Topic: Trying to get a 5m resolution heightmap in RWT

Hello,
I am trying to find a solution to have a better heightmap resolution.
Please have a look at this shared doc, as it would be a very long post as I describe my full process.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iHS … sp=sharing
Don't hesitate to share your comments within the doc.
Best regards
Philippe

Re: Trying to get a 5m resolution heightmap in RWT

Hello.

Why this happens and how heightmap works:
Heightmap is just a char array (values 0-65k).
There is a total height of the area, on the basis of which the height multiplier is calculated.
As you know the real world has a different range of heights.
It may seem that 65k values are enough for the real world, but this is not so, and if you say that 1 meter = 1 heightmap step, then you will see a ladder on the terrain.
To work around this problem, terrain generators (including RWT) distribute the range of values of the desired area over the range of heightmap values.
This gives high precision and smoothness to the terrain.
But at the same time, this creates the problem of transferring heightmaps between terrains.
This will only work if the terrains have the same position and size.
In addition, this will create a problem for the RWT API, because it stores the minimum and maximum altitude, and may not work correctly with a different heightmap.

To sum it up: when transferring a heightmap, you need to make sure that both tools work the same way, and that the terrains have the same settings. Otherwise it won't work.

Kind Regards,
Infinity Code Team.

Boost your productivity a lot and immediately using Ultimate Editor Enhancer. Trial and non-commerce versions available.

Re: Trying to get a 5m resolution heightmap in RWT

Alex Vertax wrote:

Hello.

Why this happens and how heightmap works:
Heightmap is just a char array (values 0-65k).
There is a total height of the area, on the basis of which the height multiplier is calculated.
As you know the real world has a different range of heights.
It may seem that 65k values are enough for the real world, but this is not so, and if you say that 1 meter = 1 heightmap step, then you will see a ladder on the terrain.
To work around this problem, terrain generators (including RWT) distribute the range of values of the desired area over the range of heightmap values.
This gives high precision and smoothness to the terrain.
But at the same time, this creates the problem of transferring heightmaps between terrains.
This will only work if the terrains have the same position and size.
In addition, this will create a problem for the RWT API, because it stores the minimum and maximum altitude, and may not work correctly with a different heightmap.

To sum it up: when transferring a heightmap, you need to make sure that both tools work the same way, and that the terrains have the same settings. Otherwise it won't work.

Hello, thank you for enlightening me !
The more I understand how maps do work, the more it seems complicated to me :-)
My answer will be short : is there a workaround that would allow me to import 5m resolution heightmaps from RGEAlti in RWT ? When you import heightmaps from a provider, like MapBox or  BingMaps, the elevation values are extracted from a raster, to I would need a "converter" if I want to get values from RGEAlti ?
Best regards
Philippe

Re: Trying to get a 5m resolution heightmap in RWT

This is possible for a person with programming experience, and close to impossible for a person without it.
I would pass this through RWT API to intercept elevations, and use the values from your data.
https://forum.infinity-code.com/viewtopic.php?id=1538
It's not very difficult, but as I wrote above it requires programming experience.

Kind Regards,
Infinity Code Team.

Boost your productivity a lot and immediately using Ultimate Editor Enhancer. Trial and non-commerce versions available.

5 (edited by philzmz 2022-03-17 08:12:02)

Re: Trying to get a 5m resolution heightmap in RWT

Hello, thanks for your answer.
Would you have any idea of the time needed to develop such a feature, I mean a tool that could convert a raster to a heightmap compatible with RWT.
This might be an interesting asset/feature, especially since the Lidar rasters become very common and accessible.
Maybe there could be a workaround converting the raster data to a mesh, then make some modifications to this mesh and convert to a terrain using your mesh to terrain asset ?
Best regards Phil

Re: Trying to get a 5m resolution heightmap in RWT

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to your question.
It depends a lot on the experience of the programmer and luck.
A good programmer, if lucky enough to quickly find a conversion formula, can do it in a few hours.
With not enough luck, it can take days and weeks.

I do not plan to work in this direction, because, frankly, I do not see great prospects in this direction.

I don't think using Mesh to Terrain is the right way to go in this case.

Kind Regards,
Infinity Code Team.

Boost your productivity a lot and immediately using Ultimate Editor Enhancer. Trial and non-commerce versions available.

Re: Trying to get a 5m resolution heightmap in RWT

Thanks for your answers !
Best regards
Philippe