15 replies to this topic

[LasseThid]

I had a slow day at work and spent most of the time trying to find out how to create a heightmap that I can import into Unity, preferably from a DEM file.

I found a great tutorial that let you take any DEM file and create a heightmap from it that you can import into Unity. It's a bit of a hassle, but for those of you who want to give it a try you can find the tutorial here: http://www.scribd.co...ghtmap-Tutorial

One thing though... you need to somehow make your overhead match the heighmap perfectly and that's a PITA!!!

I used Global Mapper and zoomed into the area I wanted to use. Added the world data and grabbed a screenshot, closed that layer and made another screenshot of the terrain. I then imported the DEM in to MicroDEM and zoomed in to the same area and changed the size of the window to make it match the screenshot from Global Mapper as closely as possible. After that I created the heightmap image and saved as a GEOtiff.

Then I went to Photoshop, opened up the two screenshots and the GEOtiff, pasted them into separate layers and alligned them. Then I cropped the image and resized to 2049x2049 pixels and save the overhead as a jpeg, the heightmap I converted to 16-bit grey scale and saved as a Photoshop RAW.

After that I went back to Global Mapper and opened up the DEM, zoomed to the area I want to use and loaded the wold data image and measure the distance between the edges of my overhead. Then I created topolines and checked the difference in height between the lowest and the highest part of the area.

Now I start Unity, create a new project, create Terrain and set to the measurement I got from Global Mapper, Import RAW-file. Next I imported the Overhead as a new Asset, switch to textures and created a new texture with my overhead and set the size to the same as my plot.

Added a directional light object and voíla...

As I said, a pain in the behind, but worth it if you want to work with terrain from a DEM and don't want to wait for the Terrain importer to be released... 

And yes, that's my nemesis... Castle Pines Golf Club...

[olazaboll]

Lasse ... can´t you finnish that CPGC project once and for all ..... so you can start on Hills or something  

[olazaboll]

No frankly ... I'm happy that there are some "Swedes" that understand this part of the game(s)... bcs I'm sure lost as hell .... If I get in Swedish, thoguh, I might be able to do it myself .. ( even if Im a "Zero/Eight .. ) My hopes is that I one day manage to import one of my APCD projects and get a PP/CF version of it 

[shimonko]

Nice. If you have GlobalMapper though, you shouldn't need to bother with MicroDem, or was there some issue? Because if you stay in GlobalMapper, it will align the two for you. It looks like you have a white line at the edge of your heightmap btw.

[LasseThid]

Shimonko: I downloaded Global Mapper from their site and you can use it for free for a while.
MicroDEM is able to create a grey scale heightmap for you, which you can't do with Global Mapper, hence the need for it.
I'm aware of the white part in the heightmap. I made it 2049x2049, but since the course is wider than it is higher I made the heightmap rectangular which cause the problem, but since this was just a test I didn't bother fixing it.

 

Ola: Of course I can explain it to you in swedish and I can also try to answer any questions you might have.
Not sure if/when I might actually get the thumb out of my butt and finish Castle Pines though... LOL
The lack of DEM's for Sweden makes it tough to do a good job on swedish courses.
Perhaps once we can import elevation data from Google Earth it might happen.

Btw, we stopped calling you 08:or a long time ago, now it's 99:or since you're not 100%    (Swedish joke)

[olazaboll]

Thx Lasse ... I let you know when the day come , and I might need some assistance ... 

[shimonko]

LasseThid, on 05 Feb 2014 - 05:50 AM, said:

Shimonko: I downloaded Global Mapper from their site and you can use it for free for a while.
MicroDEM is able to create a grey scale heightmap for you, which you can't do with Global Mapper, hence the need for it.

 

Ok, sounds like a trial limitation not being able to export.

When you're in Unity, might be worth checking (with the terrain height sampler tool) that your heights are as you expect. It sounds like you took a screenshot a heightmap image, and if so, I suspect the some gamma or maybe 16 to 8 bit clipboard conversion along the way may shift the greys. Not sure, just a suspicion.

[Joe Habiger]

shimonko, on 06 Feb 2014 - 03:05 AM, said:

Ok, sounds like a trial limitation not being able to export.

When you're in Unity, might be worth checking (with the terrain height sampler tool) that your heights are as you expect. It sounds like you took a screenshot a heightmap image, and if so, I suspect the some gamma or maybe 16 to 8 bit clipboard conversion along the way may shift the greys. Not sure, just a suspicion.

No... You can export a heightmap (and overhead image that goes with it) from global mapper but I don't know of the exact steps from work. I'll try to get it perfect tonight and then do a tutorial on it but I need to make sure it's perfect first because I don't want to show people the wrong way.

[shimonko]

Are you saying the trial version of Global Mapper can export a heightmap? Their site says the trial won't export anything.

[Joe Habiger]

shimonko, on 06 Feb 2014 - 10:19 PM, said:

Are you saying the trial version of Global Mapper can export a heightmap? Their site says the trial won't export anything.

Oh.. I don't have the trial version..hehe, I didn't know that.

[LasseThid]

I guess that's why they used MicroDEM, because it can create and export a heightmap and the program is free to use.

[Jimbobh]

LasseThid, on 04 Feb 2014 - 9:10 PM, said:

I had a slow day at work and spent most of the time trying to find out how to create a heightmap that I can import into Unity, preferably from a DEM file.

I found a great tutorial that let you take any DEM file and create a heightmap from it that you can import into Unity. It's a bit of a hassle, but for those of you who want to give it a try you can find the tutorial here: http://www.scribd.co...ghtmap-Tutorial

One thing though... you need to somehow make your overhead match the heighmap perfectly and that's a PITA!!!

I used Global Mapper and zoomed into the area I wanted to use. Added the world data and grabbed a screenshot, closed that layer and made another screenshot of the terrain. I then imported the DEM in to MicroDEM and zoomed in to the same area and changed the size of the window to make it match the screenshot from Global Mapper as closely as possible. After that I created the heightmap image and saved as a GEOtiff.

Then I went to Photoshop, opened up the two screenshots and the GEOtiff, pasted them into separate layers and alligned them. Then I cropped the image and resized to 2049x2049 pixels and save the overhead as a jpeg, the heightmap I converted to 16-bit grey scale and saved as a Photoshop RAW.

After that I went back to Global Mapper and opened up the DEM, zoomed to the area I want to use and loaded the wold data image and measure the distance between the edges of my overhead. Then I created topolines and checked the difference in height between the lowest and the highest part of the area.

Now I start Unity, create a new project, create Terrain and set to the measurement I got from Global Mapper, Import RAW-file. Next I imported the Overhead as a new Asset, switch to textures and created a new texture with my overhead and set the size to the same as my plot.

Added a directional light object and voíla...

As I said, a pain in the behind, but worth it if you want to work with terrain from a DEM and don't want to wait for the Terrain importer to be released... 

And yes, that's my nemesis... Castle Pines Golf Club...

I have been working on it for you too, it has just taken me a while. I have 191 high res. jpg's stitched together and I still have to confirm if the image is lined up close enough to the terrain, or I could just hand over what I have and you can figure it out,    Hard to tell with this plot of land and the holes spread so far apart, and me not being too familiar with the course. Just thought I would give you an update.

 

[LasseThid]

Go for it Jimboh... Or if you want to send it over I can take a look at it.

Castle Pines is one of the first courses I really loved in Links and I've been tinkering with it on and off for the last 15 years with the APCD for Links.

The problem is that the best DEM's and Google Earth elevations I've found, left me a lot to desire and you need a rectangular plot which Unity doesn't really like.

Besides with no CF and no possibility to play test there's only so much you can do in Unity.

[M Rose]

I've got a version of Castle Pines in APCD and it's kicking my behind! Good luck to whomever is working on it for this format. I may try something flatter

[LasseThid]

I just downloaded and installed Unity 5.0, but their license server is under a wee bit of pressure at the moment... lol...

Will try to have a look at the file Jimbobh sent me later.

[TheOtherRick]

The link you provided for the tutorial in your original post is no longer viable...