Using Terrain Generator Version 1.0
From Multiverse
| Multiverse Tools |
|
Overview • Installing |
| Tools UI References |
| Working with Terrain |
|
About Terrain • Using L3DT Pro • Using EarthSculptor • Using PnP TerrainCreator • Importing Heightmap Terrain • Using Mosaic Creator |
| Other Tools |
Contents |
Overview
Multiverse Terrain Generator creates a world topography, that is, a world's basic contours and terrain elevation. Terrain Generator starts with a seed map, a two-dimensional matrix of numbers that defines the rough topography, from which it uses a fractal algorithm to fill in the details. You can create a seed map with Terrain Generator, or import one from a spreadsheet or a black-and-white image file.
The normal view of world topography is a three-dimensional perspective view, in which altitude (elevation) is indicated by color:
| Lowest Elevation | Increasing elevation—> | Highest Elevation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tan | Light green | Dark green | Greenish brown | Light brown | Grey | White |
| Sand | Grass / vegetation | Vegetation / rock | Rock | Snow | ||
Creating a seed height map
A seed height map is a grid of numbers. Each point on the grid represents a point on the terrain map, and the number is its height.
To create a new seed map, choose Edit | Create Seed Heightmap, then specify:
- Height map X size - Number of height points in the east-west direction. This is the number of samples in the X dimension.
- Height map Z size - Number of height points in the north-south direction. This is the number of samples in the Z dimension.
- Default height value - Base height of the map.
- Meters per sample for the new heightmap. This specifies the spacing between the height points.
- Center heightmap - Select this option to center the heightmap at 0,0,0, rather than having its corner at 0,0,0 in world coordinates.
Loading a seed height map
To load an existing seed height map, choose File | Load Seed Map. You can load the following kinds of seed height map files:
- A comma-separated value (.csv) ASCII file. You can create a .csv file for example in a spreadsheet program.
- A 16-bit black-and-white PNG file (size 256 x 256).
CSV file format
The first two lines must contain the dimensions of the matrix. For example, for a 3 x 3 matrix, the file would look like this:
3 3 1,2,1 1,3,1 1,2,1
Editing a height map
To edit a height map, choose the Height Map Editor tab. Choose Mouse Mode Adjust Height to edit the height map with a "brush" with the specified characteristics. Left-click and drag the mouse pointer over the terrain map to increase the elevation of the terrain under the "brush". Right-click and drag the mouse pointer over the terrain map to decrease the elevation of the terrain under the "brush". Set the properties of the "brush" as follows:
- Height Adjust Speed - Value between 1 and 100 that determines how fast the terrain elevation changes. Left click adds elevation at this rate, right-click decreases elevation.
- Brush Width - The width of the "brush" area that is affected.
- Brush Taper - How fast the effect decreases as distance from center of "brush" increasees.
- Brush Shape- shape of the affected "brush" area.
Editing terrain properties
The Terrain Properties tab contains three groups of parameters:
Once you have loaded a terrain file or generated a seed map, edit the world terrain by choosing one of these tabs and setting parameters as desired.
General terrain parameters
- Height Scale - height (in meters) used to scale the terrain generated by the fractal algorithm. It is the approximate height of mountains. Increase this value to exaggerate terrain features.
- Height Floor - lowest height (in meters) allowed in the map. Any height computed to be below this value is set to this value. Use this to define low, flat areas that is the lowest elevation.
- Height Offset - value added to the fractal algorithm before scaling. Increase this value to raise the entire terrain map relative to the height floor.
- Feature Spacing - approximate distance (in meters) between terrain features such as hills and moutains. Increase this value to "smooth out" the overall map; decrease it to make it have more variability or "rougher."
Fractal parameters
The fractal parameters are for advanced users with knowledge of fractals:
- Seed X
- Seed Y
- Seed Z
- H
- Lacunarity
- Iterations
- Fractal Offset
Generally, you should not need to change these paramters.
Height map parameters
- Use Seed Map: select this option (the default) to use the current seed map. Deselect it to use no seed map; which is equivalent to using an all-zero seed map.
- Height Outside Map: Elevation value to use outside seed map. Mathematically, the map is infinite, even though server has finite bounds to world.
- Meters Per Sample: the distance (meters) between each grid point.
- Map Origin X, Z: location of the origin of the terrain map. Set this to locate the map around in your world coordinate system.
Saving a terrain map
To save a terrain map, choose File | Save Terrain. Terrain Generator saves a map topology as a Mutliverse Terrain File (.mvt), an XML file.
