Introduction to Mountains

In this tutorial we explore the many ways you can be creative with mountains.

Tutorial: Drawing with the Mountain Tool

Welcome to the Fractal Forest's Mountain tool guide! This tool allows you to quickly generate beautiful, complex mountain ranges and rolling hills using a fractal algorithm. With just a simple click and drag, you can create the foundation for stunning landscape art.

How to Draw a Basic Mountain Range

Creating a mountain range is incredibly simple. The tool works by defining a ridgeline between two points.

  1. From the Shape tab, select Mountain from the Mode dropdown menu.

  2. Click and hold your mouse button down on the canvas where you want your mountain range to start.

  3. Drag your mouse across the canvas to where you want the range to end. You will see a faint line indicating the baseline of your ridgeline.

  4. Release the mouse button. The application will instantly generate a mountain range along that line.

The generated shape will always be a solid object filled from the ridgeline down to the bottom of the canvas.

Customizing the Shape

You have several parameters to control the appearance of your mountains, all located in the Shape tab when Mountain mode is active. Experiment with these sliders to see the different effects!

  • Detail Level: This slider controls the fractal complexity of the ridgeline.

    • Low values (1-3) create simple, stylized hills with few peaks.

    • High values (7-10) create highly detailed, jagged ridgelines with many small variations, perfect for realistic foreground mountains.

  • Peak Height: This determines the maximum possible height of the initial peaks. The algorithm adds randomness, so not every peak will be this tall, but it sets the overall scale and drama of the mountain range.

  • Jaggedness: This slider controls the roughness of the terrain.

    • Low values (e.g., 0.2) will produce very smooth, rolling hills.

    • High values (e.g., 0.9) will result in sharp, spiky peaks.

  • Smooth Ridgeline (Spline): Checking this box applies a smoothing algorithm to the ridgeline after it has been generated. This is great for creating a softer, more stylized appearance, turning jagged peaks into gentle curves.

Coloring Your Mountains

You have two powerful options for coloring your mountain ranges, giving you great artistic control.

Solid Color Mode

This is the default behavior. If the "Enable Gradient Fill" box is unchecked, your mountain will be filled with a single solid color. This color is determined by your settings in the Color tab under Coloring for Non-Tree Objects.

  • If Single Color is selected, your mountain will use the Object Color you have chosen there.

  • If Cycle Global Palette is selected, each new mountain range you draw will be a different color, chosen randomly from your active global palette.

Gradient Fill Mode

For a more realistic and atmospheric look, you can use a vertical gradient fill.

  1. In the Shape tab (while in Mountain mode), check the Enable Gradient Fill box.

  2. A new color picker labeled Bottom Color will appear. Select a color for the base of your mountains here.

  3. The Top Color of the gradient is automatically set to the Object Color from the Color tab.

This setup is perfect for creating hazy, atmospheric peaks where the tops are lighter and fade into a darker base.

Tips for Creating Beautiful Landscapes

  • Create Depth with Layers: Draw a mountain range in the distance first. Before drawing, go to the Color tab, check Set transparency for new objects, and set the Object Alpha to a low value (e.g., 0.5). Then, draw another mountain range in front of it with a higher alpha (or full opacity). This layering creates a wonderful sense of atmospheric perspective.

  • Silhouettes: Use a very dark color for your mountains and place a bright Sun or Moon (using the Celestial tool) behind them to create dramatic silhouettes.

  • Rolling Dunes: To create a desert scene, set the Jaggedness to a low value, check the Smooth Ridgeline box, and use sandy colors.