
     
  21. ThatJCB

    ThatJCB

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2014
    Posts:
    4
    Hi

    I am struggling with this brush. No matter what settings I select I do not end up with a flat ramp. Many of my ramps end up as dual parallel slops, some end up as just bumps and most cause random holes!

    The nearest I have to a ramp was a narrow causeway but this had no relation to the size of the brush.

    What am I doing wrong?



    I'm using Unity 4.6.1
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2014
  22. ThatJCB

    ThatJCB

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2014
    Posts:
    4
    I received an e-mail with some suggestions but the post does not show on this thread. Odd, anyway I tried the suggestions as follows

    "here my workflow : point your mouse to point A , hold down Ctrl + Alt , click left mouse button (brush green appear), release Ctrl + Alt. Point your mouse to point B ,hold down Ctrl + Shift then click left mouse button."

    My settings:
    Size : 7
    Opacity : 1
    Softness : 0.5
    sample spacing :1
    Spacing Jitter : 0.41

    I still do not get a useful result!

     
  23. sefou

    sefou

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2011
    Posts:
    287
    brush size above 20 / 25 work well.
     
  24. ThatJCB

    ThatJCB

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2014
    Posts:
    4
    Thanks, I'll give that a try.

    I was expecting the ramp to be approximately the width the brush.
    If that was the case a 20m wide ramp would be half of the main area of my map!

    I did try to find out how to scale the terrain to get better resolution but my settings appeared to be about default so I did not change them. I was wondering if it was because I have 1 to 1 with my mesh objects that was causing the problem.
     
  25. ThatJCB

    ThatJCB

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2014
    Posts:
    4
    Sefou, thank you. That worked.

    Settings:
    Size : 24
    Opacity : 1
    Softness : 0.5
    sample spacing :1
    Spacing Jitter : 0.41



    Unfortunately this is not fine enough detail for use in my current level design. I'll probably have to resort to meshes but at least I know the ramp brush capabilities now.

    Regards
     
  26. sefou

    sefou

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2011
    Posts:
    287
    Brush size 20 matches 10 meters.
     
  27. arcdragon1

    arcdragon1

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2012
    Posts:
    116
    Hi, team.
    it doesn't turn red for mac.
    windows -> mac
    CTRL -> Command Key
    ALT -> Alt (option) Key
    so I hold down the [Command][Alt]
    Could you help me?
     
  28. sefou

    sefou

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2011
    Posts:
    287
    Hi,
    same for Windows ,it doesn't turn red ; it turn green.
     
  29. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Tested it on my Mac and it worked, although I am using a Mac Mini so I am using a USB keyboard from Walmart not an official Apple keyboard:

    Is the brush active? (It should say brush: active straight ramps just blow the "Activate/Inactivate Brush" button.)
    I don't think "ctrl" -> Command Key is correct. Is there a "ctrl" key on your keyboard?
    What version of Unity are you using?
     
  30. arcdragon1

    arcdragon1

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2012
    Posts:
    116
    Hi, Phong.
    unity version is 4.6.1 and i didn't find the "ctrl" key on my keyboard.
    keyboard kind is wireless keyboard on mac online store.

    and i maybe found a substitute key, and i tried to hold down other key ("Control" key mac keyborad has ) .
    and i hold down the Control + Alt (option) key, but it doesn't work.
    brush turn green.
    Somehow Unity shortcut key overlap the Rump brush command.
     
  31. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    I would suggest trying "control" "command" if "control" "option" doesn't work. Make sure that the mouse cursor is hovering over a piece of terrain. It won't work if the cursor is over air.

    How are you at editing code? It would would be quite easy to edit the code in the editor script to use different keys. The only catch is they have to be "modifier" keys like shift, alt, ctrl. I originally tried with normal keys like "a" "b" etc.. and it didn't work.
     
  32. arcdragon1

    arcdragon1

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2012
    Posts:
    116
    I Solved! Thank you very much for making this good asset.
     
  33. Deleted User

    Deleted User

    Guest

    //edit

    works in unity5

    really nice asset!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 3, 2015
  34. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Thanks :)
     
  35. JacobFalling

    JacobFalling

    Joined:
    Apr 27, 2014
    Posts:
    22
    Finding the tool useful... thanks!

    But...

    Is there a way to undo a ramp once it is created? For some reason, mine do not seem to be a part of the normal Unity undo chain.
     
  36. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Hi Jacob,

    This should work. Will take a look on Monday and let you know. BTW are you using Unity 4 or 5?

    [Update]

    The Undo does work in both Unity 4, and 5 however it is VERY SLOW. Each undo operation freezes unity for about one minute. Unity 4 gives some warnings about an outdated API. I will submit a new version to try to fix these.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2015
  37. Mick-S

    Mick-S

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2015
    Posts:
    2
    downloaded Ramp Brush and having a bit of trouble, the brush doesn`t turn red it turns green, followed instuctions but can`t get it to work.
    also tried to view the demo, says it`s private ?
     
  38. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Hi Mick-S,

    I will check on the demo video. Thanks for the heads up on that. Is the brush "Active" there is a button on the inspector to toggle it on and off. If that's not the problem then can you provide some more info about what version of Unity and platform you are using?


    [edit] Fixed the video. It is public now.

    Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2015
  39. Nition

    Nition

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2012
    Posts:
    781
    Just thought I'd add my 2¢ for this asset. I think this is the only code asset from the Asset Store that I've ever been happy with. In a wasteland of bad code and dashed hopes it's Ramp Brush of all things that pulls through.

    Yes it's a bit finicky to use, but I know what a mission it can be to shoehorn additional functionality into Unity's existing features. Yes it could have a few more features (ramps that change width from start to end, manual coordinate entry...), but I'd much prefer simplicity to the ridiculous feature bloat that dooms other assets to never get updated because I've ripped apart the code removing unnecessary functionality.

    No wizards or colour-coded buttons or real-time cutting edge ramp physics. Just makes ramps. Decent code. Doesn't break your workflow. Just makes ramps.



    Ramp brush.



    Some of Ramp Brush's work visible here too.



    Obvious ramp brush.



    Ramp brush.

    Good asset.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2019
  40. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Thanks Nition. You make my day :). Please feel free to add a review in the Asset Store if you haven't done so. We publishers live and die on the reviews.
     
  41. Nition

    Nition

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2012
    Posts:
    781
    Yeah, my review is old - I wrote it a year or two ago now - but it's there. :)
     
  42. gecko

    gecko

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2006
    Posts:
    2,240
    Just imported this into a project (5.3.4) and it throws several compiler errors:

    Assets/RampBrush/Editor/RampBrushEditor.cs(222,45): error CS0117: `Physics' does not contain a definition for `Raycast'

    Assets/RampBrush/Editor/RampBrushEditor.cs(224,75): error CS0165: Use of unassigned local variable `hit'

    Assets/RampBrush/Editor/RampBrushEditor.cs(241,53): error CS0165: Use of unassigned local variable `hit'
     
  43. Nition

    Nition

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2012
    Posts:
    781
    No errors on a direct import for me in Unity 5.2.4 - maybe they've changed some physics methods in 5.3. All three of those errors will be coming from the physics raycast on line 222.

    Ah, or have you got another class in your project called "Physics" that's overriding Unity's one?
     
  44. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Looking into the problem. Works in 5.3.3. I will download 5.3.4 and give it a try and report back later today.
     
  45. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Hi Gecko,

    I just downloaded 5.3.4f1 and imported RampBrush but was not able to reproduce these errors. I tested the brush and it worked with both curved and straight paths. Perhaps the problem is what Nition suggested although I can't imagine you arn't seeing other problems as well if that is the case. Can you provide more information?
     
  46. Nition

    Nition

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2012
    Posts:
    781
    I'd say 95% it must be another class called Physics.
     
  47. Meceka

    Meceka

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2013
    Posts:
    423
    Hello, I am trying to make some off-road paths on our driving game with ramp brush.

    Firstly, a bug report. After using ramp brush, deactivating it and trying to modify terrain with Terrain component's tools, I believe it gets stuck on "Paint Height" mode. I couldn't use the "Raise/Lower Terrain" tool and "Smooth" tool in terrain component after using ramp brush. If I remove ramp brush component, they work fine.

    It might have glitched out the terrain object. Even after removing the ramp brush component, I can't set brush size of terrain component.

    What should I set Sample spacing to? Can you explain me how I should calculate it? In example, my terrain is 2000x2000 with heightmap 513. It seemed to me like lower values give better results.

    What is sample jitter? Some kind of randomness?
     
  48. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Hi Meceka,

    The settings behave the same way as the settings for a Photoshop brush.

    Sample spacing: Each ramp is created by blending a series of circular stamps of a perfect ramp with the terrain. The sample spacing is the space between the stamps. Lower samples give smoother ramps but take longer to calculate.

    Jitter: Shifts the samples randomly in the x,z plane.

    Regarding the conflict with terrain tool. What version of Unity and platform are you using? I will see if I can reproduce the problem. If this happens removing RampBrush component, saving and reloading the scene should fix the problem.
     
  49. Meceka

    Meceka

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2013
    Posts:
    423
    Thanks for your response.

    5.4.0F3 Windows standalone
     
  50. Phong

    Phong

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2010
    Posts:
    2,083
    Hi Meceka,

    I am not able to reproduce the problem. I am trying it in 5.4.0F3 on windows and I always am able to switch back and forth. One possibility is that the Undo buffer becomes too big. If you close the scene and re-open it the Undo buffer should be purged. Does this fix the problem? Does it happen all the time?