Home
Reference Index
Editor
Advanced Tab
Environment Editor
Introduction
The environment editor is used to create custom environment files (.nl2env). It is recommended to store custom environment files inside the park's folder. Environments have the following features:
- Custom skyboxes or dynamic sky
- Custom cloud textures or dynamic clouds
- Generated background
- Custom background objects
- Default weather settings
- Fog effect
- Sun and Moon
- Scripts
Main Buttons
New...
Select a file path and file name for a new NL2ENV file.
Open...
Open an existing NL2ENV file.
Save
Save the current setting to the NL2ENV selected by New... or Open....
Save As...
Save the current setting to another NL2ENV file and will use this file path from now on for upcoming Save commands.
Close
Close the currently opened NL2ENV file.
General Tab
- Path - Displays the directory path of the current .nl2env file
- Preview Image - Select an image to appear as the icon in the Select Environment dialog.
- Description - Enter a short description for this environment.
Skybox Tab
These settings will be ignored when the dynamic sky is enabled.
- Skybox East - Select an image to display on the east side of the skybox.
- Skybox West - Select an image to display on the west side of the skybox.
- Skybox Up - Select an image to display on the top side of the skybox.
- Skybox Down - Select an image to display on the bottom of the skybox.
- Skybox North - Select an image to appear on the north side of the skybox.
- Skybox South - Select an image to appear on the south side of the skybox.
- Render upper half only - Omits the bottom half of the skybox for faster rendering.
- NL1 Compatibility Mode - Adjusts the orientation of skyboxes designed for NoLimits 1 to the orientation used in NoLimits 2.
Dynamic Sky Tab
- Enable Dynamic Sky - Enable a dynamic sky for this environment. Enabling this feature will disable all Skybox settings.
- Latitude - Set the sun's latitudinal position; -90 south to 90 north.
- Longitude - Set the sun's longitudinal position; -360 west to 360 east.
- Start Date - Set the sun's starting position based on month and day.
- Start Time - Set the sun's starting position based on hour and minute.
- Render upper half only - Omits occluded areas of the dynamic environment for faster rendering.
- Overcast - Set the amount of saturation in the sky color for a sunny or overcast impression.
Sun Tab
The sun settings are used for custom skyboxes. They will be ignored when dynamic sky is enabled.
- Render Sun and Flares - Enable the sun object and lens fare effects for this environment.
- Azimuth - Set the direction of the sun.
- Elevation - Set the height of the sun from the horizon.
- Diffuse Color - Select the color of direct sun light.
- Specular Color - Select the color of reflected sun light.
- Ambient Color - Select the color of indirect sun light. Also affects shadow color and intensity.
Moon Tab
The moon settings are used for custom skyboxes. They will be ignored when dynamic sky is enabled.
- Enable Moon - Enable the moon object for this environment.
- Azimuth - Set the direction of the moon.
- Elevation - Set the height of the moon from the horizon.
- State - Set the state of the moon's shadow eclipsing its surface.
- Rotation - Set the rotational angle of the moon.
- Intensity - Set the brightness of the moon.
Clouds and Wind Tab
- Wind Azimuth - Set the wind direction.
- Wind Speed - Set the speed of the wind in meters per second.
- Dynamic Clouds - Enable procedurally generated clouds to appear in the sky.
- Coverage - Set the size/density of the dynamic clouds.
- Layer1 Texture - Select an image to act as a high-altitude cloud texture*.
- Layer1 Scale - Set the scale of the high-altitude cloud texture*.
- Layer1 Scroll - Set the scroll rate of the high-altitude cloud texture*.
- Layer2 Texture - Select an image to act as a low-altitude cloud texture*.
- Layer2 Scale - Set the scale of the low-altitude cloud texture*.
- Layer2 Scroll - Set the scroll rate of the low-altitude cloud texture*.
* Will be ignored when Dynamic Clouds is enabled.
FX Tab
- Fog Density - Set the fog thickness. Higher values will result in thicker fog.
- Fog Color - Select the color of the fog*.
- Rain Intensity - Set the severity of the rainfall.
- Snow Intensity - Set the severity of the snowfall.
- Thunder Intensity - Set the frequency of lightning and thunder.
* Will be ignored when Dynamic Sky is enabled.
Background Tab
Generated Background
Enable a background terrain to appear in the distance beyond the work area.
- Min. Height - Set the minimum height of the background terrain.
- Max. Height - Set the maximum height of the background terrain.
- Perlin Size - Set the intensity of the Perlin noise function.
- Persistence - Set the falloff parameter of the Perlin noise function. Lower values result in smoother terrain.
- Perlin Offset X - Set the X offset value for the Perlin noise function.
- Perlin Offset Z - Set the Z offset value for the Perlin noise function.
- Inner Fade Slope - Adjust the far depth profile of the terrain.
- Outer Fade Slope - Adjust the near depth profile of the terrain.
- Fade Function - Displays the depth profile of the terrain based on the Inner and Outer Fade parameters.
- Layers - Add or remove texture layers to the background terrain.
Background Object Layer Dialog
- Coverage - Adjust the opacity of this texture layer on overlapping layers.
- Texture - Select an image file to act as a texture for this layer.
- Plant Mask - Select a black and white mask to determine where trees exist in the background terrain.
- Repeats - Set the effective size of this texture layers.
- Min. Height - Set the minimum terrain height this texture layer will appear.
- Max. Height - Set the maximum terrain height this texture layer will appear.
- Min. Slope - Set the minimum terrain slope on which this texture will appear.
- Max. Slope - Set the maximum terrain slope on which this texture will appear.
- Noise - Adjust the amount of random variation in this texture layer.
- Noise Detail - Adjust the feature size of the noise effect for this layer.
Rivers
- Rivers 1, 2, 3 - Enable a river to appear in the background terrain.
- Start Azimuth - Set the starting direction of the river.
- End Azimuth - Set the ending direction of the river.
- Start Width - Set the starting width of the river.
- End Width - Set the ending width of the river.
- Shore Slope - Set the steepness of the river shore line.
- Update Preview - Preview the effect of the selected parameters.
Bg. Objects Tab
Background Scene Objects
Add or remove individual objects to the background scene.
- Azimuth - Set the direction within the background panorama that the selected object will appear.
- Distance - Set the distance that the selected object will appear on the background terrain from the center of the work area. Note: Selecting low values placing the background object within the work area can result in undesirable effects due to rendering priority.
- Height at Bg.-Terrain - Snap the object elevation to the terrain height.
- Height - Set the elevation of the object. Disabled if "Height at Bg.-Terrain" is enabled.
- Rotation - Set the rotation angle the object is pointing.
Generated Background Plants
- Plant 1,2,3 - Select an existing background plant file.
- Slider - Adjust the amount of this background plant that will appear on the tree mask.