Terrain Editor

[715]

I'm pretty sure GIMP doesn't do 16-bit color yet (it's coming) but those other two mentioned do (cinepaint and Krita).  Links to those are inside the link I listed.

[Greebo]

Sorry, was really tired last night and what you wrote about Gimp didn't register properly. I tried it anyway and it came up with "unsupported file format". The latest version of PSP was no different to the old one. It sort of loads the file, but in a corrupted fashion. I didn't try Cinepix because I got a dodgy website warning when I tried to download it.

Krita however looks promising. It does not recognise the RAW format directly but I managed to load, edit and save the heightmap with a bit of mucking about. In case anyone else wants to try it here is the procedure:

To load the height file into Krita hit "File/Open" and navigate to the working folder. Then change the "All supported formats" filter to "All files", click on your height map file and hit "Open". This brings up a "Choose Filter" window with a list of formats. In this list select "r16 heightmap" and hit "OK". This brings up a "Heightmap Import Options" window, set the size to "4096" and the button to "PC" and hit "OK".

Save the file as an r16 heightmap. This gives the file an "r16" suffix. Once this is edited manually to "raw" the TE loads the file successfully as a signed height map.

The only slight issue with the program is that it displays the file rotated 90 degrees to the right. This is no big deal though as it only takes a few seconds to rotate it left for editing and then back again before saving.

[715]

I'm surprised it handles signed 16-bit.  I would have thought you'd have to work with offset unsigned .raw files (where 32,768 is 0 ft, or however AH3 handles unsigned).

[Greebo]

The default height map generated by the TE has white as 0 feet water and black as 0 feet land, with shades of dark and light grey as higher land and deeper water respectively. It also generates a second height map with black representing a minimum altitude of -1000 feet. I guess that when re-importing into the TE signed is used for the first type and unsigned for the second.

My assumption has been the altitude range is going to be -1,000 feet to +31,768 feet although I am not entirely sure as the displayed grey values used in the height files appear to be bugged currently. So I decided to do a test in the TE to find the maximum altitude of terrain that could be set with the "Set Alt" button. This gave some strange results when I set a terrain altitude of 32,768 feet or more. Instead of very high land the TE generates visually what looks like 1,000 feet deep ocean floor but that shows a Y value of 0 in the position box.

Thanks again for your software suggestions 715, I'd have never found Krita by myself.

[hitech]

32767  is max siged 16 bit value which is0111111111111111 binary

[hitech]

Sorry for the bad information on the u1000heightmap.raw file. It also is functional.

It simply has -1000 feet elevation as zero. So after loading the u1000 file (ImPort unsigned under the File menu) it subtracts 1000 feet from the elevation.

You can use either one as you wish, if the editor you are using does not support signed.

But I am also confuse , greebo was saying it worked in the current release for him to edit the raw height maps.

The format is exactly the same except 8 verts per mile instead of 2. And signed (which can be taken care of with the u1000 file).

HiTech

[Greebo]

Maths isn't my strong point as you can probably tell. I've been approaching this from an art POV and just been trying to figure out what shade of grey to paint on the map to get a given altitude. The problem has been that I have been trying to do it with programs that only let me paint in 8-bit values and this left me confused. Photoshop Elements let me view the file but wanted it changed to 8-bit for editing.

Now that I've got Krita I have something that lets me edit the file in 16-bit and I can actually make some progress. Currently I have imported a TE height map into Krita, painted a hill onto it, saved it and re-imported it back to the TE complete with new hill. I have also found a calculator application on the internet that converts decimal values into signed 16-bit values so I ought to be able to use those values to paint my terrain.

[715]

You could use the u1000heightmap.raw (unsigned) and just make sure to stay above 3E8 hex for the shade value for land.  (3E8 will map to 0 feet.)  Maybe you could paint the whole image that value of very dark grey (3E8) and then use "make darker" brushes to make water and "lighten" brushes to make land.

Or you could use the signed heightmap.raw and keep everything below 7FFF (32767 ft), thereby avoiding hex values that the TE will interpret as negative when using signed import.  Then you could paint the water (negative altitudes) after importing back into the TE.

   715

[USRanger]

The last couple pages of this thread has made my brain short circuit.

[Drano]

The last couple pages of this thread has made my brain short circuit.

Like Oddball said - - " I don't work on em, I just ride em man! Woofwoofwoof!"

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[68falcon]

The last couple pages of this thread has made my brain short circuit.

+1

[bustr]

Are we able to manipulate the size and shape of small mounds where we can set the pitch angle and length of run up different faces of the mound? Or is that something you build as a custom object and apply it to a terrain?

[Greebo]

In the TE there is a tool which lets you build a circular mound. You set the brush size and a circle of that diameter appears on the terrain window to allow you to place it. There is also a setting box to alter the mound's height. There is no setting for approach angle but you should be able to figure that from the diameter and height.

Sorry about all the technical stuff on the last couple of pages. I doubt many terrain builders will get into editing the height map manually but if anyone's interested I can post a tutorial on how to do it once I am sure I have figured it out correctly.

[hitech]

In the TE there is a tool which lets you build a circular mound. You set the brush size and a circle of that diameter appears on the terrain window to allow you to place it. There is also a setting box to alter the mound's height. There is no setting for approach angle but you should be able to figure that from the diameter and height.

Sorry about all the technical stuff on the last couple of pages. I doubt many terrain builders will get into editing the height map manually but if anyone's interested I can post a tutorial on how to do it once I am sure I have figured it out correctly.

You can also use the plow tool. Set the height you wish at both ends, then plow between will make an even ramp between them.

HiTech

[bustr]

Thank you both.

I'm building an offline tool for myself using terrain features as a taxi up hardstand to test convergences. I wish I knew how to modify the new ammo bunkers instead because they have flat faces and a flat top, then drop them in place. Depending on the fighter, you need a different angled slope to ease the wheels down and not break the fuselage or wings on radiators or wheel doors. The horizontal line on the target lines up with the aircraft center line once you level the aircraft.

Can you simply place a tank on a terrain as an inanimate object for ranging target offline to learn your tank sights against? Is there a way to define linear distance on the terrain in 1000yd units? I want to set them every 1000 out to 7000. Say three tanks at each point, frontal, side and off angled.