Docs/Terrain

Terrain Painting

Paint texture layers on terrain surfaces with blending and splat maps.

13 min read Intermediate Updated 2026-07-01 v2.0 ~39 min to complete

Introduction

Terrain painting applies textures like grass, dirt, rock, and snow to terrain surfaces. This guide covers texture layers, splat maps, and blending techniques.

Guide 2 of 25

This is part of the Intermediate Guides collection. Category: Terrain. Estimated completion: 39 minutes. Difficulty: Intermediate.

Screenshot

Step-by-Step Guide

Create terrain layers

In the Terrain tab, navigate to Paint. Add layers: grass, dirt, rock, sand, snow. Assign a texture to each.

Set tiling per layer

Each layer has independent tiling. Grass at 4x4, rock at 2x2. Adjust for natural repetition patterns.

Paint with the brush

Select a layer and paint on the terrain. The brush blends layers based on opacity and falloff.

Use splat maps

Import a splat map PNG. Each color channel controls one layer intensity (R=grass, G=dirt, B=rock, A=snow).

Height-based blending

Configure automatic layer assignment by height and slope: grass low, rock steep, snow peaks.

Enable triplanar mapping

For steep surfaces where textures stretch, enable triplanar mapping per layer to prevent distortion.

FluxScript Example

Here is a complete FluxScript implementation for this guide:

Terrain Painting — FluxScript

on start {
  terrain.addLayer("grass", "textures/grass.png", { tiling: 4 })
  terrain.addLayer("dirt", "textures/dirt.png", { tiling: 3 })
  terrain.addLayer("rock", "textures/rock.png", { tiling: 2 })
  terrain.addLayer("snow", "textures/snow.png", { tiling: 4 })
  for x = 0 to 128 {
    for z = 0 to 128 {
      height = terrain.getHeight(x, z)
      slope = terrain.getSlope(x, z)
      if height > 25 {
        terrain.paint(x, z, "snow", 1.0, 3)
      } else if slope > 35 {
        terrain.paint(x, z, "rock", 1.0, 3)
      } else if height < 2 {
        terrain.paint(x, z, "dirt", 0.8, 3)
      } else {
        terrain.paint(x, z, "grass", 1.0, 4)
      }
    }
  }
  terrain.rebuild()
}

Node Graph Example

Prefer visual programming? Here is the equivalent Node Graph:

Terrain Painting — Node Graph

[On Start] --> [Add Layers: grass, dirt, rock, snow]
   --> [For X, Z: 0 to 128]
        --> [Get Height + Slope] --> [Branch]
             +-- > 25 --> [Paint: snow]
             +-- slope > 35 --> [Paint: rock]
             +-- < 2 --> [Paint: dirt]
             +-- else --> [Paint: grass]
   --> [Rebuild]

Optimization Tips

Keep your implementation fast and efficient with these optimization tips:

Limit terrain layers to 4-6. Each layer adds a texture sample in the shader — more layers means slower rendering.
Use texture atlases for terrain layers. Combining grass, dirt, and rock into one atlas reduces draw calls.
Enable triplanar mapping only for layers on steep surfaces. It is expensive — use it sparingly.
Paint large areas with splat maps instead of brushes for faster initial coverage.