I finally started the layers system. For now, I only have "objects" layers.
In the following images, one layer is set to add trees, a second one to add grass and a third to add two types of rocks.
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:6974]
[sharedmedia=gallery:images:6975]
The layers here only add objects on the ground. It is possible to use them to populate a "box" with floating objects (for an asteroids field for example). The layer definition indicates the volume of a layer chunk (size is chosen to be compatible with the terrain chunks), the number of objects to add by chunk, the min/max distance between two consecutively added objects, a "spread" factor, a list of object ID (one layer can add multiple objects types) and the option to get objects on the ground.
The layers not only generates positions for objects but also 2 random values. The first one is for now hard-linked to the rotation around Z and the second one is meant to be used as a "color factor" to add diversity. I would like this "randomness" feature to be configurable for each layer.
A second layer type is planned: the terrain "patch" layers as I did in a test application. This type will allow to add random features to the terrain.
I did a video capture.
Sorry for the quality, the upload to youtube killed it. I will have to capture at a bigger resolution the next time...
See you soon.