Realistic landscaping

[kyero]

I have seen some of the pictures that are posted on this site and am amazed at how the landscape is so real in some. Then some have the ugly concrete foundations that get built on hilly terrain.  Can someone direct me to some help on how to create realistic landscapes in SC4. In real life buildings are set on hills and look natural. In SC4 however, the entire lot gets leveled and it just doesn't look natural at all. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[usfwoody]

Unless I'm mistaken, you have no choice but to accept the cut-off tiles.  One thing I read to help against this is to place 'grass' tiles found in the parks menu around the zoned tile.  It appears to anchor the surrounding tiles since it now has a 'building' on it and it helps to avoid the unusual cliff faces.

Thats about all I got, hope it helps.

[adroman]

Yes, realistic terrain is certainly one of the most difficult parts of SC4.

I have found that the "soft" tools are the best, that is "Hill", "Valley" etc. Though, one tool is irreplaceable... "Soften".

However, if there is one definitive guide to terraforming, it'll be in 3RR .

Also, I have found that an appropriate Terrain Mod can make the land 110% better... it's up to your taste, there are many available.

Good luck with your Terra forming, 
Adrian.

[kwakelaar]

Getting buildings to look natural on hills very often comes down to the modding of the lot. Some batters will also make a custom foundation to go with their bat's, and this helps with the natural look.
If you would like to avoid the lot foundations you can set this value higher in the LotEditor.

[gottago]

I'd also just add that it helps to level the area you want to build on in hilly terrain, then tweak the surrounding terrain to blend it in. Grading to build on slopes is normally done in RL, and in SC4 mayor-mode terraforming is good for this.

And plopping trees and other flora in strategic locations to hide unavoidable foundations at the edges of lots is another way to obtain greater realism.