Create Complex Brush Tutorial

From AAManual

Created by Tiago Freire

In this tutorial I am expecting that you are already know how to build a basic cubic room. If you do not know basic brushing, this tutorial is not yet meant for you.

In this tutorial we will build a simple tunnel. Let’s start with a fresh map, in order that you can experiment with the basics that you are going to need.

1. Build a very large empty room, minimum 4096x4096x4096

2. Build a simple 256x256x256 cube, as showed in the image below

3. Now build a smaller rectangle 240x240x256, and subtract it to the cube already in place.

4. Build an 8x32x256 rectangle, we are going to use it as a corner, place the red brush as it shows in the image below, and then click “Deintersect”

5. Notice that by pressing the “Deintersect” button the red brush took a new shape in order to not cross the brush already in place. Now click on “Add” and repeat this process in the other corners.

6. Now that all corners are done and our basic tunnel built, lets build a 512x512x512 cubic red brush. Surround what you have built so far with the red brush, and click “Intersect”. You will notice that the red brush has now taken the shape of the brushes inside. The red brush is now categorized as a complex brush.

7. Try to “Add” using this new brush; you will notice that you can reproduce that basic tunnel with just a simple click, and that the new tunnels are made of 1 single brush.

Before ending this tutorial I would like to draw your attention to brush priority.

In Step 1 you have added a brush in an empty room, then subtracted its interior. Since the “subtract brush” is newer then the “add brush”, the “subtract brush” has priority which gives you a hole.

In Step 5 you have added a corner inside the “subtract brush”, since this new “add brush” is newer than the “subtract brush”, the “add brush” has priority and that space is filled.

Please be careful with this aspect when making new empty rooms and draging an older “add brush” in to it. The “add brush” will not show because the new “subtract brush” is newer and has priority. You can solve this type of situation by simply duplicating brushes that you want to drag in. Duplicated brushes will be more recent and so will have a higher priority.