Network Rivers: Rocky Mountain Pack

Please read the whole description below and check out the images above before you comment with any problems. Thanks!

Welcome to Network Rivers, a set of networks designed to direct water through your maps and to look like realistic rivers.

I have always found creating rivers with the landscaping tools very difficult and the final results never look like real rivers. This is why I came up with the Network Rivers idea and why I’ve spent a long time messing around trying to make them usable and effective. The river networks can be tricky to use effectively but with trial-and-error can work well and look fantastic.

This pack has a ‘Rocky Mountain’ theme with pebbles and rocks recreating the rivers found in mountainous areas. The rivers are found in the Water Structures menu.

1. Rocky Mountain
2. Green Valley

This pack contains ten rivers varying in width from 12 metres to 48 metres plus a River Rocks prop containing 13 rocks that vary randomly. The rocks will appear on the river beds automatically.

In addition, the rivers generate automatic grass, bushes and trees along the river banks. This vegetation is listed in the ‘Required Items’ and I highly recommend subscribing to them if you want the rivers to look as good as intended.

Vegetation used:
1. Wild Hedges Pack by MrMaison
2. Fluffy Grass Pack by MrMaison
3. Leafy Tend from Leafy Tree Set by pdelmo
4. Linden Tree from Linden Tree Pack by MrMaison

Each river has a version without grass, bushes and trees for detailers who want to add their own vegetation. These rivers are named ‘Plain’.

1. Extra Landscaping Tools
2. Move It
3. Fine Road Anarchy 2
3. Extra Landscaping Tools Mod Tutorial and Overview
4. Network Rivers Mod Tutorial
5. I hope to provide a video tutorial for these rivers in the near future.

(There are images above relating to each section below.)

1. Prepare the ground: Once you’ve identified the course of your river check that the source will be higher than the estuary by at least 50 metres. Then use the ‘Slope Terrain’ tool to make an even slope from top to bottom following the route of the river, including all the curves and bends.

2. Lay the river: Next it’s time to plop the river along the ground you’ve sloped. I recommend using the ‘Freeform’ network tool to create realistic curves as the river descends. The smallest widths should be used at the highest point and widened in increments to the widest at the estuary. It’s sometimes easiest to lay the course with one width and use the ‘Update’ tool to make the widths different after. Generally, the wider the river the greater the curves as the water slows.

3. Smooth the slope: Use the Move It ‘Align Slope’ tool to ensure that all the river nodes are gradually descending.

4. Correct the terrain: Use the ‘Soften Terrain’ landscaping tool to smooth out any sections that may have appeared after aligning the slope. I advise using this tool to make sure surrounding ground is not below the river height otherwise water may ‘leak’ out.

5. Add the water: The best way to create a controllable water source is with a lake with the river source connected to it. Use the ‘Water Tool’ to create a water source set at the capacity of 0.01 and lower the water level to a point where the level follows the smallest river shape. You can ‘tweak’ the flow by raising and lowering the first node of the river with Move It.

6. Control the flow: Once you get the flow of the smallest river at the top correct you will notice that the flow may be less as the river widens. The best way to control this is by adding tributaries where the flow needs a ‘boost’. Use the same technique as above to create the tributaries. You can then adjust each tributary flow to get it just right.

7. Make things real: You could now leave the river but I recommend ‘updating’ sections of the river to make bends wider than the straights. This creates a more realistic shape as the width varies in nature. Take the width of the bend and use the next size down before and after. Just experiment.

8. Final tweaks: If you still have problems with the flow it sometimes helps to repeat the Move It ‘Align Slope’ tool between each tributary. Sometimes moving a node or segment slightly can help.

Please note that getting the flow right is more of an art than a science.

This pack contains:
(A standard and plain version is included for each width).
1. NR Rocky Mountain 12m
2. NR Rocky Mountain 16m
3. NR Rocky Mountain 20m
4. NR Rocky Mountain 24m
5. NR Rocky Mountain 28m
6. NR Rocky Mountain 32m
7. NR Rocky Mountain 36m
8. NR Rocky Mountain 40m
9. NR Rocky Mountain 44m
10. NR Rocky Mountain 48m
11. NR River Rocks

River texture: 1024 x 1024
LOD: 256 x 256
Rock texture: 512 x 512
LOD: 128 x 128

I have aimed to keep the file sizes as small as possible. All the rivers share textures, as do the rocks, allowing the Loading Screen Mod to share them in game and therefore reducing the load on your computer.

All files in this pack use the same naming structure to speed up ‘Find It’ searches. All elements start with NR followed by the asset name.

I would like to thank kjmci, Elektrix, garfield007, VerumPositor and PugGaming for testing these rivers and giving such valuable feedback.

Please try this pack out and let me know, in the comments below, if you have any problems or suggestions. I have endeavoured to make these rivers as useable and effective as possible but there may be errors and problems that need to be addressed.

If you really, really like my assets please consider making a donation. I’m unable to work because of ill health and do this because I love the positive feedback I get from so many people.

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