RockStudio [2.3] - A Low-poly procedural rock generator

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Hello, thanks for stopping by!

This is the promotional thread for RockStudio, a procedural rock generator designed for the purpose of creating lowpoly and stylized rock structures in your game with just a few button clicks!

FEATURES:

• Procedurally generate low-poly rocks within seconds
• Multiple preset options that determine what shape your rock will be
• Randomization/Seed system, random seeds, custom seeds,...
• Settable vertex count (use presets or set a custom value)
• Material manager, automatically assign a material to the cube, use one material or choose randomly between a collection of materials
• Saves rocks in your scene as game objects
• Export the rocks as .FBX, .asset or .prefab
• System to create complex rock structures like arches and caves (sculpt mode)
• System to compose a rock group easily (compose mode)
• Mesh combiner tool
• Easy to use collider settings
• Intuitive and beautiful UI
• Easy to use placement tools to choose where you want to generate your rock
• Documentation file (WIP)
• A rock brush to quickly 'paint' small rocks
• Procedural UV mapping

DEMO SCENES:

Spoiler: Underwater Temple

Spoiler: Cliffs

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Check out the asset page for more visuals!

Cheers, Alex

 

Nice work, should save anyone stupid enough to pay over 100 dollars for this other asset.

 

Thanks! The visuals that POLYBOX created are stunning though!

 

Yeah but I'm inviting people to just use your asset to make them. I'm sure it's a good alternative

 

Those are some pretty nice rocks but at $2.25 a rock, I think I'd also rather go for this.

 

Collision!

 

Hello everybody, if you would take your time to read this, I would really appreciate it!

Spoiler: Click to see me rambling on about things

This post will be about the new version (Version 2) of my Rock Generation Tool. It has tons of new features I'm going to talk about, and the package is currently being reviewed (should hopefully be live this week, fingers crossed)

But first, I have to get something off my chest.

On Friday the 5th of may, I posted the following GIF on the forum here (see a few posts above). That post has not been edited since that Friday.



The gif features a new system I was working on. First I thought about adding new systems to my tool like a system to generate arches, caves and other rock structures. But I thought, why not come up with a tool that let's the user define the shape of the rock himself! So I looked up some stuff about gizmos, handles,... and worked 2 hours on it on Friday after my classes and proudly posted the GIF of the work in progress here, and on the subreddit r/Unity3D .

Fast forward to Friday the 12th of May (exactly a week later), I saw a user on Reddit by the name of 'NoobStudios' post this gif, at first I thought it was my system and I was amazed that after a week, the post was still coming up on my feed:



The post has now been deleted. I check the account of NoobStudios, and saw that on Reddit, he linked to an asset that is similar to mine on the Asset Store. He had implemented the system I came up with, worked on and proudly shared on the Unity forums and on Reddit.

Quick fact-list:

• I posted my gif on the 5th of May
• NoobStudios posted his gif on the 11th of May
• NoobStudios didn't release 1 update with new features for his tool during the period of December 2016 (release) and the update he released with the the system visible in the GIF (May 10th)
• I called my system 'composition mode' in my original post, he called his system 'composition mode' on Reddit
• He deleted the post on Reddit, after I commented that it felt to me like he copied my system

You may think of this what you want. Up until now, I presented you the facts, and nothing but the facts. The words that will follow now, will represent my opinion, and I'll try to stay polite.
I feel like the 2 GIFS are almost exactly the same, even the set up with the 3 cubes is exactly the same. I worked hard on my system, and I feel like he copied it. He's allowed to do so of course, from a legal standpoint, but it broke a small piece of my developer's heart. I thought there was something like 'honor among devs', but I'm starting to think there is no thing like that. I was proud that I came up with a cool new system, and I was so excited, just to see NoobStudios copy my system and release it like he came up with the idea. There is a big difference between taking inspiration from another one's asset, and straight up copying it! Of course we tend to look to other assets, and take inspiration from the cool things they did, but in my opinion, what happened here is totally different. Keep in mind that he didn't release any new features for almost 6 months after release, and then suddenly, when he sees someone else that had the same idea to create a rock generator, he copies their features? I do my best to be a creative dev, listen to my customers, come up with new features,... and to see a system like this stolen by someone else, before I could even release it? That made me extremely frustrated, and I felt so powerless. NoobStudios is stealing away sales from me, not by being creative, or offering better services, but by straight up copying systems I came up with. What made me feel even worse, was reading a review stating that NoobStudios came up with a 'brilliant new system'...

Of course it would be unwise to just stay frustrated and do nothing about it, so after some advice of @Dynamite3D, I started working. The system I posted in the GIF was far from completion, so knowing that NoobStudios copied that 'work in progress' version, at least gave me some confidence that people will see through him and know the difference between a developer that tries to be as creative as he can, and a developer that just copies things.

This being said, I'm very proud to present to you V2 of RockGen/RockStudio (I'm now calling it RockStudio now btw). I will give a quick explanation of all the new features in the next post!

Ps: First of all, thank you for reading this. I'm going to be more careful when posting 'work in progress' gifs.

 

IMPORTANT: READ THE POST ABOVE FIRST PLEASE

ROCKSTUDIO V2​

new features:

• Totally redesigned UI
• 3 new rock generation modes (regular, sculpt and compose)
• Improved workflow
• Optimization settings (such as a mesh combiner)
• More rock saving options
• RockStudio can now save as .fbx!
• Support for more rounded rocks!

REGULAR MODE:
The regular mode of RockStudio, is the default mode. It will generate basic rocks based on lattice systems, at exactly the place you want in your scene! I'm not going give a picture of the UI for now, I'm afraid somebody is going to copy it

SCULPT MODE:
Sculpt mode, is what I previously called 'composition mode'. It allows you to quickly sketch a shape of a rock, and then generate and save it. It has two modes 'fill' and 'outline'. With the outline mode, you can quickly generate complex structures like arches and caves! Something you will not be able to do with other similar rock generation assets.

COMPOSE MODE:
Compose mode, let's you place several rocks on top of each other or next to each other. It works with a handy gizmo tool and let's you create cool looking rocky 'hills' or just more interesting rock structures.

OPTIMIZATION:
RockStudio comes with a very handy new feature, that let's you combine meshes to improve performance! For example if you created a cool rock composition that consists of 50 rocks, just combine the rocks and voila, you have combined them into one mesh with just a click!

Spoiler: Combine tool

When saving a rock, you can also select whether your rock should have a RigidBody attached to it or not. You can also select which type of collider you want, box colliders or mesh colliders.

Spoiler: Colliders

EXPORTING:
RockStudio can now export to .fbx, and it will include the material!

Spoiler: Export

Spoiler: Quality

Spoiler: Crystals

 

I agree. There's taking inspiration and there's copying and I'd call that gif copying.

 

Hey would you have some more complex examples such as cliffs or cave interiors ? Do you have any video of the workflow ?

Also do you think it's possible to replicate a style similar to what Hippo posted earlier ?

 

I'm working on some example scenes that I will put on here and on the asset store when V2.2 is live. Same for the video, I'll provide a quick showcase video along with a tutorial video.

Creating for example a rock like this (from POLYBOX)



is not entirely possible at the moment. You can create a shape like that using the sculpt mode, but if you look closely the rock in the image has different shades of sand-color on the surface of the rock. This would require generating a UV map of my rock model. This is of course possible if you export the rock model to blender, define the UV map and re-import it, but I want to provide a better workflow. Version 2.3 or 2.4 should include a procedural UV mapper that automatically generates the UV coordinates for you.

Also, version 2.3 will include a better algorithm to create better looking rocks in terms of them having visible effects of erosion.

If you're interested, here is a demo scene I've been working on, it's still a work in progress, but I hope it showcases some things you can achieve using my tool (water is from Jolix and ivy is from 3Dynamite):

Spoiler: Image

Have a nice day!

Alex

 

Thanks for the picture, yes i would probably import them in blender and map them, mostly interested in not having to model rocks / cliff or at least having a starting point. I'm mostly interested in cliff or other complex rock formation

 

I'll try my best to showcase some more of these complex structures

 

Finished underwater temple scene. Created with RockStudio V2.2.
For more (work-in-progress) scenes, click here.

 

Finished cliff scene. Created with RockStudio V2.2.
For more (work-in-progress) scenes, click here.

 

RockStudio V2.2 is released and it includes a Prefab Brush as one of the many new features! Check out the main post for all the new features!

 

Texture, shader and substance support, coming soon to RockStudio along with other cool features! The price will increase a bit so get it now while it's still $9.99! https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/87718 Thank you for supporting me! <3

 

I love the work you've been doing (I've been following the updates from the store since you released) and after reading what noobstudios did to you I can't help but relate to what you must be feeling.

I'm going to purchase your asset now (especially because I have use for it in a future project), keep up the good work and stay true to your vision!

 

That's so nice to read Rahim, thank you for the kind words!

 

use it in Unity 2017 and got a bunch of errors

Code (CSharp):

1. Unable to load the icon: 'rock_colored'.
2. Note that either full project path should be used (with extension) or just the icon name if the icon is located in the following location: 'Assets/Editor Default Resources/Icons/' (without extension, since png is assumed)
3. UnityEditor.EditorGUIUtility:IconContent(String)
4. Styles:IconContent(String, String) (at Assets/Ameye/RockStudio/Scripts/RockStudio/WelcomePage.cs:99)
5. Styles:.cctor() (at Assets/Ameye/RockStudio/Scripts/RockStudio/WelcomePage.cs:84)
6. UnityEngine.GUIUtility:ProcessEvent(Int32, IntPtr)

 

Hey!

Make sure that the icon 'rock_colored.png' is located under Assets>Editor Default Resources>Icons

After downloading my tool, the 'Icons' folder will be places elsewhere so you'll have to manually move that 'Icons' folder under Assets>Editor Default Resources. For more information, check out the quick-start guide found with the tool. My apologies for the inconvenience, in the next update (V2.3), icons will be taken care of automatically!

Alex

 

Wow, I should have noticed it. After fixing the icons, I really enjoy this tool.
However, then I got some other problems.
* when I open the rock studio tool, I can't minimize my unity window.
* and I can't get my object picker window pop up, may be the same reason with the first one.
* and I don't know how to paint, my mouse cursor is far away from my paint cursor and both the click and the dragging doesn't work.

Anyway, is there anything wrong with my paint settings?

 

Hey, Everyone, I wanted to apologise for copying the composition system Alex showed in one of his Reddit posts. I have already sent him this, but I'd like to apologise to his community as well.

I didn't think it would be taken as copying. To be honest, I didn't really think about it, and in retrospect, i should have. When you commented on my Reddit post I panicked and lied. I shouldn't have done that.

I'm still starting out as a developer, so sometimes i make stupid mistakes like these. I've learned my lesson.

I don't want to be seen as a copycat or an ill-intentioned developer, it was an honest mistake on my end,

Again, I'm deeply sorry for my actions.

Cheers

 

Hey, let's take a look at your issues!

1. I haven't encountered this issue and I'm unable to reproduce it. There have been some changes to the window of RockStudio in V2.3 so that might fix the issue. It could also be a bug specifically to MacBook, I'll test it out and let you know!

2. What exactly do you mean by the object picker window? The window that opens up when you click on the little circle next to an object field?

3. This is bad design by me. To paint, you have to press and hold ctrl and then click and drag your mouse in order to paint. I think cmd on mac will work fine as well, I'll test it out on a MacBook and add support for it if cmd does not work! The text not showing up next to your mouse position is definitely weird. I'll try to reproduce it and check out what the issues is.

V2.3 of RockStudio will be released soon and will include tons of bug fixes and general improvements so some of your issues might already be fixed!

Regards,

Alex

 

Hi,

Just purchased this asset tonight and the first thing I noticed was whenever the tool is actually opened in Unity (using 5.6.1f1) my CPU usage suddenly jumps by about 22% and immediately drops off by an equal percentage when the Rock Studio tab closes. My CPU fan was what alerted me to it.

In a fresh blank project it jumps by about half that much resting around 11% or 13%.

Just curious if this is normal, a bug occurring on my end, my editor version or something else?

Thanks!

 

Hey! Thanks for letting me know! I have not tested the tool in terms of performance that much since it's an editor script, but a 22% rise in CPU usage is unacceptable. I'll test it as soon as possible but unfortunately my working laptop is being repaired at the moment. I'll try to fix this performance issue in the next version V2.3!

Thank you for your patience,

Alex

 

Quick Update: My work laptop is still being repaired so development is halted at the moment. V2.3 is pretty much done and should be live begin September. After that I'll start working on V3.0 of RockStudio, the biggest update yet. RockStudio 3.0 will feature an all new UI that allows for faster and more intuitive Rock Generation as well as a big update to the rock generation itself. There will be more rock settings than ever resulting in better looking rocks and crystals. If there are any request for V3.0, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
The price of RockStudio 3.0 will exceed the current price point although I have not yet decided on anything exact.

Kind Regards,

Alex

Update 8/22/2017: My laptop hard drive is showing me errors again. I'm sending it back to the factory. Development will continue in September on a tiny MacBook Air so I hope that goes well.

 

The release of V2.3 is still planned for early September, thank you for your patience! For now, here is a screenshot of main features. Procedural UV mapping, combining meshes with multiple materials and a handy new GUI window!

 

Quick Update: My laptop is still being repaired, but I found another laptop to work on so that'll work as a temporary solution. RockStudio V2.3 was just submitted to the asset store and should be live within the next week!

Features:

• Procedural UV mapping (texture, material, substance and shader support)
• Lots of bug fixes and improvements
• A new handy scene overlay window
• New UI
• Added undo/redo functionality everywhere

Instead of putting more features into this version, I decided to put all of my energy in the upcoming V3.0. This version will be a complete re-write of the tool. Main features will include:

• Completely redesigned UI for better workflow
• Improved performance
• Reworked rock creation
• Dents, cracks and wear
• ...

There are a lot of planned features for this version that I don't want to announce yet, but stay tuned!

Thank you for purchasing RockStudio and for the patience the last few months.

Regards,

Alex

EDIT: There were some last-minute bugs with the multiple material mesh combining, so that feature will be pushed to V3.0

 

RockStudio V2.3 just got accepted to the store!

A big thank you to anyone who has bought the asset so far, you really motivate me to improve the tool even further!

I will show some images of the early stages of V3.0 soon!

 

Update
I'd like to let you know that the development of RockStudio V3.0 has been put on hold. I am currently putting al my dev-energy into my other project Alex's Door System so there isn't that much time to work on this asset. V3.0 is still coming eventually and it will be great.
If you haven't seen the newly designed GUI that I worked on in September, here it is:



While these are still subject to change, the do reveal the design I'm going for.

I'd like to thank you for your patience.

Alex

 

I didn't realize the door system was you. I've been following its thread for some time and I like what I see.
Keep it up. I want to purchase soon before its out of beta.

Edit:
Scratch that, just purchased door system.

 

Thank you rrahim! I enjoy working on it.

 

Hi, how do make the Crystal rocks shinny, with sparkle like the one you shown in the Asset Store?

 

RockStudio is now 20% off for Cyber Monday!

Get it here!

Also check out the other assets currently on sale!​

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Hey!

I made those crystals shiny using this free asset from the asset store. It's a gem shader made by Unity and it works great!

https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/3

 

great, just bought your asset.

 

Awesome, thank you! If I can assist you with anything, my email is always open! alexanderameye@gmail.com

 

Can't save mesh?
I have create a rock and press save but when i turn it into a prefab the rock mesh is gone. Same goes to mesh combine.

Using Unity ver 2017.1.1f1 Personal

 

Hello Jim!

I had not experienced this issue before but I tested it right now and there are indeed some problems. I tried looking for a quick-fix but it seems I have to dig a bit deeper to fix this. I'm terribly busy right now but I will take a deeper look at it tomorrow. For now you could always export the mesh as an .fbx and then drag that fbx onto your prefab.

My apologies for the inconvenience,

Alex

Update: So I located the issue and even though I don't really know what I didn't found this earlier, I have a temporary fix for you. So in order to fix this, open up 'RockStudio.cs' and go to line 741. There, put these lines:

Code (CSharp):

1. AssetDatabase.CreateAsset(newRock.GetComponent<MeshFilter>().sharedMesh, "Assets/" + RockName + ".asset" );
2.                         AssetDatabase.SaveAssets();

This will save the mesh as a .asset file and put it under the 'Assets' folder. You will be able to then use the rock as a prefab. You can always of course change the path to whatever you like. The issue still persist when combining the meshes but I will fix this tomorrow. Good luck!

 

hey Alex, thank for the quick reply, the code works! nice!

Update: after testing, the combine rocks still not working. After i press combine, the mesh is gone. But I'm not in a hurry to do the combining thing, so take all the time you need to find the fix. Tkx.

 

still no update after a few months

 

Totally forgot about this, my apologies! I have exams until the 11th of February, after that I will make this my main focus point.

 

Hey @jim00! If you add this piece of code on line 14 in 'MeshCombiner.cs' it will work when combining meshes.
There will be no material assigned but you can just drag a material onto the rock and the UV's will work nicely.

Code (CSharp):

1.  combinedGameObject.AddComponent<MeshRenderer>();

I hope this works as a quick-fix. From now on I am working on the V3.0.0 update for RockStudio which will allow me to catch and fix issues like these quicker since the codebase of V2.0 is kind of cluttered right now.

 

ok, gr8 tkx for the fix. looking forword for V3.0.0 and keep up the good work.

 

Just a few quick questions:
-UV does not seem to be completely usable, or am I missing something? There are seams all over the place... I'm not sure this is necessary since the meshes are relatively simple in shape. Would it be possible to designate a "bottom" side of the mesh, and keep the seams there?
-How is the origin calculated for the meshes? They are all sunk into the terrain. Is there a way to change it without doing it manually?

 

1) Yeah there are some seams since I use an algorithm that procedurally unwraps the meshes. An artist would be able to position these seams more or less on the place he/she wants. Unfortunately I lack the abilities to create an algorithm that would position these seams at the bottom.

2) Yeah that's a good idea that I will add in V3.0.0, thanks!

 

Just as a suggestion for a possible solution. You could always grab probuilder (since it is now free) and unwrap the UV's yourself if you aren't afraid of giving it a go.

 

Here is a progress video of the mesh combining feature in V3.0.0. As you can see the UI has totally been redone.

 

I can do it by hand, that's no problem. But my goal was to use the procedural rocks at runtime, and hence I can't manually unwrap each and every rock.

@alexanderameye I understand it's a hard problem, hopefully you will find a solution some time in the future. Until then only uses I see with the asset are using the rocks without textures, or manually unwraping.

Thanks for the hard work.