Road and Path Tool
Roads and paths in Unturned™ are spline-based objects that follow a curve defined by control points placed in the Level Editor. Unlike object assets that are placed individually, road splines are continuous surfaces that conform to the terrain heightmap and stretch across the map to connect locations. A road network that matches the terrain contours, uses appropriate materials for the setting, and provides correct vehicle physics is one of the defining visual and gameplay elements of a survival map. A road network that twists unpredictably, floats above the terrain, or uses mismatched materials breaks the immersion immediately.
This article is a procedural tutorial covering every road and path tool operation available in the Unturned™ Level Editor. It describes the road spline placement workflow, control point manipulation and selection, road width and material assignment, physics surface configuration through the road asset's settings, guardrail placement as a separate object workflow, and the failure modes that cause spline twisting and texture stretching. The article assumes the reader has completed the foliage painting workflow in the preceding article and is familiar with the object placement tools referenced in the editor fundamentals.
Prerequisites
- A map with completed terrain heightmap, material splatmap, and painted foliage. The editor must be open and the map must have terrain data initialized.
- Familiarity with the editor toolbar, viewport navigation, and the object placement workflow from Level Editor UI and Navigation.
- A road asset available in the map's master bundle or in the vanilla asset library. Road assets define the road's visual and physical properties before the spline is placed.
- A mouse for viewport navigation and control point manipulation.
What you will learn
- How to activate the road tool and enter road placement mode.
- How to place control points on the terrain to define a road spline path.
- How to select, move, and delete individual control points after placement.
- How to finalize a road spline and exit placement mode.
- How to adjust road width and assign a road material through the inspector panel.
- How road asset properties (Depth, OffsetAlongNormal, PhysicsMaterial) affect in-game behavior.
- How to configure the road's physics surface for vehicle traction and player movement.
- How guardrails are placed as separate objects along road edges.
- How to diagnose and resolve spline twisting at control point junctions.
- How to diagnose and resolve texture stretching along the road spline.
Background: how the road spline system works
The road spline system in the Level Editor combines a geometric spline path with a road asset that defines the visual and physical properties. The spline path is a sequence of control points placed on the terrain surface. The road asset is a .dat configuration file that defines the road's width, depth, texture, physics material, and chart classification. The two are combined at map load time to render the road surface.
As shown in the flowchart above, the road asset provides the material and physical configuration while the spline provides the geometric path. The two are independent: the same road asset can be assigned to multiple splines, and a single spline can be reassigned to a different road asset at any time.
For the complete road asset field reference, see Road Asset Reference.
Road spline vs road asset
It is essential to understand the distinction between the road spline (the geometric path created in the editor) and the road asset (the .dat configuration file that defines the road's properties). The spline is the visual and geometric representation of the road in the world. The asset is the configuration that determines how the road looks and behaves. A road spline has no properties of its own beyond the control point positions; every visual and physical property comes from the assigned road asset.
Activating the road tool
The road tool is accessible from the Level Editor toolbar.
Step 1: Click the Road icon on the toolbar. The icon depicts a curving road segment.
Step 2: The editor enters road placement mode. The cursor changes to a crosshair with a small circle beneath it, indicating the terrain point where the next control point will be placed.
Step 3: The inspector panel on the right side of the editor updates to show the road tool controls: a road asset selector dropdown at the top and the control point list below it.
On-screen appearance: In road placement mode, the terrain viewport displays the existing terrain surface with no visible road splines until the first control point is placed. The inspector panel shows an empty control point list. The road asset selector dropdown shows all available road assets loaded in the map's master bundle.
Step-by-step: placing a road spline
Step 1: With the road tool active, click the road asset selector dropdown in the inspector panel. Select the desired road asset from the list. The asset list includes all road assets from the vanilla game and any custom assets loaded in the map's bundles.
Step 2: Left-click on the terrain at the starting point of the road. A spline control point is placed at the clicked position. The control point is displayed as a small, white sphere centered on the terrain surface at the click point.
Step 3: Left-click on the terrain at the next point along the intended road path. A second control point is placed, and the editor generates a straight road segment between the two points.
Step 4: Continue clicking to add control points along the intended road path. Each click adds a control point at the clicked terrain position and extends the spline. The road surface between control points updates in real time as each new point is added.
On-screen appearance: As each control point is placed, the road surface renders between the new point and the previous point. The road texture appears on the terrain surface, conforming to the terrain height at each control point position. The road surface has the width and depth defined by the selected road asset. Control points appear as small white spheres connected by the road surface mesh.
Step 5: To complete the road spline, press Esc or right-click anywhere in the viewport. The road spline is finalized and added to the level's road data. Control points remain selectable for editing.
On-screen appearance after finalization: The road spline is now a permanent part of the level. The control points are still visible as selectable spheres, but the road placement mode exits and the cursor returns to the default selection cursor.
Placing roads on sloped terrain
Road splines automatically conform to the terrain surface at each control point position. When control points are placed at different elevations, the road surface follows the terrain between those points. The road does not create a flat bridge between control points; it sits on the terrain surface at each point.
For roads that climb steep slopes, place control points at closer intervals (5-10 meters apart) along the climb. This prevents the road from losing contact with the terrain between control points. Roads with widely spaced control points on steep slopes may have visible gaps between the road surface and the terrain, especially at the midpoint between two control points at significantly different elevations.
Selecting and editing control points
After a road spline is placed, individual control points can be selected and manipulated.
Selecting a control point
Step 1: With the road tool active (click the Road icon if it is not already selected), click on a control point sphere in the viewport. The selected control point changes from white to yellow to indicate it is selected.
Step 2: The inspector panel displays the selected control point's position coordinates (X, Y, Z). The Y coordinate represents the elevation of the control point on the terrain surface.
Moving a control point
Step 1: Select the control point to move.
Step 2: Use the move tool (default: W key) to reposition the control point along the X, Y, or Z axis. The road spline updates in real time as the control point moves.
Step 3: Alternatively, enter precise coordinate values in the inspector panel's Position fields. This is useful for aligning control points to a grid or matching the elevation of an adjacent point.
Deleting a control point
Step 1: Select the control point to delete.
Step 2: Press the Delete key on the keyboard. The control point is removed and the road spline updates to connect the remaining points.
Step 3: If the deleted point was between two other points, the road surface re-forms as a straight segment between the adjacent points. If the deleted point was an endpoint, the road spline shortens.
Adding control points to an existing spline
Step 1: With the road tool active, position the mouse cursor on the road surface at the point where a new control point should be inserted.
Step 2: The cursor changes to indicate that a new control point can be placed on the road surface.
Step 3: Left-click on the road surface. A new control point is inserted at the clicked position, and the road spline updates to include the new point.
Step 4: Drag the new control point to its desired position using the move tool.
Adjusting road width
The road width is a property of the road asset, not the individual road spline. All road splines that use the same road asset have the same width.
Step 1: Select the road spline by clicking on the road surface (not on a control point). The entire spline is selected, indicated by all control points turning yellow.
Step 2: In the inspector panel, locate the Width field. This field displays the width value from the currently assigned road asset.
Step 3: Change the width value. The road surface updates in real time to reflect the new width.
On-screen appearance: When the width is increased, the road surface expands outward from the spline centerline on both sides. When the width is decreased, the road surface contracts inward toward the centerline. The road texture scales to fill the new width, which may appear stretched or compressed if the width change is extreme.
Width recommendations by road type
| Road type | Width range | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow footpath | 2-4 units | Trails between buildings, shortcut paths, forest trails |
| Single-lane road | 6-8 units | Rural roads, back alleys, service roads |
| Two-lane road | 10-14 units | Standard city streets, main roads |
| Highway | 16-24 units | Multi-lane high-speed roads, expressways |
| Runway | 20-40 units | Airport runways, landing strips |
The width value is the total horizontal size of the road surface before it begins tapering into the terrain. The tapering distance is fixed and not configurable through the road tool interface.
Assigning a road material
The road material defines the texture applied to the road surface and the physics behavior of the road collider.
Step 1: Select the road spline.
Step 2: In the inspector panel, locate the Material field. The current road asset is displayed with its name and thumbnail icon.
Step 3: Click the material selector button (the folder icon to the right of the material name). The road material selection dialog opens.
Step 4: Browse the available road assets. Vanilla road assets include:
| Road asset name | Surface type | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
Road_Asphalt | Smooth paved surface | Standard roads, highways |
Road_Gravel | Loose surface | Rural roads, driveways |
Road_Dirt | Soft surface | Paths, trails, unpaved roads |
Road_Cobblestone | Textured hard surface | Decorative roads, historic areas |
Step 5: Click the desired road asset to assign it to the spline. The road surface updates immediately to use the selected asset's texture and physics properties.
Physics surface configuration
The road physics surface determines how vehicles and players interact with the road. The physics surface is defined by the road asset's PhysicsMaterial or VanillaPhysicsMaterial field.
How physics surface affects gameplay
| Physics material | Vehicle traction | Player movement | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
Concrete_Static | High traction, predictable handling | Normal walk speed | Hard footstep sound |
Gravel_Static | Moderate traction, slight sliding | Slightly reduced walk speed | Crunching footstep sound |
Dirt_Static | Low traction, noticeable sliding | Reduced walk speed | Soft footstep sound |
Metal_Static | High traction, loud surface | Normal walk speed | Loud ringing footstep sound |
The physics material is set in the road asset's .dat file and applies to every spline that uses that asset. To change the physics surface of a specific road spline, assign a different road asset to the spline using the material selector.
Testing physics surface
Step 1: After assigning a road asset with the intended physics material, save the map.
Step 2: Launch the map in single-player mode.
Step 3: Spawn a vehicle using the in-game console: @give Vehicle.
Step 4: Drive the vehicle onto the road surface at varying speeds. Observe the vehicle's traction, handling, and sound.
Step 5: Exit the vehicle and walk on the road surface. Observe the footstep sound and movement speed.
Step 6: If the physics behavior does not match the intended surface type, assign a different road asset with the correct VanillaPhysicsMaterial value.
Guardrails
Guardrails are not a property of the road spline system. They are separate objects placed using the object placement workflow.
Placing guardrails along a road
Step 1: Open the object browser from the Objects panel.
Step 2: Search for guardrail objects. Vanilla guardrail assets are typically named Guardrail_00, Guardrail_01, or include "Barrier" in their name.
Step 3: Select the guardrail asset and click Place.
Step 4: Position the guardrail object along the road edge. Use the move tool to align the guardrail with the road surface.
Step 5: Place additional guardrail segments along the road where barriers are needed: at sharp curves, on elevated road sections, at bridge edges, and at road ends.
Step 6: After placing all guardrail segments, rotate them using the rotate tool (E key) to follow the road curvature. Use 15-degree snap increments (hold Shift while rotating) for consistent alignment.
Guardrail placement best practices
| Road feature | Guardrail placement |
|---|---|
| Straight road section | Every 10-20 meters on both sides |
| Sharp curve | Continuous guardrail on the outside of the curve |
| Bridge section | Continuous guardrail on both sides for the full bridge length |
| Elevated road (OffsetAlongNormal > 1.0) | Continuous guardrail on both sides |
| Intersection | Guardrail stops 5-10 meters before the intersection on each approach |
Guardrail objects are independent of the road spline. If the road spline is moved or deleted, guardrail objects remain at their placed positions and must be repositioned or deleted manually.
Selecting the correct guardrail asset for the road type
Different road types benefit from different guardrail styles. The vanilla asset library includes several guardrail and barrier types:
| Guardrail asset | Appearance | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Guardrail_Metal | Metal railing with posts | Standard roads, highways |
Guardrail_Concrete | Concrete barrier (Jersey barrier style) | Highways, bridge edges |
Guardrail_Wood | Wooden fence style | Rural roads, scenic routes |
Guardrail_Cable | Wire cable between posts | Highway medians, long straight sections |
Barricade_Concrete | Large concrete block | Road closures, checkpoints |
The guardrail asset should be selected to match the road's visual theme. A rural dirt road should use wooden guardrails; a concrete highway should use metal or concrete barriers.
Step-by-step: creating a road intersection
Step 1: Place the first road spline (Road A) along the main road direction.
Step 2: Place a second road spline (Road B) that meets Road A at the intended intersection point. Place the endpoint control point of Road B at the same terrain position as a control point on Road A.
Step 3: Both splines are separate road objects. They render independently at the intersection point.
Step 4: Adjust the control points of both splines at the intersection to align the road surfaces smoothly.
Step 5: Paint a terrain material layer over the intersection area to fill any gaps between the road surfaces at the junction. Use a material that matches the road surface (asphalt, gravel).
For complex intersections (roundabouts, multi-lane junctions), additional road splines and terrain material painting are required to produce a clean visual result.
Step-by-step: adjusting road elevation for bridges
Step 1: Place the road spline across the gap where the bridge should span.
Step 2: Select the road spline and locate the OffsetAlongNormal value in the road asset configuration.
Step 3: Increase the offset value to raise the road surface above the terrain. For a bridge that clears the terrain by 5 meters, set OffsetAlongNormal to 5.0.
Step 4: The road surface rises vertically at every control point. The road maintains its offset from the terrain surface as the terrain undulates below it.
Step 5: Place guardrail objects along both sides of the raised road section to prevent vehicles from driving off the bridge edge.
Step 6: Place support pillar objects below the raised road at intervals along the bridge span.
Failure mode: spline twisting
Spline twisting occurs when the road surface inverts or folds at a control point junction.
What it looks like: The road texture appears on the underside of the road mesh, or the road surface faces downward while the underside faces upward. The road may appear as a twisted ribbon at the affected control point.
Root cause: Control points placed at sharp angles with insufficient spacing between them. When consecutive control points form an angle sharper than approximately 90 degrees, the spline interpolation can flip the road's orientation, causing the surface normal to invert.
Resolution steps:
Step 1: Select the affected control point. Observe the angle formed between the preceding point, the affected point, and the following point.
Step 2: If the angle is sharp (less than approximately 90 degrees), reposition the affected control point to create a smoother angle. Move the point laterally so the angle between the three points is at least 120 degrees.
Step 3: If the angle cannot be smoothed without changing the road's intended path, insert an additional control point between the affected point and the next point. The new point reduces the angle change between consecutive segments.
Step 4: If the spline is severely twisted (the road surface is completely inverted), delete the road spline and re-place it with more evenly spaced control points. The new spline should have control points spaced at 15-25 meter intervals on straight sections and 5-10 meter intervals on curves.
Prevention: Place control points at consistent intervals along the intended road path. Avoid placing a control point at the apex of a sharp turn; instead, place points on both approaches to the turn and let the spline curve smoothly between them.
Failure mode: texture stretching
Texture stretching produces a road surface whose texture appears either stretched (blurry, low-resolution) or compressed (busy, repeating too frequently).
What it looks like: The road texture along the spline appears either:
- Blurred and stretched, as if the texture is pulled along the road length.
- Excessively repetitive, with visible tile boundaries every few meters.
Root cause: The texture tiling frequency along the road axis is mismatched with the road width. The road texture repeats along the length of the spline at a distance calculated from the texture's aspect ratio and the road width. When the road width is changed without adjusting the tiling, the texture stretch or compression becomes visible.
Resolution steps:
Step 1: Inspect the RepeatDistanceScale field in the road asset's .dat file. This field multiplies the default repeat distance along the road length.
Step 2: If the texture is stretched (appears blurry), increase the RepeatDistanceScale value. A value of 2.0 doubles the distance between repeats, which spreads the texture across more road length and reduces the stretched appearance.
Step 3: If the texture is compressed (appears too busy), decrease the RepeatDistanceScale value. A value of 0.5 halves the distance between repeats, which packs the texture more tightly and reduces the busy appearance.
Step 4: The cohort starting point for standard two-lane roads (width 10-14 units) is RepeatDistanceScale 1.0. For wide roads (width 16+ units), start at RepeatDistanceScale 0.6-0.8 to prevent the texture from appearing stretched at the greater width.
Prevention: Set the road width to the intended value before fine-tuning the RepeatDistanceScale. Changing the width after adjusting the repeat distance requires re-evaluating the tiling.
Failure mode: road floating above or buried below the terrain
A road spline that floats above the terrain surface or is partially buried is suffering from an incorrect OffsetAlongNormal value.
What it looks like: The road surface is visibly separated from the terrain, with a gap between the road underside and the ground. Alternatively, the road is partially submerged in the terrain, with the terrain clipping through the road surface.
Root cause: The OffsetAlongNormal field raises or lowers the road surface along the terrain surface normal at each vertex. A positive value lifts the road above the terrain. A negative value sinks it into the terrain.
Resolution: Adjust the OffsetAlongNormal value in the road asset's .dat file. For roads that float above the terrain, reduce the offset value toward 0.0 or use a negative value. For roads that are buried, increase the offset value.
| Offset value | Effect on road position |
|---|---|
| -0.2 | Road is recessed into the terrain by 0.2 units |
| 0.0 | Road follows the terrain surface exactly |
| 0.05 | Road is slightly raised above the terrain (prevents z-fighting) |
| 0.5 | Road is visibly elevated above the terrain |
| 2.0 | Road is raised above terrain by 2 units (bridge-like appearance) |
The cohort recommendation for standard roads is an offset of 0.05-0.1 to prevent z-fighting between the road surface and the terrain surface while keeping the road visually flush with the ground.
Diagnosing offset problems in the editor
To determine whether the road offset is correct, inspect the road-terrain interface from multiple camera angles:
- Side view: Switch to a side-on camera angle and zoom in on the road edge. Look for a visible gap between the road surface and the terrain. A gap of more than 0.1 units is visible at walking distance and should be corrected.
- Top-down view: Switch to a top-down camera angle and look for portions of the road that appear darker or lighter than the surrounding road surface. Discoloration at the road edge indicates the terrain is clipping through the road surface from below, which means the offset is too low.
- Player-height view: Move the camera to approximately 1.8 units above the terrain (player eye height) and look along the road surface. The road should appear flush with the terrain at the road-terrain interface.
Failure mode: vehicle clipping through road surface
Vehicles that clip through or bounce on the road surface have a collision geometry mismatch.
What it looks like: A vehicle driving on the road bounces, clips through the surface, or falls below the road at specific positions. The road appears correct visually but the physics collision is at a different elevation.
Root cause: The road's Depth (vertical thickness) is too low, or the collision volume generated from the road mesh does not extend far enough below the visual surface.
Resolution: Increase the Depth value in the road asset's .dat file. The Depth field controls the vertical thickness of the road mesh. A road with Depth 0.5 has a collision volume that extends 0.5 units below the road surface. For roads that vehicles drive on at high speed, the cohort recommendation is Depth 0.5-1.0.
| Depth value | Visual thickness | Collision behavior |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | No visible thickness | Road is a flat surface; vehicles may clip at high speed |
| 0.5 | Slight visible curb height | Adequate collision for standard driving |
| 1.0 | Visible raised road bed | Full collision coverage for all vehicle types |
| 2.0 | Thick road structure | Suitable for highways and elevated roads |
Failure mode: road has no collision
A road that vehicles and players fall through has no physics material assigned to the road asset.
What it looks like: The road surface is visible but vehicles and players pass through it as if it does not exist. The road is purely visual with no collision interaction.
Root cause: The road asset has no PhysicsMaterial or VanillaPhysicsMaterial assigned. Without a physics material, the engine does not generate a collision mesh for the road surface.
Resolution: Assign a VanillaPhysicsMaterial to the road asset's .dat file. The cohort recommendation for standard paved roads is VanillaPhysicsMaterial Concrete_Static. After updating the asset, re-save the map and test in single-player.
FAQs
How many control points should I use per road spline?
The practical maximum is approximately 100 control points per spline. Beyond this count, the road rendering becomes measurably slower in the editor. For roads longer than 100 points, split the road into multiple splines and align their endpoints.
Can I change the road width after placing the spline?
Yes. Select the road spline and change the Width field in the inspector panel. The width is stored as part of the spline's configuration and can be changed at any time.
Why does my road texture repeat at different intervals on different parts of the same road?
The texture repeat interval is calculated from the road width. If the road width is not uniform (different road assets assigned to different segments, or the width was changed mid-spline), the texture tiling changes at the transition point. Ensure all road splines that should have consistent tiling use the same road asset and width.
How do I make a road that follows a curved terrain contour?
Place control points at regular intervals along the curve (5-10 meters apart for tight curves, 10-20 meters for gentle curves). The spline interpolation creates a smooth curve between control points. For sharp bends in the road, place additional control points before and after the bend rather than at the bend apex.
Can I have branching roads (Y-shaped intersections)?
Branching roads require separate road splines that meet at endpoints. Create one spline for the main road and a second spline that starts or ends at a control point on the main road. Each spline is independent; they meet visually at the shared endpoint.
How do I assign different road materials to different sections of the same road?
Each road spline can only have one road asset assigned. To transition between materials (e.g., asphalt to gravel), create two road splines that meet at the transition point, each with a different road asset assigned. Align the endpoint control points of the two splines so the road surfaces meet cleanly.
Why does my road look jagged at the edges?
Jagged road edges are caused by low terrain resolution. The road surface conforms to the terrain height at each vertex. If the terrain resolution is low (Large or Insane map size with default heightmap resolution), the road edge follows the coarse terrain vertices and appears jagged. This is a terrain resolution limitation and cannot be resolved through the road tool.
Can I place roads that are not on terrain (e.g., on a building rooftop)?
Road splines conform to the surface they are placed on. If the spline control points are placed on a building rooftop, the road surface appears on the rooftop. However, the road surface does not interact with the building's collision system; vehicles and players will collide with the building surface beneath the road. For rooftop roads, ensure the building geometry is designed to support vehicle traffic.
How do I make a road that changes width along its length?
The road asset defines a single width for the entire spline. Variable-width roads cannot be achieved through a single spline. To simulate a road that widens or narrows, create multiple short road segments with different width values and blend them through careful endpoint alignment.
My road spline has a gap between the road surface and the terrain on slopes. How do I fix this?
Widely spaced control points on steep slopes cause the road surface to lose contact with the terrain between control points. Place additional control points at closer intervals (5-8 meters) along the sloped section to force the road to follow the terrain more closely.
Best practices
- Place road splines before placing decorative objects (guardrails, streetlights, signage). Objects can be positioned relative to the road spline path.
- Set the road width before fine-tuning the texture repeat distance. Changing the width after adjusting the texture requires re-evaluating both parameters.
- Space control points evenly along the road path. Clustered points create unnecessary complexity; widely spaced points on curves produce jagged roads.
- Use a consistent road asset naming convention across the map project. Road asset names should describe the road type and intended use.
- Align the
OffsetAlongNormalvalue with the terrain type. Roads on flat terrain need less offset than roads on undulating terrain. - Test road physics at multiple speeds and vehicle types before finalizing the road network.
- Place guardrails as the final step in road construction, after all spline adjustments are complete.
- Save the map before any road deletion. Deleted road splines cannot be recovered through undo.
Advanced considerations
Elevation changes and bridge construction
For roads that need to transition from terrain level to an elevated bridge, create two road splines: one at terrain level and one at the elevated height with OffsetAlongNormal set to the bridge clearance. The two splines overlap at the transition point. Blend the transition by adjusting the ground-level spline's last control point to the terrain height and the elevated spline's first control point to the bridge height, with both control points at the same XZ position.
Road intersections with terrain painting
Complex intersections (roundabouts, multi-lane junctions) require terrain material painting to fill the area between road splines. Paint the intersection surface with a road-compatible terrain material (asphalt, concrete) to create a continuous paved surface. The terrain material visually fills the gaps between road spline edges.
Road chart classification for minimap visibility
The road asset's Chart field controls how the road appears on the minimap. Setting Chart to None uses legacy classification based on road width and material. Setting Chart explicitly to Road, Highway, or Path overrides the legacy classification. For consistent minimap rendering, the cohort recommendation is to set the Chart field explicitly on every road asset used in the map.
Appendix A: Road tool controls quick-reference card
| Action | Input |
|---|---|
| Activate road tool | Click Road icon on toolbar |
| Place control point | Left-click on terrain |
| Complete spline | Esc or right-click |
| Select control point | Left-click on control point sphere |
| Select entire spline | Left-click on road surface |
| Move control point | Drag with move tool (W key) |
| Delete control point | Select point, press Delete |
| Insert control point | Left-click on road surface between existing points |
| Change road width | Select spline, edit Width in inspector |
| Change road material | Select spline, use Material selector in inspector |
Appendix B: Road spline failure mode diagnostic table
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Road surface inverted or twisted at control point | Control points at sharp angle with insufficient spacing | Reposition points for smoother curve or add intermediate points |
| Road texture stretched along length | RepeatDistanceScale too high for road width | Decrease RepeatDistanceScale toward 0.5 |
| Road texture compressed along length | RepeatDistanceScale too low for road width | Increase RepeatDistanceScale toward 2.0 |
| Road floats above terrain | OffsetAlongNormal too high | Reduce OffsetAlongNormal toward 0.0 |
| Road buried in terrain | OffsetAlongNormal too low or negative | Increase OffsetAlongNormal |
| Vehicles clip through road surface | Depth too low for vehicle collision | Increase Depth to 0.5-1.0 |
| Road has no collision, players fall through | Physics material not assigned | Set VanillaPhysicsMaterial in road asset |
| Road width does not match intended size | Width value uses legacy half-width format | Double the Width value for modern asset format |
| Road surface jagged at edges | Terrain resolution too low | This is a terrain limitation; cannot be fixed through road tool |
| Road does not appear in-game | Road asset not bundled in map export | Include the road asset's bundle in map export |
Appendix C: Road width and repeat distance reference table
| Road width | RepeatDistanceScale for default tiling | Recommended road asset |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 (path) | 1.5-2.0 | Road_Dirt or Road_Gravel |
| 8.0 (single lane) | 1.0-1.5 | Road_Gravel or Road_Asphalt |
| 12.0 (two lane) | 0.8-1.0 | Road_Asphalt |
| 16.0 (highway) | 0.6-0.8 | Road_Asphalt |
| 24.0 (wide highway) | 0.4-0.6 | Road_Asphalt |
The repeat distance values above are starting points. Fine-tune by testing in single-player and observing the texture tiling at driving speed.
Authoring checklist
Before publishing a map with road splines, confirm the following:
- [ ] Road splines use correctly spaced control points for smooth curvature
- [ ] Road width is set to the intended value for each road type
- [ ] Road material is assigned and the texture does not appear stretched or compressed
- [ ] Physics surface (VanillaPhysicsMaterial) is set for every road asset
- [ ] OffsetAlongNormal prevents z-fighting without excessive elevation
- [ ] Depth provides adequate collision coverage for vehicles
- [ ] Guardrails are placed at curves, bridges, and elevated sections
- [ ] Intersections have aligned control points and filled terrain surfaces
- [ ] Road chart classification is set explicitly for minimap visibility
- [ ] Road splines are tested in single-player at multiple speeds
- [ ] No spline twisting visible at any control point junction
Cross-references
- Foliage Painting and Management -- the previous article; covers foliage painting that precedes road placement.
- Environmental Lighting and Weather -- the next article; covers lighting and weather configuration.
- Road Asset Reference -- the complete field reference for road asset .dat configuration.
- Terrain Material Painting -- heightmap sculpting and material painting workflow.
- Chart Asset Reference -- minimap chart color configuration for road classification.
- Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation -- official field reference.
- Unturned on Steam -- game page and community.
Document history
| Version | Date | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026-07-26 | 57 Studios | Initial publication. Road spline placement, control point editing, width and material assignment, physics surface, guardrails, failure mode documentation. |