Hello. If you read my first guide and learned how to use the udk/sdk through the video tutorials I linked, then I think you are ready for this one!

I have set up a steam group for everyone who wants to be a map maker. Here you can meet other map makers and ask questions and find help for map making.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/groups/RO2MMG

If you liked the tutorial please rate it by pressing the thumbs up button! =)

Today I will be teaching you how to place down trenches with PERFECT alignment. You will also be learning some techniques to align static meshes properly.


So open your map and if you don't already have the Props_mamayev loaded up, then please navigate to the proper (1) folders and load up (2) Props_Mamayev.


For trenches or any other static meshes, you will want a reference point. Basically it is the standard for your alignments. If you make one perfect alignment, then all you have to do is align everything else with it and those will be perfect too. You can use any of the trench static meshes but (3) Trench_Straight128 will be the easiest. So select that and s + left click it somewhere on your terrain or right click on terrain and add as a static mesh.



It doesn't look too good filled up with all that snow.


Press the (4) TerrainEdit button. Select (5) visibility and the smallest (6) brush. Then ctrl + left click on top of the trench. You will see one huge (7) square hole. This is not what you want. So ctrl + right click on that hole to reverse it/remove it.


Increase (8) tessellation and try again. Ctrl + left click on the trench and you will see a smaller (9) hole. Ctrl + right click and remove it.


Repeat once more and there we go. The perfect hole. Now we need to align our trench with it.


Maximize the Top viewport (A). Then take a look at your terrain. You can select it for easier viewing but I highlighted the (10) area. You can see this area has NO DIAGONAL LINE, while the rest of the terrain does. This is the area you made invisible. You want to align your trench with that. Select you trench.


Change your drag grid to 1. To do so, locate the drop down at the bottom right side of the window. (B) Make sure to check the box and press the drop down and select 1.


Select your trench and use the arrow keys to move it into place. You can see the perfect alignment because all the lines on the static mesh line line up with the grid.


If you tried extra hard and it still won't align. This is because the static mesh is not aligned to the grid. Right click and select Transform - Snap Origin to Grid.


Here it is nicely aligned.


I placed down a second trench to try and align it with the first.


Perfect!


Almost perfect...So at this step you can use either your (11) Side viewport or (12) Front viewport to finish the alignment. Unfortunately my side viewport has a bunch of other static meshes so I can't really see. I can use my front view port but I will show you guys a much better way to do it.


Select your mesh in the 3D Viewport. Hold right click on either the side viewport or the front viewport. I chose the (13) side and you will see a hand forming a fist. This is the icon for dragging. Just let go once you see it and you will notice that the side viewport is highlighted (the borders are yellow.) Now look at your 3D viewport and press the up and down arrows until the trenches are aligned.


Now you are like a boss.