49 replies to this topic

[LasseThid]

@ Kablammo: My heightmap (greyscale) was actually only 4096x4096, will try to increase the size to 4097 and see if that makes a difference.

Also I noticed that the brush size and opacity values has a major impact on your results as I tried to "paint" a terrain onto a flat mesh earlier. 

@ Bruce: Send me the file via e-mail or sprend and I'll have a look at it and send it back to you.

[rwmorey]

I too am interested in pulling height maps. I did some experimentation with one of the tutorials I found online but didn't end up with anything that looked other than flat ground in Unity. Of course, I may have messed up a step (or three).

[LasseThid]

Basically importing a heightmap is really simple, it's the rest that's the problem. 

Open a new scene. Go to Terrain > Create Terrain, then Terrrain > Set Resolution, enter values for width, height, length and so on and then Terrain > Import heightmap... Raw

Use the same values for width, height and length as when you set the resolution and you're done.

 

Also with regards to heightmaps it seems that 8-bit greyscale is easier on your system than a 16-bit greyscale. For instance I have no problem working with an 8-bit file 4096x4096, but my system chokes on a 16-bit 2048x2048 even with 8 Gb RAM...  

[Kablammo11]

@HalkeFralg (Looks good, Kablammo! Where are some of the best sites to pull these heightmaps to tinker around with? I'd love to goof around a little.)

 

Mine are self made. I basically first draw the layout of the courses in Photoshop. You need to mind the distances: This plot of land is 1600 by 1600 meters, for instance. I added distance lines to measure the length of every hole (100 yds = 90meters) and even landing areas for the drives. Deatils like bunkers and exact contours will be added later (when that %**! CourseForge is finally released..  ).

So, This file I added as a terrain texture on a flat piece of Unity terrain.

 

 

Next, still in Photoshop, on a layer below, I drew my heightmap. Black is low, white is high. I did not go for smoothness, I just built steps in the terrain telling Unity what was up and what was down. I like playing god with the world, so issuing decrees to an image on what is hill and what is vale is something I find deeply satisfying. Why use a real terrain when you, for once, can create one yourself? I also heightened the eastern half of the course, making it slope up from bottom left to top right, elevating the ridge in the middle... You may note that this heightmap is flipped vertically. Unity reads it that way...

 

 

I saved the Photoshop image with this heightmap in grayscale mode, 16bit, 2049x2049 pixels, in the format "Photoshop Raw", then imported it into Unity the way Lasse described above. That resulted into the 1st two images of my previous post, those spiky, steppy monstrosities that just needed a bit of smooth to form into a golfable terrain... 

 

I'm sure there must be already finished heightmaps on the web, though. Try Google images...

 

ADDENDUM:

I think it has become clear to me that both GPS data or heightmaps are really a very basic first step. Do not import a heightmap or a 3D mesh from reality and think to yourself that that is it and your terrain is okay. It's not. There's a lot of work yet to be done, you will need to go over every detail of your course several times, nip and tuck, refine, etc... Which, to me, actually is fun to do. Heightmaps are just a very useful help to determine the lay of the land. 95% (or more) of your work is still ahead of you.

[Andrew]

I can't even get mine to import 

Yeah, first time I played around with Unity I suffered from this too.  IT is remarkably sensitive to data in the correct format.  This was why I started work on the Terrain Importer.  

[Andrew]

New Video is out...

[LasseThid]

New Video is out...

Really nice way of importing terrain into Unity. It's a shame it's only working for a small part of the world though...

[Andrew]

Really nice way of importing terrain into Unity. It's a shame it's only working for a small part of the world though...

If people point me in the direction of free elevation data in their countries I am happy to try and add the data formats into the Terrain Importer... Of course if your country does not provide hi resolution elevation data for free I cannot help much... Perhaps if they raised taxes?

[Brucey Mc]

We seem to be having our annual two days of sun in the UK at the moment so haven't spent much time on the computer messing about with height maps 

[LasseThid]

If people point me in the direction of free elevation data in their countries I am happy to try and add the data formats into the Terrain Importer... Of course if your country does not provide hi resolution elevation data for free I cannot help much... Perhaps if they raised taxes?

I'm just joking Andrew. You guys are doing an amazing job with PG, CF and the terrain importer. 

Even with our high taxes the government doesn't bother to provide free evelation data, besides that the courses I'd like to do aren't even in my home country.. 

Can't wait to try to do something constructive with CF.

[Brucey Mc]

Yeah, first time I played around with Unity I suffered from this too.  IT is remarkably sensitive to data in the correct format.  This was why I started work on the Terrain Importer.  

And there are an awful lot of us that are glad that you did Andrew!

[Brucey Mc]

Andrew, will there be a video for people wanting to create a terrain from an ascii source?

[Davefevs]

Andrew, will there be a video for people wanting to create a terrain from an ascii source?

Bruce - have you had a look at the OS Terrain 50 on the Ordnance Survey website, here's the spec:

Technical details

Format: Grid points for DTM and vector point and line for contours

Data structure: GML 3.2 and ASCII grid for DTM, GML 3.2 and Esri® shapefile for contours

Resolution: DTM: grid points have a post spacing of 50m. Contours: vertical interval of 10m.

Tile size: 10km x 10km

Scale: 1:50 000

Supply: Download (annual contract)

Update Frequency: annually

Coverage: Great Britain

[Brucey Mc]

Dave

I haven't yet. I have some decent terrain data in acii for a couple of courses in the uk I would like to do and I might consider looking at terrain for my local course further down the line but I would need a source for that. Decent data in the uk ain't cheap from what I remember from my apcd dabbling days!

[Davefevs]

I downloaded my local 'grid', but have yet to open it up yet. I'm a real novice and hoping to get started using Bing maps import. May find that it isn't anywhere detailed enough. Then again I don't expect to be creating masterpieces!

It is interesting reading all the terrain data stuff on the Internet though!

[TimBoch]

First try at importing a custom texture.

[Dazmaniac]

A Hazeltine GC custom texture too, lol.

 

Good stuff Tim.

 

[HalkeFralg]

Very Nice, Tim. Where did you get the data from?

[TimBoch]

Very Nice, Tim. Where did you get the data from?

It is just a texture tif I made from piecing together an overhead off of Bing maps.  Thought of doing some basic elevating and planting just to get better acquainted with Unity.  I am hoping when the importer comes out, that I can put to use the elevation data Joe gave me last fall and make a much better version of Hazeltine than I made in APCD.

[SouthStPaul]

It is just a texture tif I made from piecing together an overhead off of Bing maps.  Thought of doing some basic elevating and planting just to get better acquainted with Unity.  I am hoping when the importer comes out, that I can put to use the elevation data Joe gave me last fall and make a much better version of Hazeltine than I made in APCD.

Do you have good picks of the new clubhouse?