To add more variation and detail to our vistas I was tasked with generating Normal and Color textures that were baked per-tile. These textures were generated based on the geometry in the scene and previously painted masks that feed into our layered terrain system.
The Normal is generated by pulling assets and terrain layers into Houdini and simulating erosion, then some custom displacement and noise based on material type to further extenuate details.
The Color is generated after the Normal and uses noises, terrain masks, and terrain features to create color breakup per material that is then overlayed over the terrain material.
Many artists and engineers contributed to creating the final result, including artists who painted the original masks and placed the assets that fed into the procedural systems, and the talented graphics engineers and tech artists who built the systems to make this possible.
I want to give a special thanks to the following artists for their invaluable feedback:
Nicolas Bouvier (Sparth) - Art Director
Martin Deschambault - Associate Art Director
Rogelio Olguin - Lead Texture Artist
Chiyo Lai - Biomes Lead
Chris Ryzebol - Senior Environment Artist
Steven Carroll - Senior Environment Artist
Nate Castronovo - Environment Artist