World Building EasyRoads3D v3 - the upcoming new road system

Hello, will the side-object feature in v3 support making such crash barriers easily, from basic mesh to long side barriers, only in places we want? And sometimes 100 meters long (as in road arch..) see screenshot below.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wmliycmkwc1d75d/Screenshot 2014-12-07 19.49.08.png?dl=0

Will I be able to easily allign streetlights or trees to chosen sectors on the road with seperation value I set?

Can we make bridges easily with easyroads? Like in screenshot below;

http://static.wixstatic.com/media/c7c65c_cda74e7fa95f43829f827cdee1693b85.jpg

Can we use same side-object feature to make tunnels using our own mesh? It should support adding start cap mesh and end cap mesh for sideobjects such as this tunnel. Check screenshots below to see how tunnel works for me now.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nqxdwczzhigjr3c/Screenshot 2014-12-07 19.55.38.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kcmjuowdlck8tbu/Screenshot 2014-12-07 19.55.44.png?dl=0
Below you can see meshes I am using;
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0qki819m7os8vb8/Screenshot 2014-12-07 20.01.09.png?dl=0
(I can close terrain's top side myself with 3d mesh. )

 

Hello Meceka,

Yes, you will be able to do all that. In fact, apart fromt that specific bridge screenshot you can already do all that with side objects system part of EasyRoads3D v2.

The side objects system is being implemented in v3 at the moment with some new features which will make it easier to create your own more complex bridges but the package itself will also include presets for this just like for barriers, fences, walls etc.

The terrain vegetation feature will also be available in v3 just like in v2, align terrain trees with roads and EasyRoads3D will automatically assign them to the specific terrain.

I am not sure abou making streetlights part of the side objects system. At the moment it is on the list of additional options for crossings.

That specific tunnel example is certainly possible with the side objects feature, you can already do that in v2 as well.

We have been experimenting with full tunnel support, it is doable, but it is not so easy to come up with a bullet proof public version as it still has its limitations. Hopefully the terrain holes option, which has been mentioned as a possible feature for the improved terrain object in the last Unite, will indeed be introduced. It should make all this a bit easier.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Thanks for your response, right now I've set trees, streetlights and road turn signs example as road architect sideobjects in my project. I set their beginning area, ending area, distance between them and they allign automatically with road, they work just like a side object but it makes multiple gameobjects from that prefab. I am not asking especially for streetlights, but it would be really nice if it could allign chosen prefabs with road. Does it already support this?

 

Hi Meceka,.

All this was already introduced in EasyRoads3D v2 a couple of years ago. V2 offers two side object types, objects that will be instantiated along side the roads (like the street signs in your screenshot, or trees or lampposts, etc.) and a combination of procedural shapes and instantiated objects, for example barrrier rails, fences etc. And it is all flexible you can use your own prefabs and create your own shapes.

The same and more features will be available in v3.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Am I reading the asset store description correctly in that you get access to the V3 beta if you buy V2?

 

Would also be interested in the V3 Beta. How do I sign up? I have a Pro licence and EasyRoads V2.

 

Hi duke and DaVeF101,

That's right. But, as you explicitly mention v2 and to avoid misunderstandings, the betas are available if you have an EasyRoads3D Pro license, not v2 which is an option on our website (the asset store version is Pro). To get access, check the _readme file in the root directory of the imported package and include that you like to try the betas.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi raoul, ive been messing around with the v3beta and i havnt been able to connect 2 different road sections directly together is this possible, i used a button to split the road. Into 2 secrionsbut there wasnt a button to merge 2road sections that i saw .
if so can you give me a quick run through, or do you have to have an intersection to connect different road pieces.
Thanks

 

Hi Raoul, I've checked the ReadMe file and it suggests contacting you to try the beta.

Do I need to send you a direct email?

I have EasyRoads3D Pro.

Thanks.

 

Hi JBR Games,

Yes, there is the “Split Road at Selected Marker” button. But i is currently not possible to connect roads (with the same geometry structure) directly together, it is on the list to add. It will work by simply snapping markers together.

But when the geometry does not match a connection piece is required, like in the custom crossings video on the previous page. Somewhere half way the movie the single lane road with sidewalks changes to a road with no sidewalks.

Raoul

 

Hi DaVeF101,

The readme file includes a link for this but you can also contact me through our website or send me a PM.

Raoul

 

when is the release planned?

 

Hi EkkiVandenhayes,

I cannot really give a date for the public release. At the moment the side objects system is implemented which is the last time consuming task. All this is going as planned. Afterwards it will be a matter of polishing things up. I do want to add more things but I that could be done for v3.x.

Meanwhile, you have full access to everything that is already available through the betas with an EasyRoads3D Pro license. Contact me through our website or send me a PM if you want access.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hiii roul, i am interesting to get easy road V3 beta. Before i buy V2, i have a question. is easyroad suitable for mobile? Because i use another road creation plugin, its very expensive for mobile performance. Thanks,

 

Hi desyashasyi, yes you are a bit more limited when developing for mobile. But with EasyRoads3D you can set the geometry resolution and optimize it for mobile. And although not fully implemented yet (roads only at the moment) v3 also offers LOD optimization options.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi Raoul
Do you have a v3 beta out yet that has side object placement?
Also i was testing out v2 and was curious on the bridges, once you make the road into a bridge ,are you simply adding several side objects to actually make it look like a bridge? Instead of a floating road. Are there any tutorials on making nice looking bridges?

I thought there would have been some prefabs of some basic side objects to play with as well but i didnt see any like in the tutorial. Is there some prefabs but i didnt see them?
Thanks

 

Hi JBR games,

Not yet, a first beta with side objects will be available within a couple of weeks. An alpha build might be available within a week or so but it will be undocumented. If you are familiar with the v2 system this should not really be a problem.

Bridges can indeed be build using the side objects system. In v2 this usually involves more than one side object. The side objects example package on our website includes a bridge example. This package includes most of the side objects used in the v2 movies.

In v3 building bridges is simplified and will have more options. The demo scene in the v3 beta packages will include several examples.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Ooo, I am behind a few beta versions! I sent off an email to you, Raoul. I finally need it only to find out you have improved it even more! Thanks.

 

Hi Teila,

Email sent!

Raoul

 

Wow, great service!!!

 

Got it! Thanks.

 

Hi, I'm kind of new to using EasyRoads3D, and I have continually had trouble with the road clipping through the terrain. What is the ultimate solution for this? I've tried changing the height, but it takes way to much to make it go away. I have the geometry settings at their highest detail levels too I think. Should I place the markers closer together, is it too steep? I have been attempting to make this work well, and I am just at a loss. Any help that could be provided would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Hi SnickersDaBunn,

Yes, the road in your screenshot has quite an extreme steep angle. Especially in bends this can result in these clipping issues.

If you really like to keep these steep angles, you could tweak the offset values in the used road shader. Is this v2 or v3? In v2 you can also raise the road higher above the terrain, depending on your cam positions the road being 5 to 10cm above the terrain is hardly noticable. This option is not yet available in the v3 beta but it will be. And anyway in v3 you can also use custom road shapes to deal with this in a similar way, see below video at exactly 2.46:

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Wow, Thanks for the quick reply, I will try tweaking the road layout, and possibly the offset for fewer steep angles. I will have to look forward to V3 to try out the custom shapes. Thanks!

 

the plugin by itself look as fun as playing sim city !!! it look awesome, i'll keep an eye on this one and as soon as as possible i will get it !

 

Hi is the same tool that can build rivers?

thanks

 

Hi siblingrivalry,

EasyRoads3D v2, the current asset store version, includes a river tool.

This thread is about v3. It is undecided yet whether v3 will include a fully featured river tool or whether that will be released as a seperate tool. In any case, because of new features in v3 and the expanded side objects system, it includes all the tools required to shape a river in the terrain and create the river surface.Check for example the halfpipe example on the previous page, shapes very similar to that can be used to deform the terrain and create the river bed. Add a flat surface according the same spline shape and you have a river. I can add an example to the demo project which needs a river anyway for some bridge side object examples.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

I would love to see a fully featured river tool, even if it is a separate tool. We really do need one. In the meantime, a demo would be great. Thanks.

 

BTW, I sent an email but I can't seem to get the roads to show on a terrain. I create road and get one marker but shift-left click does not give me anything. The focus changes to the terrain and not to the road. What am I doing wrong?

 

Can we also use our own models for the straight road pieces (not connections). If so I think we are able to create very low poly models for mobiles. That could make me buy this.

 

Will V3 include side object prefabs cause I just bought the current pro version and there doesn't appear to be any side objects or bridge objects that come with it like the ones shown in the ER demo videos.
Would be useful to help me get started with this and to see how those objects are put together/sized and placed etc. to help me in adding my own custom ones.

 

Hi Teila, I think this has been sorted out over email meanwhile, a reimport of the package fixed the issue, is that correct?

Raoul

 

Hi hakankaraduman, I don't think it is necessary to create your own road pieces for the purpose of creating low poly road meshes. You can set the geometry resolution of the roads and optimize it for mobile. There is no limit on that, you can set it as low as you want.

Raoul

 

Hi Jack62Lewis, I think you also emailed me, you should have received an email with details, also for the side object package download from our website. The email also includes a link to the demo project which is useful to see how side objects can be used in a scene.

Indeed the objective with the side objects in v2 was always to provide a system that can be used with your own unique assets, that is why no side objects are part of the main package. For v3 more side objects will be available, the system will still remain flexible so you can use your own assets.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hi,

sorry i am a little confused. If we buy v2, which is on asset store and icludes river tool, do we have to pay again for v3?

thanks

 

Hi siblingrivalry,

You do not have to buy v3 again. If you get Pro you will have access to the v3 betas and you will also be able to download it from the asset store once it replaces the current asset store version.

I only mentioned the status of the river tool in v3 because you were explicitly asking for the river tool in this thread which is about v3.

Raoul

 

Hi Roul,
I need to create destructed road/bridge like for disaster game. Is it possible to create it using easy road?

 

Hi desyashasyi,

Do you mean bridge destruction at runtime or static destructed bridges? Bridges are procedurally created using a specific pattern. If the destruction is part of that pattern then yes, you can create destructed bridges. But generally you would model this to make it look realistic.You will still be able to use it within the EasyRoads3D system. The demo project with bridge examples in the upcoming new beta will demonstrate that with some more complex bridges.

You could also export the generated bridges, add the destruction in a modelling app and reimport back into Unity.

Raoul

 

Actually, i want to simulate a destroyed condition of road/bridge. I am working on post disaster simulation like earthquake, flooding, etc. I want to see some of road parts in destroyed condition, i.e road hole etc. static is acceptable, but if I can also destruct it at runtime, it is more interesting. If so, could you explain the workflow to get it? Thanks.

 

You can probably already get good results by simply using different materials if static will work for you. Destructive geometry / holes etc. is very specific, perhaps something for 3.x, at this stage I think it is better to focus on the main functionality. Real holes (not cracks) in the road is not easy to achieve anyway given the grid based nature of the underlaying Unity terrain object and the average terrain heightmapscale, assuming your final scenes will include the unity terrain object.

As already mentioned, just like with side objects (bridges), you can export the full road network and tweak the geometry in a modeling app to get the road geometry itself more into a destructive state. If that is what you meant with explaining the workflow? Also, regarding runtime destructive geometry, I think there are some packages on the asset store that can do this. For sure people were working on this and posted videos here on the forums.

Raoul

 

I am really having trouble with intersections. When I place them and build the terrain, I get spikey things poking up into the air on all four corners. This happens when I remove the sidewalks in the editor. I am building a dirt road so do not want sidewalks. Also, connecting the roads to the intersections sometimes works but more often looks bad. I have had to redo and redo, over and over again. I am at the point where I am going to simply lay roads, build terrain and remove the roads and paint on my terrain. This means adding another texture to the terrain but it will take less time than messing with ER.

This is an amazing system, just doesn't work on all terrains. On flat areas it is awesome. If you want just a typical road with sidewalks and all, it seems to work great. I am sure I will use it for another project. Maybe the bugs will be worked out before release. I don't regret the purchase and there isn't anything comparable out there, but for the second time, it just doesn't work for me. I figured out the complexities of Terrain Composer and RTP and am now helping others with the...but I just can't master Easy Roads. I must just be road deficient or something. lol

 

Hi Raoul,
I just bought ER Pro V3. Thanks

 

Hi Raoul,
I use UFPS camera for my game. Why the camera cannot see road object at runtime? Which part should be changed? Thanks.

 

Happy new year to all!

Raoul

 

Hello Teila,

Sorry to hear you are having difficulties . Yes, v3 has many more options and is therefore more complex than v2. More tutorials will follow when v3 is publicly released. Meanwhile please contact me with detailed info if you are having issues or questions. This way bugs can be sorted out (it is a beta, there is a lot to tackle) and, if it is a “getting familiar with a new tool” issue, I can give better feedback.

Regarding sidewalks, you are able to switch them off by default in the crossing settings or directly in the scene, does that work well for you?

What exactly goes wrong with connecting roads to crossings? In what way does it look bad? What type of roads are you connecting to what type of crossings? The only thing to take into account here is that currently there is no check on the geometry structure of the road and the crossing, connecting a 10m wide road to a 5m wide crossing connection will not look good. One thing to do here is either only allow connections between matching geometry or, better, have the intersection / road auto update where possible. At the moment roads do already auto update if they are not yet connected to a crossing on the other end. In this case, in the example above, it is a matter of changing the connection width to 10 before connecting the road.

Terrain deformation should work just fine on all terrains flat or hilly, with or without sidewalks . The demo project includes roads in hilly areas and flat areas. Also see the screenshot below, this is on a standard 2000x2000 terrain size with 513 heightmap resolution. When making this scene, I did run into an issue with custom crossings. The white surfaces were not generated correctly in some situations resulting in wrong terrain deformation due to the hilly character of the terrain , I will fix that. Perhaps your issue is related to this? Also something to take into account here is the heightmapscale of your terrains and sharp crossing angles. The smaller the heightmapscale of the terrain, the more flexible you are with road curves and height differences. To get a better idea of what goes wrong on your end, can you provide terrain details and show a screenshot of the issues with terrain deformation and crossings (ideally two screenshots with the road network in Edit Mode and in Build Mode after terrain deformation)? If you want you can send them to my email.



Thanks,

Raoul

 

Hi desyashasyi,

I am not familiar with the UFPS package. Can you see the road in scene view? Can you see the road at runtime when using a standard camera? Does that happen on every (UFPS) camera angle / position? Can you show clear screenshots of this and what goes wrong?

Raoul

 

Hey is there any plans to add narrated or subtitled tutorials for easy roads V3? Cause there seems to be a lot to learn and I find the way the videos are currently make things a little difficult to follow.
Would be awesome!

Thanks,
Jack Lewis

 

Hi Jack,

Indeed v3 involves a lot more than v2 and is therefor more complex to get familiar with compared to v2. The manual describes the recommended workflow, it is useful to go through that because it will give you an overall idea of how things work, how you can maximize the production process. From there you can go into detail and look at each aspect individually. Once you are familiar with the workflow it is probably also easier to understand what is going on in the videos. Sometimes you do see things suddenly change in the scene, check the short cut section in the manual. There are some useful shortcuts that improve the productivity.

Regarding tutorials, v3 is still in beta, it could be that we will be changing the Inspector layout, add more options etc. At this stage we like to avoid spending a lot of time on lengthy tutorials which could very well be outdated a month later. But this will definitely be available when released and updated regularly with new tutorials, different side object tutorial examples, etc. This will be either subtitled/narrated or both. Another way we are considering to do this is to include detailed notes for each step in the videos. This way we can keep the videos as they are now, when you see something you want to know more of you simply check the timeline in the notes. We regularly find ourselves fighting through 30 / 40 minute narrated tutorials, moving forward through the video and probably missing things etc. The video we are currently posting would easily last 30-45 minutes when explaining every step, I personally find that too long for a video. But it also depends on what you want.

Meanwhile, please ask here on the forums or by email if something is not clear, you will generally receive a fast response.

Thanks,
Raoul

 

Hello wheretheidivides, you should already have received the download link of the current v3 beta.

In general, please check _readme file in the root directory of the imported package. It includes info on how to get additional downloads, among which the the v3 beta, if you like to try it out.

Thanks,

Raoul

 

Has anyone used EasyRoads with SECTR STREAM? I am building a road network that would extend across several sectors, and am not sure if I need to set up a different road network for each sector, or if they'll get split apart automatically by SECTR.