Terrain creation/editing programs to import into Visitor

[El Mariachi 0]

I have tried using Wilbur as one of the threads/tutorials suggests, and I love that I can tweak the terrains manually, but I seem to have a few issues.

1. I can't make the size greater than 2048x2048 or it crashes.

2. If I save my file and re-open it, the terrain is in black and white, when I try to 'resample' the terrain, it is all messed up, the heights on everything go up to max.

Is there a specific format I should save/open as? I like editing in color if that's at all possible.

I have tried a few other programs, but they don't seem to have the hands-on capability to shape the land by hand, they're all just random terrain editors.

Any suggestions?

[madine75 0]

I've been playing around with a tool called L3DT. You generate a basic "terrain" and it will then create a heightmap and various other layers. You can then edit the heightmap in 3D. It will also create a textured layer that can be tweaked into a satellite map. It also creates what it calls an "attribute layer", which should be tweakable to a mask_lco, but the dev build I'm using seems to bork the export.

All in all, it's not a bad tool, and certainly one of the best I've found that doesn't cost the earth..

There is a Pro version available, it's able to generate larger sized texture layers that require less tweaking. There's a trial version of Pro available..

Edited September 3, 2009 by madine75

[[aps]gnat 28]

Wilbur 1.6?

2048 doesnt seem to crash for me.

Edit: sometimes crashes it you generate terrain in a certain sequence.

If you Save As PNG, its black and white because thats the High field file (as used in Visitor per tutorials). The 8Bit or 16Bit save is important.

If you wanted the coloured type map, you have to SaveAs TGA or something else.

[El Mariachi 0]

Madine's suggestion works great.

[Vandrel 10]

Global Mapper and Falcon View are ideal for use with Visitor 3

[Alliexx 10]

Hi all,

Im using wilbur and it works without a problem.

20480 to big(to much detail), make it a 2048 PNG file (greyscale), open in wilbur and save, when it asks what "bit size" to choose, just click YES( i think that is 8 bit then).

The created .png file can be opened with a .pbl file into visitor.

So open visitor click open and pick the .pbl file, all should be ok then.

A .pbl file is a small text file inside your terrain folder together with the terrain.png just created/converted with wilbur.

My TERRAIN.PBL looks like this:

*******************************************************

class cfg

{

PNGfilename="terrain.png"; // greyscale 2048 picture, i made my picture in photoshop and converted it with wilbur

squareSize=10.000000; // size times 10 = 20480 meters

originX=0;

originY=0;

minHeight=-15; // heights to play with for water level

maxHeight=35; // and hil top levels

};

*******************************************************

Later,

Allie

[icebreakr 3157]

Allie: do you recommend Wilbur over L3DT Standard? I'm using the latter one and it has excellent 3d editing features.

[[aps]gnat 28]

Quickest and nicest way I got a terrain into ArmA1 and ArmAII is with EarthSculptor;

http://www.earthsculptor.com/

EDIT

LOL ... been trying so many different programs, forgot which 1 I was using ;)

It was really L3D

It takes ages to process a (random) terrain, but it provides pretty good texture files to use within Visitor.

Edited September 7, 2009 by [APS]Gnat

[Alliexx 10]

Hi all,

I must say Icebreakr, i have NOT used L3DT, so i can't say what i think of the tool.

But i can say, that wilbur is very basic and i think very easy to use, i have to say though, that my greyscale pictures are created out of the terrain pictures of google earth. So i'm only using wilbur to CONVERT my own greyscalepicture.png file.

I'm using actually visitor to debug my greyscale pictures, only when i'm happy in bulldozer with the terrain i go on with the rest.

I'm not using the payed tool to download terrain maps because on the terrain maps of google earth are the roads and placenames writen down(real pain in the sss).

I also know that when you use a to high detailed terrain map in visitor, you have to smoothen things out then, because its way to peaky...(rough).

In Visitor you open the .PBL file, the pick is probably on .PEW, change that, pick .pbl.

Later,

Alphons

For my Entebbe Airport, i only took 5 Google Earth Terrain pictures, glued them together, and then had to edit out all placenames and roads, (clone tool in photoshop) and that was all.

You have to size your picture first, i start out to make the picture fit over my satellite map, cut it nice to the right size(for me 20480X20480 pixels) then resize it to 2048 and you are ready to open it up in wilbur(save as .png(maybe also as .tga)), then in wilbur you can smooth it up a bit and see if you are happy. Save it with wilbur and you can open it up in Visitor.

In your .pbl file you can fool around with the values to get your water level to the right shoreline.

Later..

Edited September 7, 2009 by Alliexx

[El Mariachi 0]

I'm creating all my terrain from scratch. L3DT is great for that, and the 3d preview is far an above better than Wilbur- it even lets you texturize terrain so you get an idea of how elevations may look in game.

[[aps]gnat 28]

L3DT;

- Creates nice "almost google" like terrain textures for you automaticily

- Many "Climates" available include several Deserts

- Creates the varied terrain texture intelligently based on flexible items (like climate, slope etc)

- Also creates the individual Layers for you !!

- L3DT's 3D terraforming tools I think are better than Wilburs

But;

- Wilburs more flexible in creating random terrain.

- L3DT standard will only do to 2048 size textures.

[Alliexx 10]

Hi guys,

I can really say, now i tried it, L3DT is a great tool.

Just made the terrain hight stuff all by hand for this island, works perfect.

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/7213/entebbeairport.jpg

Perfect options to create the right hights, for instance in this picture the swamp area is really a swamp area, just 10 to 60 cm of water, nice tool, really.

Later,

Allie

[plumose 219 0]

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?t=86617

This is my start menu image, it was created with L3DT, i love the tool : )

Edited September 26, 2009 by plumose 219

[spirit6 51]

I have never used anything else then l3dt. Just awesome generating any height map you like. Takes a little time to get used to the tool but just go and have erosion how you like, mountains where you like, cliffs where you like. Then click generate and let it do its work. Maybe somebody saw that watkins map i just spitted out in arma 1. Thats basicly coming out of l3dt pro. 20kx20k sat map. then some tweaks ofc here and there and finding the right textures etc, but a realy good take off .

It can also produce an alpha map and the sat map straight out of the tool. I dont even edit them untill i am sure i go along with something.

Just generate very low quality textures to see what ya got. If you think its cool then go heigh detail and let it go burn for a while.

I used Wilbur but i cant even see how you can compare that tool to l3dt :)

[Snake Man 407]

Maybe somebody saw that watkins map i just spitted out in arma 1.

Yes the broken watkins terrain. I sent PM to ... hmm have you changed accounts or something because I think it was "spirit" or something? Anyways, fix your watkins terrain config as it disables other use made terrains clutters.

[spirit6 51]

Yes the broken watkins terrain. I sent PM to ... hmm have you changed accounts or something because I think it was "spirit" or something? Anyways, fix your watkins terrain config as it disables other use made terrains clutters.

My you are full of positive energy are you. Yeah i got this account cause i cant activate the other anymore.

There will be no fix mate and i frankly find this an extremly bizar way of requesting something. If its broken people can simple dont install it. I wonder what makes you think you can talk to people like this.

Edited September 28, 2009 by spirit6

[[aps]gnat 28]

Yes SM, the bad vibs your giving off should be channeled elsewhere please.

[Snake Man 407]

Err, okay so Mr spirit AKA spirit6 releases broken watkins terrain which disables most (I haven't tested all, at least SgtAce's Everon and my terrains) user made terrains clutters... is okay, but I get lynched when I report this, right?

I would understand if I'd come here and call him names, ie flame or provoke or disrespect him some other way... but am I wrong? is watkins not broken?

[spirit6 51]

Err, okay so Mr spirit AKA spirit6 releases broken watkins terrain which disables most (I haven't tested all, at least SgtAce's Everon and my terrains) user made terrains clutters... is okay, but I get lynched when I report this, right?

I would understand if I'd come here and call him names, ie flame or provoke or disrespect him some other way... but am I wrong? is watkins not broken?

I think you lack some social aspects here mate MR Snake man. Nobody is at work here and for that we have no delivery responsibility. Its a hobby AND its a community. Anyway, i am in arma2 and not arma1. The clutterproblem was fixed by sickboy already 1 day after release. People still having the old version and even hosting the old one. I cant help that.

This is also WAY off topic of original OP and for that my last words on this matter.

Edited September 29, 2009 by spirit6

[plumose 219 0]

yes snake man , calm down bud its a hobby : )

[Snake Man 407]

Anybody else want to make me the bad guy here, come on now everybody!

[rellikki 7]

Pipe it down, everyone. Snake Man didn't flame anybody. You shouldn't have taken it that bad.

[[aps]gnat 28]

I didn't take it badly, just felt sorry for Spirit after one addon maker called another addon makers' Island addon "broken" in a (as I read the detail) "how dare you release such shit" type of way, and completely ignoring the fact that it was fixed eons ago.

.... but maybe I dont understand written english very well.

snipe

Noun

pl snipe or snipes

a wading bird with a long straight bill

Verb

[sniping, sniped]

1. (often foll. by at)to shoot (someone) from a place of hiding

2. (often foll. by at)to make critical remarks about [Old Norse snīpa]

OT, anyone bought the full version of L3DT ?

Woundering if it has an more features worthwhile, other than the increase in texture size.

FYI, look for the Anti-Alias slider as you use the generate textures in L3DT. I turn it off to get better colours in maps. Visitor /ArmA blurs it anyway.

[icebreakr 3157]

Gnat: I wonder the same, is it worth it, I don't care about the bigger area size.

[spirit6 51]

Gnat;1452648']

OT' date=' anyone bought the full version of L3DT ?

Woundering if it has an more features worthwhile, other than the increase in texture size.

FYI, look for the Anti-Alias slider as you use the generate textures in L3DT. I turn it off to get better colours in maps. Visitor /ArmA blurs it anyway.[/quote']

I have the full version for a while already. Not only because it offers indeed possible large texture generation, it also is a few bucks for an awesome product ;)

Mmm i never tried that anti-alias slider to be honost. What i do use is edit the climates when i am done. So first i go ahead with usualy the default climates then when i know what i want i simple get the BIS textures (so i mean here the textures that you actualy use in visitor) and put them in l3dt. Giving me easier matching Sat map to the textures. All that is left then is matching clutter.