Height Map with Real World Terrain Tutorial [Eng]

How to create Real World Terrain Height Maps (Detailed Guide), I will be showing how to import real world terrain information into planet zoo.

Disclaimer This is what I found personally worked best for me, in time better guides and or processes may become available. Please take note that this was only after a day worth or research and playing around.

I need to find an easier way to smooth all the Terrain a bit better, but using the blur or de-speckle in Photoshop hasn't yielded any good results yet

How to create Real World Terrain Height Maps (Detailed Guide)

Getting your Height Maps/Choose location

1. Click on this link for finding a location to use. https://cs.heightmap.skydark.pl
   
2. Once your find the location > click the Information icon in the top left
   
3. Set the Height Scale to 100% ( found this has the best results but play around as needed)
   
4. Optional slide waterside slope 100% > Blur Waterside
   
5. Then click the middle paper option for downloading just the PNG

Editing the Height Map for Planet Zoo

1. Open the example tiff the devs provided (Open Library > right click Planet Zoo > Content files > terrain > Example 1
   
2. Open the file within your image editing app of choice. ( I am using Photoshop as below)
   
3. Once the example file is open > choose color pick the edge of the example > Your RGB should be 128
   
4. Fill in the Image with a the R128 G128 B128 this is the flat default height
   
   
   
5. In Photoshop Go to File > Place Embedded > Find the your height map you downloaded
   
   
   
6. You can choose to use the height map however this height map is giving terrain data at a much larger amount then the map.
   
7. So I increased the size of the default height map so that it 4x4 lining it up with the blue guide lines.
   
   
   
8. Once that is done I center it within the canvas.
   
9. Take your Eraser brush and choose a soft brush and erase anything past the blue line boarders
   
   
   
10. With the height map selected go to Image > Adjustments > Levels
    
11. Adjust the black Output level so that it is as close to 128 as possible (I feel 100 black and 200 white seems to work best but can differ from height map)
    
12. Adjust the White Balance if you want to reduce the mountain height
    
13. Using the level ranges above you can darken or lighten key points in the height map (Ie, rivers, lakes, ranges, etc..)
    
    
    
14. Once this is done then File > Save As > find your Planet Zoo user folder > Name the file and save as tiff. (Default Setting)
    
    
    
15. Open up Planet Zoo and then create a new park, and under the Flat option choose your Saved file.
    
    

Disclaimer This is what I found personally worked best for me, in time better guides and or processes may become available. Please take note that this was only after a day worth or research and playing around.

I need to find an easier way to smooth all the Terrain a bit better, but using the blur or de-speckle in Photoshop hasn't yielded any good results yet

[TheEyeOfMorris]

link does not work

[becca.bonny]

Wow, this is way better than spending two days building a specific type of terrain, thanks! I wonder if a frequency separation technique might help smooth it out. Can't wait to try!

[Wes]

Really interesting and nice thing! Thanks!