Article: Trainz Dev Diary - Height Map Ground Textures (sneak peek)

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Is the height information a separate height map, or is it incorporated into the normal map as implied in the above comment? If it is incorporated in the normal map, can you indicate how this is done (is it the vector length)? This will help to ensure that inappropriate height information is not inadvertently included in normal maps currently being created.

What does "0.5" on the height map scale mean? Is it something absolute like 0.5m or just some way of denoting an arbitrary maximum?

And is the height map itself a separate image file or somehow made as a channel of the normal map? Me no understand.

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The height map should be a separate; additional texture. We're already using the alpha channels for the diffuse and normal maps for specular and environmental strength maps.
It would be nice if this new material could be applied to meshes also - it would be useful for cliff / ground splines or rough rock walls, for example.
While we're at it, it would also be nice to be able to use the water materials on meshes for river/ stream / lake splines / meshes that don't align to the grid.

I thought N3V were saying PBR will apply to meshes too. Wasn't that why they featured a loco in the publicity shot?

Pencil42 said:

The height map should be a separate; additional texture. We're already using the alpha channels for the diffuse and normal maps for specular and environmental strength maps.

Click to expand...

The comment is "...where the normal-map texture includes an additional "height" channel in addition to the usual XYZ normal information.". I that's not correct it should be changed.

The alpha channel is already used, but the vector length is available for height information. If the vector length is going to be used they should say so now.

More information will be released on the Trainz wiki about this but there is a little bit up there already. Your existing assets up to TANE SP2 should be fine the way they are.
http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php/KIND_Groundtexture
http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php/Material_Types
http://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php/M.pbrmetal