So I can add a heightmap to a rectangle. Then I can use a brush to alter it in different ways. It’s basically a 2d height profile.
But does anyone have a good idea how I can actually do anything useful with it? There seems to be no way to enter or measure elevation so it’s just down to eyeballing. I guess it could be used to smooth problematic transition areas between other terraforming elements. Anything else?
Has there ever been an announcement when we will have the possibility to import elevation data?
I know from other applications that hightmaps can be used for smaller bumps on surfaces and the like to make shadows appear more realistically without having to render a much more complex 3D object. However I don’t have any experience with the SDK for FS so I don’t know if it utilizes them in different ways
On FSDeveloper forum they start talking about it.
By starting from own DEM (digital elevation model), it should be possible improve the landscape realism, especially in those mountain areas that both MSFS/Asobo and Google Earth are not accurate enough.
Here is what I have understood:
1-Place the eighghtmap (probably, doesn’t matter how and where).
2-Save it (packagesources\scene): an XML file is generated: it includes coordinates and heights.
3-Take your own DEM file and “adapt” it according to the “frame” of the above mentioned XML (this is, at the moment, the dark side of the procedure).
4-Overwrite the XML and generate the packege.
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Yeah, I saw that CGL thread, but didn’t look into it more closely because I was half expecting an official method with this update. If this heightmap is what was announced I might have to change my mind.
That guy on the other linked thread seems to be confused as well about this new feature. Did anyone request this or was it a misunderstanding? Or is it just a first step to something better?
It was in the development roadmap.
Good news: it is available since the last update.
Bad news: as usual, no info about it (same happened to aerial photoscenery/terraforming/…). The SDK documentation is quite the same since last August; only the change-log is regularly updated.
So, as usual, we have to wait until some kind & skilled user will publish some how-to. This is why I am pushing the discussion: any help will be appreciated!!!
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