Editing Mission Builder (section)

=== Terrain Editing ===

Once you have the empty area, it's time to build your race track.  Select '''Terrain Editor''' mode from the '''Window''' menu, and set Action to '''Adjust Height'''.  This will allow you to alter the terrain and sculpt your track out of the barren desert.  You'll see when you move your mouse around that there is a circle on the ground, red in the centre and green around the edge.  This shows the area your tools will affect.
Hold down the left mouse button and drag up and down, you will see hills and pits created.  This is the main way to modify the terrain.  Feel free to stick some hills and pits in the area around your track.  You can use Alt-1 to Alt-6 to change the size of the affected area.  You can also make other changes to it from the '''Brush''' menu.
Next, let's use smooth mode.  Choose a brush slightly wider than your track, then drag the smoothing tool around the track.  This will remove sharp edges and small bumps, making for an easier ride.  It's also useful if you've generated some sharp edges with the other tools, and want to make them look a bit more natural.  '''Flatten''' mode is a more extreme version of this, if you want to give the feel of a more manmade track.
Experiment with the other modes if you want - there's a reasonably good undo function if you mess up.  Once you feel the track is ready, it's time to add objects.  Don't get too perfectionist - you can always come back later.

Don't forget to recalculate the lighting once you finish adjusting the terrain.  My version of the track now looks something like this:

[[File:MB Screen7.jpg]]

I decided to have a steep cliff part at the crossroads, so I moved the starting area around to face the other direction.  You can just paint over the darker sand with light sand if you want to remove part of the track.