🌊 Project 2: Lesson 2 - Make Water and Grass

Add Water to Your Level:

• In Place Actors panel, search for "Water"
• Look for "Water Body Ocean" or "Water Body Lake"
• Drag "Water Body Lake" into your viewport

Position and Scale:

• Select the water actor
• Use the scale tool (R key, then drag) to make it larger
• Position it in a valley or low area of your landscape
• Adjust height to match your terrain

Customize Water Appearance:

• Select the water actor
• In Details panel, find "Water" settings
• Adjust:
  • Water Color: Make it blue or green-blue
  • Water Opacity: 0.8-0.9 (slightly transparent)
  • Wave Speed: Adjust for movement
  • Wave Amplitude: How big the waves are

Enable Water in Landscape:

• Select your landscape
• In Landscape mode, find "Sculpt" tool
• Lower an area to create a lake bed (hold Shift and drag)

Add Water Material:

• In Content Browser, search for "Water" materials
• If using Starter Content, look for water materials
• Create a new material if needed (Advanced)

Paint Water Material:

• In Landscape mode, select "Paint" tool
• Choose your water material
• Paint it onto the lowered area

Open Foliage Mode:

• Click "Foliage" button in Modes panel (or press Shift+4)
• This opens the Foliage tool

Add Grass Asset:

• In Foliage mode, click the "+" button to add a new foliage type
• Click "Pick Asset" or drag a grass mesh from Content Browser
• Look for grass assets in:
  • StarterContent → Props
  • Or download from Epic Marketplace (search "free grass")

Configure Grass Settings:

• Density: 200-500 (how many grass blades)
• Radius: 1000-2000 (how far grass spreads)
• Align to Normal: ✅ Checked (grass stands up straight)
• Random Scale: 0.5-1.5 (variety in size)

Paint Grass:

• Click and drag on your landscape to paint grass
• Paint in open areas, not on water or rocks
• Use Shift+Click to remove grass if needed
• Adjust brush size with [ and ] keys

Select Landscape:

• Click on your landscape in the viewport

Add Grass Type:

• In Details panel, find "Landscape Grass Types"
• Click "+" to add a new grass type
• Assign a grass mesh

Configure:

• Set density and distribution
• Grass will automatically appear on painted areas

1. Open Material Editor:
   • In Content Browser, right-click → Materials & Textures → Material
   • Name it "Grass_Material"
2. Basic Grass Setup:
   • In Material Editor, add a "Grass" node (if available)
   • Or use a green texture/color
   • Connect to Base Color
   • Set Roughness to 0.8-1.0 (grass is not shiny)
3. Apply to Landscape:
   • In Landscape Paint mode, select your grass material
   • Paint it onto areas where you want grass to grow

1. Create a Natural Scene:
   • Place water in a low area (valley or depression)
   • Paint grass around the water's edge
   • Add some rocks near the water
   • Create a path from grass area to water
2. Add Variety:
   • Use different grass densities
   • Make some areas have more grass, some less
   • Add patches of different textures
3. Lighting:
   • Position your directional light to shine on the water
   • Add a slight reflection on the water surface
   • Make sure grass is well-lit

1. Add Water Ripples:
   • In water settings, enable "Enable Waves"
   • Adjust wave frequency and amplitude
   • Test in Play mode to see movement
2. Water Sound (Optional):
   • Add an Ambient Sound actor near water
   • Assign a water/stream sound effect
   • Adjust volume and attenuation
3. Add Details Around Water:
   • Place small rocks along the shore
   • Add some plants or reeds near water edge
   • Create a natural transition from water to land