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Table of Contents
Heightmap Import
Part of the Atlas (Scenario Editor) Manual
The Heightmap Import feature (accessible via File -> Import Heightmap...
menu item) allows to generate terrain based on a heightmap image file. One possible usage of this feature is generating game maps based on real-world data (see Digital elevation model).
The image should be:
- square
- with power of 2 dimensions (128x128, 256x256 etc.)
- greyscale (darker parts of the image produce lower terrain)
An excellent source for large scale real-world heightmaps is the NASA Blue Marble image series. You may combine topographic and bathymetric (ocean floor height) images for a better result.
The resulting map size is calculated based on the image size (128x128, 256x256 and 512x512 correspond to Tiny, Medium and Giant map sizes respectively, see map_sizes.json).
Currently the heightmap importer doesn’t have any configuration, so if import doesn't produce the desirable result, the source image should be edited in an image editor and re-imported. Fine-tuning of specific areas can be done using Atlas terrain tools (see Atlas Manual: Terrain Tab).
By using a hex editor you can also manipulate directly the .pmp map file storing the height data. This reduces unwanted artefacts resulting from the limited height resolution of 8-bit greyscale images. You can find further information in the heightmap guide linked below.
Related Links
- Palaxin's Heightmap Guide in the Forum.