Ive been playing around with the displacement maps in the game. When used on a single board the displacement is as I would expect it - curved surfaces. However when you enlarge the displacement to cover say 20 boards (5X4) or greater then the curves rapidly change into sharp angles. I cannot see any way to make these into more natural curves so I was wondering what the alternatives are? I know I can use transdem to create dem maps (which is fine if you are creating a scene from life - not sure about fictional routes) or do it by hand (where the results are pretty awful in my case) so what alternatives are there to produce good looking hills and valleys? Or is that it?
displacement maps
- Thread starter AntonyVW
- Start date
I used to make my own displacement maps then cut them into squares that cover a few baseboards. You just have to use certain colours and then use a blur function in paint shop pro or photoshop to blend them into smooth hills. Works really well for making fictional layouts with believable hills and valleys
I've made displacement maps using Bryce. You can get that free from DAS Studios.
http://download.cnet.com/Bryce-Personal-Learning-Edition/3000-6677_4-75219820.html
You can generate landscapes in it using a displacement map. Instead of using the displacements in Bryce, I've done screen captures then cropped out the greyscale image then used that as a displacement map for other programs.
I think the program will also export out a greyscale height map, but don't quote me on that.
John
http://download.cnet.com/Bryce-Personal-Learning-Edition/3000-6677_4-75219820.html
You can generate landscapes in it using a displacement map. Instead of using the displacements in Bryce, I've done screen captures then cropped out the greyscale image then used that as a displacement map for other programs.
I think the program will also export out a greyscale height map, but don't quote me on that.
John
Thanks guys for the comments. I do have to say though that it is Dave Snow's last comment that interests me, in that his attempts to do this in 2010/2012 produce steps not curves. I have both gimp and bryce so I could try making my own maps but if the results are going to end up as steps then it defeats the object. My issue is that the larger the displacement is stretched the worse it gets. I did a series of tests starting with a single board working up to 10x10 and the change is quite rapid and very unrealistic. The curves disappear quite quickly and although the lay of the land would be interesting it is not natural. I wonder if this is something that needs to be looked at by N3V to improve this area of creation?
I wrestled with the Gaussian blur, Gradient tool(s), photoshop textures, and a bunch of other things, but I cannot get smooth hills in TS10/TS12 like I could with TRS2006.
Just my experiences.
Cheers,
Dave
It seems like Im not the only one then that has this problem with this. Im hoping that someone from N3V will see this and see what can be done to fix things up a bit better. Ive always found terrain creation the hardest in this game. I generally find that the hills go mad if you shift the sensitivity even a fraction to high. When I look at the work done by many of our more experienced creators I find myself sadly lacking. So my next question would be - what tools could we do with that would improve this? One I see that could be useful would be the ability to lay down contour lines and have the program create suitable profiles from them - correctly sloped not stepped.
There is somewhere on here a solution for the jagged displacement map problem, I believe it needs to be a jpg and need setting at 24 bits or maybe 32 can't really remember, I did try it and it worked but I deleted the displacement map when on a space saving cleanup so can't check it, sorry folks
If you are making a fictional route the cheapest easiest way is microdem / Hog and just use any area you fancy, by hand is possible if you use a large radius and minimum settings and move the cursor around when you are sculpting.
Here's one I did by hand in about 10 minutes to prove a point a while back
If you are making a fictional route the cheapest easiest way is microdem / Hog and just use any area you fancy, by hand is possible if you use a large radius and minimum settings and move the cursor around when you are sculpting.
Here's one I did by hand in about 10 minutes to prove a point a while back
jameswiggin
New member
My first attempt at making a displacement map just to see if I could. It seems fairly smooth. its a 2048x2048 bmp
schweitzerdude
Active member
I'm having the same problems with jagged terrain in TS12 using displacement maps. But here is something to try to quickly make large chunks of elevated terrain. Make a miniature model of the terrain you want in a otherwise blank baseboard - could be a 20x20 grid or whatever. Now in Topology/Advanced, select the model terrain and then use the "get displacement" tool. You will now see a grayscale image of the model. Now select a much larger area, probably several baseboards by several baseboards, and then "fill area". Play with the direction and threshold until you get something you like. It won't be detailed at all and will be a little jagged but it's a quicker way to start building your own terrain than starting from scratch.
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