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'Blended Background' Tutorial - Page 1

 
The 'Blended Background' is a technique that I developed for the Tall Trees and Boardwalk RR.
It produces a look that 'fools the eye' into believing that 'there is more there, there than is, there'!  
 
Something New
This technique use to require the ability to use of gmax, But thanks to jost62 we now have

 a blank background that only requires a familiarity with a paint program.

Download it blank background Here!
For those who use this ready made blank, you can disregard the gmax instructions.
THANKS jost62!
 

In this tutorial I have used my own content but, of course, the technique works with any content.

 
The blended background works well because the background image is composed
 of the same elements as those that will be used in the foreground.
 
 
Click on vignettes to DL.
These two pieces of content are used in this Tutorial,
BUT they ARE NOT on the download station
and should not be used in routes that you intend to distribute.
 If you do use them, people will scream at you!
 

 

Blended Background for a City

 

1) Choose the same buildings you are going to use in the actual city and place them on a blank board in a 'realistic' configuration. I have decided to make a 200 meter wide background for the tutorial.

Here is your 'city' at eye/track level.
2) Next I draw out a  spline of trees in a cross-hatch pattern to cover the base of the buildings. (A street with a row of cars could also provide an adequate lower edge to the background... I like trees!)

 
From above.
3) Add ground texture beneath trees.
At eye level.

Once the arrangement is 'correct' and you are pleased with the look it's time to take a screen shot of the 'diorama'. 

4)  Using your paint program, crop the image to the 1x4 area the you want as your background.  (I use a 1x4 aspect ratio... other ratios can be used)

5) Here are the two files you need to create. The .tga and the alpha. These files are (1x4) 128x512. (I have filled the 'transparent space of the .tga with a color that will not 'ghost' too obviously, if at all.)

6) In gmax you should produce a rectangle that is 200 meter wide by 50 high. This is what you are aiming for... But you will do it better than this example, of course!

 

Continued on next page

Screen Shots of this technique on my TTBWRR route.