Need Help Creating Dry Stream Bed, Berm In Landscape

[B4UBLD]

Hi All,

 

Just trying to add some terrain features to a landscape I'm working on.  I need to create several "dry stream beds" (lowered, stream-like "valley" region filled with river rock), as well as a raised area/berm for a water feature and associated plants to sit atop of.  I'm afraid that I've always seemed to have trouble using the Terrain Modifier tools.  Don't know why, but I can't get the hill to look right and the valley to show up at all.  Embarrassed to ask, but can't find any help by searching on Forum, nor on Chief Architect site.  Thanks in advance.

 

Julie

[DRAWZILLA]

There is a stream feature  in, terrain/ water features/ stream. It will automatically carve you a depression for the stream. I personally don't get to much into landscaping so maybe someone else has an idea. 

[Chris_Boswell]

I find that to get the terrain shape I really want, there's no substitute for spending lots of time to adjust the "Terrain Elevation Data Contour" lines around point-by-point.  It is important to have high resolution for your contour lines, like elevation data contour lines that represent 1' differences rather than 1 line for every 2' or every 5'.

 

Using the terrain modification tools helps for getting things just in the ballpark, but to really dial it in, you gotta do it by hand adding lots of extra points.  It does take some study to get the hang of how terrain elevation contour lines describe the shape of the land, especially when it's fairly steep.  When you do get it the shape you want, then apply a terrain feature texture over the desired dry stream bed area of like "stream stone" from the manufacturers catalogs.

[Rich_Winsor]

What would a guy from Boulder Creek know about stream beds?....

OK, just kidding.... Highway 9 all the way baby! 

[B4UBLD]

Drawzilla, thanks very much for your response.  Stream feature was, indeed, helpful once I set it deep enough. 

 

Chris, I admire your patience and tenaciousness in working with the "Terrain Elevation Data Contour" lines around point-by-point to get the terrain you want.  This has inspired me to continue along my very gradual(hopefully upward!) learning slope (no pun intended    ).

 

Rich, very punny. 

 

Anyone have any pointers on getting natural looking berms?

 

How about setting individual river rocks into the stream beds --- uggghh!

 

Thanks again, all.

 

Julie 

[glennw]

Julie,

 

You can do something like this pretty quickly with Chief's standard tools - including the Spline Distribution Path and the Elevation Line tools.

 

And a hint - you can use the Copy in Concentric mode for the rocky stream bed.

 

My advice would be to steer away from the Terrain Modifier tools as you have very control - better to use the Elevation Data tools where you have complete control.  

 

This rough one took about 10 minutes.