terrain smoothing tool

[codeman2000]

i'm using some of the default height maps in-game, but the terrain is generating like this. (turns out I can't attach images, seems like an important feature to have on a forum, but anyway) Is there any way to smooth it out and remove all the square edges?

 

[rick1958]

i'm using some of the default height maps in-game, but the terrain is generating like this. (turns out I can't attach images, seems like an important feature to have on a forum, but anyway) Is there any way to smooth it out and remove all the square edges?

Without photos I can only guess you're talking about a "saw tooth" pattern?
You often get that when you convert 10M to 5M. If that's the case, the answer would be "I wish there was, but not that I know of"

 

[martinvk]

Images are not attached directly. You upload your image to a hosting site and then link to the URL of where that image is stored.
An image host can be your own website, if you have one, or a public site that lets you upload images to. Some are free, others charge a fee

 

[OddRails]

By default in-game terrain maps, do you mean displacement maps?

I experimented with those after first reading this thread. I'm using TS19, not certain what you are using.

I've never found the displacement maps very useful. Years ago a 256x256 image may have been an advancement, but it is rather pitiful now. I really don't understand why the maps haven't been changed to at least 720x720 to better match baseboards.

My experiments were humorous. First I used a single baseboard. The result was extremely steep peaks. So stretching it across several baseboards looked a little better. But the surface is too rough to use for a route unless a lot of grading is done.

And from your comment, it seems that you've seen the blocky terrain when it is stretched across even more baseboards. I guess each one of the blocks represents a pixel in the map.

And no, we don't have any tools to smooth or average out the blocky appearance unless you want to manually raise or lower each vertex manually.

 

[wreeder]

Underneath the image of the map is a slider that adjusted the height difference. Moving this slider to left reduces the range of the terrain elevation. You can also use a map across multiple baseboards. I have done a 4 x 4 map before with no problem although it does slow down the response of the tool. You're also not restricted to 256 x 256. You can use the tool to capture a displacement map which is saved as an asset under your username in the database. In CM, open the new asset and change out the image for a larger one. I use 2048 x 2048 all the time. The size just has to be a multiple of 2, such as 512x512, 1024x1024, 2048x2048.

Remember the image should be a grey scale image where a tonal value of 128 produces level ground. Tones under 128 make depressions and more than 128 makes hills.

 

[Dinorius_Redundicus]

Not a multiple of 2. a power of 2.

 

[OddRails]

@wreeder Thanks for mentioning the slider and that you use larger files.

I will say that it was much easier to drag the selection tool across multiple baseboards in 19 than it was in 06.

 

[wreeder]

Not a multiple of 2. a power of 2.

Correct, thank you. My mind doesn't work well right after waking up.