Getting Started
with VNS 3: Fields
& Forest
Part 5G. Vector-Bounded Ecosystems
1. Ecosystems placed with a global
Environment are only limited by the Rules-of-Nature. Ecosystems
can also be attached to vectors, which define their extent and
give them priority over global Ecosystems in Environments.
2. Use the Zoom Box  in the Plan view to
click corners around the widening of the canyon east of the Main
Camera.
3. Undock and drag the view out
to create a larger view to draw on.
4. Render a preview.
5. The render illustrates the
challenge of Distance Dissolve textures. What looks good from
one camera view doesn't necessarily look good from another. We
need another version of the Grassland Ecosystem for planimetric
renders.
6. Go to the Scene-at-a-Glance and clone the Grassland Ecosystem and
rename it Grassland Plan. We could go to the Foliage page
and disable the Understory and its foliage there, but let's do
it another way.
7. Expand 
the Scene-at-a-Glance. Expand the Grassland Plan Ecosystem,
Ground Overlay and Foliage, and Grassland Material.
8. Select the Understory
and disable it. The Grassland Plan Ecosystem will render
its Ground Overlay only.
9. Collapse the Grassland Plan
Ecosystem and return the Scene-at-a-Glance
to its normal state.
10. Open the YNP Environment
Editor. Turn to the Ecosystems page
and Grab All. Select the Grassland Plan Ecosystem and
Raise Ecosystem Rendering Priority 
to the top of the list. Save the project and render a preview.
11. Diagnostic Data tells us that the Grassland Plan Ecosystem rendered
on the valley floor and the Pine Burn Ecosystem covers the steeper
slopes. The Grassland Ecosystem did not render because the Grassland
Plan Ecosystem took all the qualifying polygons.
12. Select the Pine Burn
Ecosystem in the Scene-at-a-Glance and Create  .
Check the Create window titlebar and confirm that you're creating
a new vector for the existing Ecosystem, Pine Burn.
13. Left-click a couple
of vertices along the north edge of the raised area in the valley.
14. You won't see the vector
on the render. If you want to check your progress, key F8 to switch to a realtime view and select Yes
to Retain diagnostic data. This will save the render channels
in memory. Key F8 to switch back to the render. Digitizing
on a render gives you scene detail and more precise vertex placement.
15. Another useful method is
to have two views of the same camera open: one rendered for digitizing
and one realtime for monitoring your progress. Move the rendered
view to the right so you can see the upper left camera view.
Open another Plan Camera in that view. Undock it and move
it to the left. We can now see the vector as we create it. Continue
digitizing around the central high ground.
16. When you're done, Right-click
and name the vector Forest.
17. Confirm that you want to
add the vector to the Pine Burn Ecosystem.
18. Dock the realtime and rendered
views. Save the project and render a preview.
19. Activate the realtime view,
and zoom in with 4 taps of the +
key. Move the Plan Camera so you can see part of the vector.
Save the project and render a preview.
20. The transition from the vector-bounded
Pine Burn Ecosystem to the global Environment Grassland Ecosystem
is sharp, something that rarely happens in nature. Double-click
the Pine Burn Ecosystem in the render to open its editor.
Turn to the General page and select Use Profile.
21. Edit Profile. A profile
controls how the Ecosystem is rendered from the vector inward.
The left point on the profile is a Distance 0 meters
from the vector. The Value is 0, which you can
think of as a percentage of polygons. This means that at the
vector, the Pine Burn Ecosystem does not render on any terrain
polygons.
22. Click the right point on
the curve. The Distance is 10 meters in from the
vector and the Value is 100. This means that 10
meters in from the vector the Pine Burn Ecosystem renders on
all polygons.
23. Increase the Distance
to 20 meters. The S shape of the curve softens
the first appearance of Pine Burn at the vector and eases out
the last of the Grassland at 20 meters. Keep the changes.
24. Save the project, activate
the right view, and render a preview. The profile yields a more
natural edge to the Ecosystem. Change the upper left view back
to the YNP Main Camera.
25. Move to the Grassland
Plan Ecosystem
Editor. This was just
for Plan view operations and we don't need it now. Disable
it.
26. Save
the project and render a YNP Main preview.
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