Devlog Update: Height Painting & Biome Generator Tool 

Introduction

Hey everyone! In this update, I’m bringing two major features to HexGen:

✔️ Height Painting – A new way to shape hex-based terrain.
✔️ Biome Generator Tool – An easy-to-use tool for creating custom biomes inside Unity.

These updates make HexGen more intuitive, flexible, and powerful for world-building. Let’s dive into the details!

🌄 Height Painting Feature

Why I Added It

Previously, biomes had predefined heights, which limited control over terrain variation. Now, with the new Height Painting Mode, you can manually set height values for each hex tile!

How It Works

1. Open the HexGen Editor
2. Switch between "Paint Biomes" and "Paint Heights" using the new tab system
3. Select a height value using a slider
4. Click on hexes to apply the height just like painting
5. Heights now have visual feedback with color tinting!

Visual Feedback & Improvements

• Heights are now displayed using a gradient tint, making it easier to differentiate elevation levels.
• The default color is brighter to improve visibility.
• In future updates, I may add real-time 3D previews for terrain height.

🌿 Biome Generator Tool

Why I Added It

Creating biomes manually through Unity’s Project window was slow and inconvenient. To solve this, I built an in-editor Biome Generator Tool that allows you to create biomes in just a few clicks.

How It Works

1. Open Tools > HexGen > Generate New Biome
2. Enter a biome name
3. Assign a material for the biome’s texture
4. Pick a biome color for painting visualization
5. Click "Generate Biome" to save it as a ScriptableObject

• The tool automatically saves biomes inside the HexMapGenerator/Biomes folder.
• No need to manually create scriptable objects anymore!

💡 What’s Next?

Now that Height Painting and Biome Generation are working, I’m thinking about:

• Custom brushes for painting biomes faster
• In-editor procedural biome distribution

Would love to hear your thoughts! Let me know what you'd like to see next. 

Download & Try HexGen

If you haven’t already, grab the latest update and start building hex-based worlds!

Let me know what you think in the comments!