Mountain out of a molehill

[Mystic Monkey]

So, I know how to use displacements to give surface a rugged apperance and I know how to use skybox cameras to make tiny things appear gigantic. I also know how to use Paint Geometry to bulge displaced brush-surfaces.

While I know how to make nature-like surfaces, I do not know the best way to make nature-like surfaces. Such as the best way to make cliffs for a TF2 map. I know how to make a flat brush, then displace it and paint-geo it. But artistically speaking I do not know how to make it more... "natual", if that makes sense.

Take for example the cliffs around Badwater Basin and the way the cliffs match with the skybox well to make more mountainous region.
https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Badwater_Basin#/media/File:Badwater_cliffs.jpg
Is there tutorials for how to make more nature-like boundaries and cliffs for a map?

I'm asking because I'm making a cliffside of a mountain with a waterfall flowing through it. It's purely decorational and part of the boundaries but it just doesn't look all that convincing to me.

 

[Aldoux]

You can always download the .vmf of a map you want to study. https://tf2maps.net/threads/valve-maps-decompiled.5952/
I had the same doubt a couple of months ago and checked badwater. To make the spawn cliffs they mixed displacement with the boulder props, making a really cool looking cliff.

 

[Mystic Monkey]

I've been thinking of doing that myself, it's just making it look more... "rocky" and "natual" I need to do. Right now it just looks like a pile of isometric brushes.

 

[FloofCollie]

This might be of use:
https://tf2maps.net/threads/guide-displacements-basic-construction-part-1.24966/
Once you get the hang of it, modelling displacements is a ton of fun. Remember to use higher texture scales to reduce repetition on rock textures, or make them fit!

 

[Mystic Monkey]

@Floof
It is the kind of natual geometry I wish I can have for my cliffside.

 

[FloofCollie]

You can do so, using alt + right click to sample a surface normal and then making the surfaces bend + protrude in places is all it takes. Applying a ground texture on top also helps, especially if you can blend it with the rock.

 

[Mystic Monkey]

I'm still getting the hang of the tutorial you provided but it is helping.

 

[FloofCollie]

Good to hear!! Good luck