
SineSpace posted some interesting news to their Discord Server this week. They are adding Unity terrain asset MicroSplat to the whitelist. SineSpace adding MicroSplat support for creators is a big deal, since it will give SineSpace makers the ability to use this great tool in their regions and the region templates they offer for sale.
MicroSplat is a modular terrain shader system that focuses on performance and ease of use. What’s more, the core module is FREE on the Unity asset store. Other modules are available individually for a reasonable price. As a result, this gives creators a lot of flexibility. If nothing else, you can just use the free core module and get an improvement over Unity’s standard terrain shaders. If you want more, then you just get the module you need.
The main takeaways are high performance, easy to use, free to get started, and inexpensive modular approach for the advanced stuff.
The MicroSplat page on the Unity Asset Store has all the details on MicroSplat’s features, so I won’t repeat them here. The main takeaways are high performance, easy to use, free to get started, and inexpensive modular approach for the advanced stuff. Developer Jason Booth also has a great track record on both his Unity forum thread and his own Discord Server, and I am a huge fan of his work.
All kinds of modules
You can add a variety of different paid modules to the MicroSplat core, subsequently giving you additional features. For instance, want to add striations to your mountains and cliffs, giving your build the look of millions of years of geology in action? There’s a module for that. Tessellation to create the illusion of a much more detailed terrain? Yep, there’s one for that too.
Notes about the Integration
SineSpace is adding support for MicroSplat, but there are requirements. Content creators will need to use Editor Pack 14 or later (see this post on getting started). Users will need an updated client app (2019.2b2 or later) in order to see MicroSplat content. That will hopefully be included in the next round of SineSpace client apps, which I hope will start testing soon.
Supports
- Microsplat Core
- Tessellation Module
- Anti-Tiling Module
- Global Texture Module
- Snow Module (except footsteps)
- Terrain Holes Module (except use our own “Terrain Hole Punch” script instead of the AlphaHolePhysics one supplied)
- TriPlanar UVs Module
- Texture Clusters Module
- Wind & Glitter Module (partial support, no support for Glitter Light script)
Supported version is 2.4 (and above). Other versions likely work, though have not been tested. Does not support the rivers/streams module.
Tutorial Update
Update 13 May 2019 – I have put together a tutorial to help you get started with MicroSplat. It’s easy to use and you can get some great results quickly.
Pingback: Get Started with MicroSplat in SineSpace - trilo.org