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This Forum is for: Bryce

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1 ... How can I make height maps without stepping ? by Richard Fraser at Sep. 19, 2000 3:07 pm gmt (Rec'd 5)
2 ...... Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ? by Bill Davis at Jan. 04, 2001 10:19 pm gmt (Rec'd 4)
3 ...... Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ? by Flickerstreak at Sep. 21, 2000 10:12 pm gmt (Rec'd 6)
4 ......... Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ? by Richard Fraser at Sep. 23, 2000 11:00 am gmt (Rec'd 6)
5 ............ Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ? by Danny at Sep. 26, 2000 11:47 am gmt (Rec'd 5)
6 ............... Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ? by Flickerstreak at Oct. 02, 2000 2:01 am gmt (Rec'd 5)
7 .................. Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ? by Flickerstreak at Oct. 02, 2000 2:03 am gmt (Rec'd 4)
8 ..................... Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ? by Dan Whiteside at Oct. 07, 2000 11:42 pm gmt (Rec'd 5)
Bryce
Post 1 of 8 Top
FROM: Richard Fraser
DATE: Sep. 19, 2000 3:07 pm gmt (Rec'd 5)
SUBJECT: How can I make height maps without stepping ?
Hi all

How can I make a greyscale heightmap in photoshop or a similar paint package that dose not exhibit "stepping" when imported into bryce 4 terain editor. The effect I`m after is of gently rolling hills, english countryside etc. If the heightmap is created within B4 there is no stepping, however I would then need to export that heightmap to edit it further. I think the problem lies in 256 colour greyscale images and IU cant seem to find a way arround them, tkere is of course the *.pgm export function in KPT gel - are there any *.pgm editors for PC

Thanks in advance

Richrard



 
Post 2 of 8 responding to post 1 Top
FROM: Bill Davis
DATE: Jan. 04, 2001 10:19 pm gmt (Rec'd 4)
SUBJECT: Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ?
Get the shareware called BSmooth, it's a 16 bit grayscale editor by Klaus Busse, intended for use with Bryce, $38 US. It generates Bryce format terrain objects.

http://www.bsmooth.de/



 
Post 3 of 8 responding to post 1 Top
FROM: Flickerstreak
DATE: Sep. 21, 2000 10:12 pm gmt (Rec'd 6)
SUBJECT: Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ?
In order to edit the grayscale values to eliminate the stepping effect, your image editor must support 8-bit grayscale editing mode. Almost any editor can do this. To reduce the stair-step effect, the key is to blur the image, or use a soft-edged brush (in Painter or Photoshop, for instance). Most editors have a blur function.

The easiest way to get the terrain pictures in/out of B4 is to use the copy and paste buttons below the image in the Terrain Editor. You can keep B4 and an image editor (Paint Shop Pro, for example) open at the same time. Copy the image from the B4 terrain editor, paste it into a new window (of the correct size, of course!) in PSP, edit it, copy it, paste it back into Bryce, and repeat until you're happy with the edits.

Also, in the Terrain Editor, there's a little triangle in the lower left corner of the image... make sure to select 'smooth' rather than 'polygonal' or whatever the other option is, so that it smooths the 3d lattice.

--flick



 
Post 4 of 8 responding to post 3 Top
FROM: Richard Fraser
DATE: Sep. 23, 2000 11:00 am gmt (Rec'd 6)
SUBJECT: Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ?
Thanks for the advice - I`m already there though and the result is not good enough. The problem seems to be the soft edge brushes them selves and the limitation of 8 bit greyscale images - what I need is a 16 bit grey scale editor



 
Post 5 of 8 responding to post 4 Top
FROM: Danny
DATE: Sep. 26, 2000 11:47 am gmt (Rec'd 5)
SUBJECT: Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ?
There are 2 apps out there for Macintosh that work in 16bit Grey, one I think is called Bsmooth....?



 
Post 6 of 8 responding to post 5 Top
FROM: Flickerstreak
DATE: Oct. 02, 2000 2:01 am gmt (Rec'd 5)
SUBJECT: Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ?
Yes, there's one called BSmooth, which is a 16-bit grayscale editor, which exports directly to Bryce terrain files, rather than to a 16-bit tiff file, where you'd lose the benefit anyway. It's really handy if you need those 'really' smooth surfaces.

it's at www.bsmooth.de

--flick



 
Post 7 of 8 responding to post 6 Top
FROM: Flickerstreak
DATE: Oct. 02, 2000 2:03 am gmt (Rec'd 4)
SUBJECT: Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ?
I find it hard to believe that you really need that much detail & smoothing, though: usually you can accomplish exactly what you want by either

a) increasing the resolution of the terrain

b) using multiple terrains

c) effective use of the equalize filter

--flick



 
Post 8 of 8 responding to post 7 Top
FROM: Dan Whiteside
DATE: Oct. 07, 2000 11:42 pm gmt (Rec'd 5)
SUBJECT: Re: How can I make height maps without stepping ?
Hi Richard;

It's an unsupported feature but Bryce 4 reads .PGM files by using the Import Object menu item. Besides being a 16-bit GS import, the nice thing about this is it will load any size (in pixels) .PGM (not just 16x16,etc). If the .PGM exceeds 1024x1024 Bryce auto tiles the terrains and in Bryce 4.1 there are no seams between the tiles. BSmooth is the only 16-Bit grayscaler I know of but it does export to .PGM. Even though it's currently Mac only a PC version is to be out soon!-Dan



 
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