Terrain

Show Deprecated
Not Creatable

Terrain lets you create dynamically morphable environments with little to no lag. It is currently based on a 4×4×4 grid of cells, where each cell has a number between 0 and 1 representing how much the geometry should occupy the cell, and the material of the cell. The occupancy determines how the cell will morph together with surrounding cells, and the result is the illusion of having no grid constraint.

For more information, see Terrain.

Summary

Properties

Enables or disables terrain decoration.

NOT SCRIPTABLE
NOT SCRIPTABLE
NOT BROWSABLE
MaterialColors: BinaryString

MaterialColors represents the editor for the Material Color feature, and cannot be edited by scripts.

To get the color of a material, use: Terrain:GetMaterialColor() To set the color of a material, use: Terrain:SetMaterialColor()

NOT SCRIPTABLE

Displays the boundaries of the largest possible editable region.

READ ONLY
NOT REPLICATED

The tint of the Terrain water.

Controls how opaque the Terrain's water reflections are.

The transparency of the Terrain water.

Sets the maximum height of the Terrain water waves in studs.

Sets how many times the Terrain water waves will move up and down per minute.

Methods


Returns the world position of the center of the terrain cell (x, y, z).


Returns the position of the lower-left-forward corner of the grid cell (x, y, z).

Clear(): void  

Clears the terrain.


Stores a chunk of terrain into a TerrainRegion object so it can be loaded back later. Note: TerrainRegion data does not replicate between server and client.

CountCells(): number  

Returns the number of non-empty cells in the Terrain.

FillBall(center: Vector3, radius: number, material: Material): void  

Fills a ball of smooth terrain in a given space.

FillBlock(cframe: CFrame, size: Vector3, material: Material): void  

Fills a block of smooth terrain with a given location, rotation, size, and material.

FillCylinder(cframe: CFrame, height: number, radius: number, material: Material): void  

Fills a cylinder of smooth terrain in a given space.

FillRegion(region: Region3, resolution: number, material: Material): void  

Fills a Region3 space with smooth terrain.

FillWedge(cframe: CFrame, size: Vector3, material: Material): void  

Fills a wedge-shaped volume of Terrain with the given Material and the area's CFrame and Size.

GetMaterialColor(material: Material): Color3  

Returns current terrain material color for specified terrain material.

PasteRegion(region: TerrainRegion, corner: Vector3int16, pasteEmptyCells: boolean): void  

Applies a chunk of terrain to the Terrain object. Note: TerrainRegion data does not replicate between server and client.

ReadVoxels(region: Region3, resolution: number): Tuple  CUSTOM LUA STATE

Returns a certain region of smooth terrain in table format.

ReplaceMaterial(region: Region3, resolution: number, sourceMaterial: Material, targetMaterial: Material): void  

Replaces the terrain of a material within a region with another material.

SetMaterialColor(material: Material, value: Color3): void  

Sets current terrain material color for specified terrain material.

WorldToCell(position: Vector3): Vector3  

Returns the grid cell location that contains the point position.


Returns the grid cell location that contains the point position, preferring empty grid cells when position is on a grid edge.


Returns the grid cell location that contains the point position, preferring non-empty grid cells when position is on a grid edge.

WriteVoxels(region: Region3, resolution: number, materials: Array, occupancy: Array): void  CUSTOM LUA STATE

Sets a certain region of smooth terrain using table format.

Events

Properties

Decoration

Not Scriptable

Currently enables or disables geometric grass on the Grass terrain material, although future modifications of this property may control additional decorative features.

GrassLength

Not Scriptable
Not Browsable

MaterialColors

BinaryString
Not Scriptable

MaterialColors represents the editor for the Material Color feature, and cannot be edited by scripts.

To get the color of a material, use: Terrain:GetMaterialColor()

To set the color of a material, use: Terrain:SetMaterialColor()

MaxExtents

Read Only
Not Replicated

Displays the boundaries of the largest possible editable region.

WaterColor

The tint of the Terrain water.

WaterReflectance

Controls how opaque the Terrain's water reflections are.

WaterTransparency

The transparency of the Terrain water.

WaterWaveSize

Sets the maximum height of the Terrain water waves in studs. This is currently constrained to between 0 and 1.

WaterWaveSpeed

Sets how many times the Terrain water waves will move up and down per minute. This is currently constrained to between 0 and 100.

Methods

CellCenterToWorld

Returns the world position of the center of the terrain cell (x, y, z).

Parameters


Returns

CellCornerToWorld

Returns the position of the lower-left-forward corner of the grid cell (x, y, z).

Parameters


Returns

Clear

void

Clears the terrain.


Returns

void

CopyRegion

Stores a chunk of terrain into a TerrainRegion object so it can be loaded back later. Note: TerrainRegion data does not replicate between server and client.

Parameters

region: Region3int16

Returns

Code Samples

Terrain:CopyRegion

local terrainRegion = workspace.Terrain:CopyRegion(workspace.Terrain.MaxExtents)
workspace.Terrain:Clear()
task.wait(5)
workspace.Terrain:PasteRegion(terrainRegion, workspace.Terrain.MaxExtents.Min, true)

CountCells

Returns the number of non-empty cells in the Terrain.


Returns

FillBall

void

Fills a ball of smooth terrain in a given space.

Parameters

center: Vector3

The position of the center of the terrain ball.

radius: number

The radius in studs of the terrain ball.

material: Material

The Material of the terrain ball.


Returns

void

Code Samples

Terrain:FillBall

workspace.Terrain:FillBall(Vector3.new(0, 0, 0), 5, Enum.Material.Grass)

FillBlock

void

Fills a block of smooth terrain with a given location, rotation, size, and material.

Parameters

cframe: CFrame

The cframe (position and orientation) of the terrain block.

size: Vector3

The size in studs of the square block - both the height and width.

material: Material

The Material of the terrain block.


Returns

void

FillCylinder

void

Fills a cylinder of smooth terrain in a given space. The space is defined using a CFrame, height, and radius.

Usage


workspace.Terrain:FillCylinder(CFrame.new(0, 50, 0), 5, 30, Enum.Material.Asphalt)

Parameters

cframe: CFrame

The CFrame (position and orientation) of the terrain cylinder.

height: number

The height in studs of the terrain cylinder.

radius: number

The radius in studs of the terrain cylinder.

material: Material

The Material of the terrain cylinder.


Returns

void

FillRegion

void

Fills a Region3 space with smooth terrain.

Parameters

region: Region3
resolution: number
material: Material

Returns

void

FillWedge

void

FillWedge fills a wedge-shaped volume of Terrain with the given Material and the area's CFrame and Size. The orientation of the wedge is the same as an equivalent WedgePart.

The results of a call to Terrain:FillWedge with CFrame (0, 50, 0), Size (20, 20, 20), and Material Asphalt

In the image above, a floating chunk of Terrain was created by calling this function as in the following code. A transparent, pink part with the Front surface marked with a Motor indicates the provided CFrame and Size.


workspace.Terrain:FillWedge(CFrame.new(0, 50, 0), Vector3.new(20, 20, 20), Enum.Material.Asphalt)

Parameters

cframe: CFrame

The position and orientation of the wedge to fill.

size: Vector3

The size of the wedge to fill.

material: Material

The material with which the wedge will be filled.


Returns

void

GetMaterialColor

Returns the current terrain material color for the specified terrain material.

Parameters

material: Material

Returns

PasteRegion

void

Applies a chunk of terrain to the Terrain object. Note: TerrainRegion data does not replicate between server and client.

Parameters

corner: Vector3int16
pasteEmptyCells: boolean

Returns

void

Code Samples

Terrain:PasteRegion

local terrainRegion = workspace.Terrain:CopyRegion(workspace.Terrain.MaxExtents)
workspace.Terrain:Clear()
task.wait(5)
local corner = Vector3int16.new(-32000, -32000, -32000)
local pasteEmptyRegion = false
workspace.Terrain:PasteRegion(terrainRegion, corner, pasteEmptyRegion)

ReadVoxels

Custom Lua State

Returns a certain region of smooth terrain in table format.

Parameters

region: Region3

Target region to read from. Must be aligned to the voxel grid. Will throw an error if region is too large. The limit is currently 4194304 voxels^3.

resolution: number

Voxel resolution. Must be 4.


Returns

Returns raw voxel data as two 3D arrays.

  • materials - 3D array of Material from the target area. Also contains a Size field, equal to the dimensions of the nested arrays.
  • occupancies - 3D array of occupancy values from the target area. Also contains a Size field, equal to the dimensions of the nested arrays.

Code Samples

Terrain:ReadVoxels() Code Example

local REGION_START = Vector3.new(-20, -20, -20)
local REGION_END = Vector3.new(20, 20, 20)
local function printRegion(terrain, region)
local materials, occupancies = terrain:ReadVoxels(region, 4)
local size = materials.Size -- Same as occupancies.Size
for x = 1, size.X, 1 do
for y = 1, size.Y, 1 do
for z = 1, size.Z, 1 do
print(("(%2i, %2i, %2i): %.2f %s"):format(x, y, z, occupancies[x][y][z], materials[x][y][z].Name))
end
end
end
end
local region = Region3.new(REGION_START, REGION_END)
printRegion(workspace.Terrain, region)

ReplaceMaterial

void

ReplaceMaterial replaces terrain of a certain Material within a Region3 with another material. Essentially, it is a find-and-replace operation on Terrain materials.

Constraints

When calling this method, the resolution parameter must be exactly 4. Additionally, the Region3 must be aligned to the terrain materials grid, i.e. the components of the Region3's minimum and maximum points must be divisible by 4. Use Region3:ExpandToGrid() to make a region compatible with this function.

Parameters

region: Region3

The region in which the replacement operation will occur.

resolution: number

The resolution at which the replacement operation will take place; at the moment this must be exactly 4.

sourceMaterial: Material

The old material that shall be replaced.

targetMaterial: Material

The new material.


Returns

void

Code Samples

Terrain:ReplaceMaterial

local MIN = Vector3.new(-20, -20, -20)
local MAX = Vector3.new(20, 20, 20)
local materialToReplace = Enum.Material.Grass
local replacementMaterial = Enum.Material.Asphalt
workspace.Terrain:ReplaceMaterial(Region3.new(MIN, MAX), 4, materialToReplace, replacementMaterial)

SetMaterialColor

void

Sets current terrain material color for specified terrain material. Terrain material will shift its base color toward specified color.

Parameters

material: Material
value: Color3

Returns

void

WorldToCell

Returns the grid cell location that contains the point position.

Parameters

position: Vector3

Returns

WorldToCellPreferEmpty

Returns the grid cell location that contains the point position, preferring empty grid cells when position is on a grid edge.

Parameters

position: Vector3

Returns

WorldToCellPreferSolid

Returns the grid cell location that contains the point position, preferring non-empty grid cells when position is on a grid edge.

Parameters

position: Vector3

Returns

WriteVoxels

void
Custom Lua State

Sets a certain region of smooth terrain using table format.

Parameters

region: Region3

Target region to write to. Must be aligned to the voxel grid. Will throw an error if region is too large.

resolution: number

Voxel resolution. Must be 4.

materials: Array

3D array of Enum.Material. Dimensions must exactly match the size of the target region in voxels.

occupancy: Array

3D array of voxel occupancies (number between 0 and 1). Dimensions must exactly match the size of the target region in voxels.


Returns

void

Code Samples

Example

local region = Region3.new(Vector3.new(0, 0, 0), Vector3.new(16, 28, 20)):ExpandToGrid(4)
local RESOLUTION = 4
local materials = {
{
{
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
},
{ Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock },
{ Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock },
{ Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand },
{ Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand },
{ Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Mud },
{ Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Air },
},
{
{
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
},
{ Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock },
{ Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock },
{ Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand },
{ Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand },
{ Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Mud },
{ Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Air },
},
{
{
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.Sand,
Enum.Material.Sand,
Enum.Material.Sand,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
},
{ Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock },
{ Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock },
{ Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand },
{ Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand },
{ Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Mud },
{ Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Snow, Enum.Material.Air },
},
{
{
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
Enum.Material.CrackedLava,
},
{ Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock },
{ Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock, Enum.Material.Rock },
{ Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand },
{ Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand, Enum.Material.Sand },
{ Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Mud, Enum.Material.Mud },
{ Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Air, Enum.Material.Air },
},
}
local occupancies = {
{
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5 },
{ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 },
},
{
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 0.5, 1, 1, 1, 0.5 },
{ 0, 1, 1, 1, 0 },
},
{
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 0.5, 1, 1, 1, 0.5 },
{ 0, 1, 1, 1, 0 },
},
{
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 },
{ 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5 },
{ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 },
},
}
workspace.Terrain:WriteVoxels(region, RESOLUTION, materials, occupancies)
Maximum Region Size

local REGION_START = Vector3.new(-20, -20, -20)
local REGION_END = Vector3.new(20, 20, 20)
local CFRAME = CFrame.new(0, 20, 0)
local SIZE = 50
local function getRegionVolumeVoxels(region)
local resolution = 4
local size = region.Size
return (size.x / resolution) * (size.y / resolution) * (size.z / resolution)
end
local function isRegionTooLargeForReadWriteVoxels(region)
return getRegionVolumeVoxels(region) > 4194304
end
local function isRegionTooLarge(region)
return getRegionVolumeVoxels(region) > 67108864
end
-- Helper function to get an axis-aligned Region3 from the given cframe and size
local function getAABBRegion(cframe, size)
local inv = cframe:Inverse()
local x = size * inv.RightVector
local y = size * inv.UpVector
local z = size * inv.LookVector
local w = math.abs(x.X) + math.abs(x.Y) + math.abs(x.Z)
local h = math.abs(y.X) + math.abs(y.Y) + math.abs(y.Z)
local d = math.abs(z.X) + math.abs(z.Y) + math.abs(z.Z)
local pos = cframe.Position
local halfSize = Vector3.new(w, h, d) / 2
return Region3.new(pos - halfSize, pos + halfSize):ExpandToGrid(4)
end
-- Specific functions for checking individual methods
local function isRegionTooLargeForFillBall(cframe, radius)
local diameter = radius * 2
return isRegionTooLarge(getAABBRegion(cframe, Vector3.new(diameter, diameter, diameter)))
end
local function isRegionTooLargeForFillBlock(cframe, size)
return isRegionTooLarge(getAABBRegion(cframe, size))
end
local function isRegionTooLargeForFillCylinder(cframe, height, radius)
local diameter = radius * 2
return isRegionTooLarge(getAABBRegion(cframe, Vector3.new(diameter, height, diameter)))
end
local function isRegionTooLargeForFillRegion(region)
return isRegionTooLarge(region)
end
local function isRegionTooLargeForFillWedge(cframe, size)
return isRegionTooLarge(getAABBRegion(cframe, size))
end
local function isRegionTooLargeForReplaceMaterial(region)
return isRegionTooLarge(region)
end
local region = Region3.new(REGION_START, REGION_END)
print(isRegionTooLargeForReadWriteVoxels(region))
print(isRegionTooLargeForFillBall(CFRAME, SIZE))
print(isRegionTooLargeForFillBlock(CFRAME, SIZE))
print(isRegionTooLargeForFillCylinder(CFRAME, SIZE, SIZE))
print(isRegionTooLargeForFillRegion(region))
print(isRegionTooLargeForFillWedge(CFRAME, SIZE))
print(isRegionTooLargeForReplaceMaterial(region))

Events