Real World Terrains in Unreal Engine

[@Yodi_Bear]

Hey Awesome Tutorial, The only critique I have is when you do some of the adjustments you speed the video up and with stuff like this, it'd be better to see everything you do exactly. Otherwise huge help man! Also to anyone who is getting import errors like the landscape having huge divot lines try exporting the heightmap in .r16 raw file format. That fixed it for me.

[@demenzunmedia]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@callofdutyhighlights6709]

I was going to say this, you talk about re sample for UE4 but then all of a sudden BAM, you've done it and i had no clue what you did

[@rafalfaro]

I had to pause it multiple times and play it back frame by frame

[@demenzunmedia]

@@rafalfaro - Sorry, I'll keep it in mind for future videos.

[@tiagoloureiro3302]

@@demenzunmedia Thanks for taking the feedback! And thanks for the vid!

[@JheredStern]

Man thank you soooooo much for this. Both the software (TerreSculpt) and this awesome video. I will be joining your patron. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@emanuelefarnesi6044]

I think a 10 min video with less cut and speeds up is better to understand how and what a program does (and maybe how to use also alternatives to earth explorer) but thanks.

[@sascha1222]

Good day, thank you for your tutorial. This has helped me a lot. I have a problem with a certain area. Maybe you can take a look at it and find a way I can use this file. I have the problem with the European Alps at the German town "Garmisch Partenkirchen" (47, 11). When I load this as explained in the tutorial, the terrain is not displayed correctly. Maybe you can find a way. Thanks in advance

[@demenzunmedia]

If you can provide a screenshot of TerreSculptor with the terrain loaded that would help. KZbin doesn't allow attachments, so you would have to use the Facebook Group or the Discord Server, links are on the TerreSculptor Help menu. Many DEM sites have terrible quality heightmaps. Often they have voids making them useless, and often they have buildings and trees making them unusable for a heightmap, and most of all many DEMs are so low in resolution that you can never use them for anything serious. Typically only about 50% of DEM files are any good. I am working on integrating MapBox into TerreSculptor so that DEMs for the entire world can be obtained directly in the software.

[@demenzunmedia]

Alternately, you can email me the heightmap or a screenshot to my support email address.

[@SayniVindhyesh]

How Can i Fix Spikes beneath the map in terrasculpter it looks weird and how would i make them normal for unreal engine kindly tell me that thanks

[@demenzunmedia]

If the heightmap has what looks like spikes that go down beneath it, that means that you have chosen a heightmap that has "voids". Voids are missing elevation data in the digital elevation model. I strongly recommend looking for "void filled" datasets instead, as it makes life a lot easier. Depending on the site that the digital elevation model was obtained from, they might have a void filled set of heightmaps. When you select a section in the map to obtain heightmap data for, you might be given a choice of data formats, one being void filled. If not, then you will have to try a different dataset site like EarthExplorer, Terrain.Party, etc. Depending on the digital elevation model file format, there might be an option during importing into TerreSculptor to "void fill" the data, you can enable that and choose Lerp for the fill style, but that doesn't work well if there are large regions of voids. It is easier simply to choose void filled source data.

[@alexcristofani]

Ok, but most of terrain the website don't get it properly.

[@urmcchromez9426]

How would I add multiple heightmaps as one large heightmaps?

[@demenzunmedia]

Use the Import Tiles item on the File menu. That dialog allows you to select multiple heightmap tiles to be stitched into a larger single heightmap. I will be creating a tutorial video for that feature very soon. Choose the number of tiles you want to stitch together, up to 5x5, browse for the tiles for each grid cell, the tiles are typically left-to-right and bottom-to-top if they are XY numbered. You can double-click on a grid cell to load a tile. The tile will then show the properties that it read such as the minimum and maximum altitude. Once you have all of your tiles selected click on Ok to stitch them. You might have to select the tiles multiple times if you don't know what the order of them is. If you see a line in the final heightmap between each of the tiles, that means that they have overlapping seams, that feature is not finished yet to support that. Note that all tiles stitched together cannot be larger than 46k x 46k, which is the current software maximum heightmap size.

[@ClearTheRubble7]

Excellent information, and the results look great! I'm not using UE, but Babylonjs and Blender (for game assets). I never heard of TerraSculptor before, but discovered that it does export to Blender. Thanks! Subbed.

[@ClearTheRubble7]

*TerreSculptor. Sorry... I also didn't realize it's your own project.

[@demenzunmedia]

You are welcome. Enjoy the software. More software updates and more videos coming soon, including videos for Unity and Blender and Max and other workflows.

[@ClearTheRubble7]

@@demenzunmedia Great to know. Look forward to them!

[@3darchstuffs]

superb tutorial.

[@ShortBusTrip]

Just learned about your tool and looks fantastic. Would hope for a little more detailed tutorial (without important time lapses) explaining the export/import to Unreal, perhaps using the tile generator for use in Unreal world composition. Thanks for such a fantastic tool nonetheless and providing it for free to the community

[@demenzunmedia]

This is an active project managed by one person. More tutorials, more documentation, more features are under development.

[@ShortBusTrip]

@@demenzunmedia Yep I know that and you are doing an awesome job! Hope I didn't sound ungrateful or demanding in my message because I didn't mean it that way. Keep it up bud and thanks for the software!

[@demenzunmedia]

@@ShortBusTrip - No worries. I have a few more video tutorials coming this month. And hopefully another public release.

[@an.unarmed.civilian]

anyway to combine the earthexplorer tiles into one larger tile?

[@demenzunmedia]

Use the Import Tiles tool on the File menu to import multiple tiled digital elevation model files and combine them into one large heightmap. I will be making a tutorial video on this tool soon.

[@an.unarmed.civilian]

@@demenzunmedia great thanks this is awesome.

[@atroxx1000]

Wuau, although my English is translated but I did not want to stop thanking you for all this great work that you share, greetings from Mexico ..

[@demenzunmedia]

Thank you very much!

[@DonEsteban3D]

Hey, thx for tutorial! Do you know how to add (and match) google maps texture image with this height landscape? Without it there is now way to create precise word locations.

[@demenzunmedia]

The main issue with using using Google maps images as a texture layer is going to be matching up the location and rotation to the digital elevation model heightmap. The easiest way to do this would probably be to use Photoshop to layer the Google map texture over the heightmap and pan/rotate/resize/stretch the Google map as required to fit. Some DEM sites also include image data with the height elevation data, if you can get ahold of that, then they should line up properly without any editing. When you select your map region and retrieve the GIS data, see if it includes visual image data along with the elevation data for the region that you have selected. Once you have the overlay visual image texture completed and of the correct size, you can use the Texture Material in TerreSculptor to apply it to the terrain to see if it looks correct. I can see a future feature for TerreSculptor might be to allow applying a texture overlay material with full editing capabilities including panning, stretching and rotating. Which would make it easier to apply Google map data to a Digital Elevation Model.

[@Kaldisti]

Hi, my English is not perfect so I did not unterstand everything : does UE4 support 1:1 scale heightmap (and without z-axis exageration) ? Thanks for your tuto (and the discovery of TerreSculptor !!!)

[@demenzunmedia]

To have TerreSculptor and UE4 display the terrain with the same XYZ ratio, choose the UE4 Preset in the Settings Units. Or set the Terrain Properties to 100,100,512 for XZ, Y, Scale. Then the terrain in UE4 will look the same as TerreSculptor. If you still have problems with the Z scale in UE4 simply change the Landscape Z Scale property to what you want.

[@Uchiha_Tony]

Will using map terrains like this cause any licensing issue when selling a product that uses this?

[@demenzunmedia]

Most Digital Elevation Model sites release their data as CC or Public Domain. Depending on the site that you are using for your DEM file source you should check their license for use. If it is a paid data site there may be additional restrictions. USGS Data Citation License: www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/data-citation?qt-science_support_page_related_con=0#qt-science_support_page_related_con

[@an.unarmed.civilian]

in Earth Explorer when using the 'show browse overlay' for results it displays a rectangle image, but the .bil download is square. Is this correct? Seems like one of them must be stretched.

[@demenzunmedia]

That is correct, the tiles are square. BIL files are typical 3601x3601. If you choose a rectangular selection, you will be presented with multiple tiles to download, they are tiles for which the selection area overlaps them all. So that the tiles cover that selection region. You can view which tiles in the list are at what location by using the button to view the tiles in the same toolbar group for each tile as the download button.

[@an.unarmed.civilian]

@@demenzunmedia Issue is that the preview shows a rectangular tile, but the actual tile download is square. one of them is incorrect and it looks like the download is squished.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@an.unarmed.civilian - Digital Elevation Model files are virtually all square aspect, so the preview is wrong.

[@an.unarmed.civilian]

@@demenzunmedia that was my thought as well. When I have some time ill post screenshot somewhere and link here.

[@mdz9430]

I did used your method but i can't get the results even if i manually choose my location. How do you solve this?

[@demenzunmedia]

Your question sounds like a GIS DEM site question and not a TerreSculptor question. You may wish to consult the online help pages on the DEM site that you are using, for specific information on how to retrieve tiles from the website. All Digital Elevation Model repositories contain pre-tiled data for the regions, and this pre-tiled data may be of different resolutions, different file formats, and some of the data may include voids. This is the way that all GIS DEM sites are managed. It is simply a server with hundreds or thousands of GIS tile files on it. On a site like EarthExplorer, you have to use the interface to draw a bounding rectangle around the region that you want the GIS DEM data for, using four pins that you place by clicking on the map. Then when you retrieve the data for that region, you will get one or more GIS DEM tiles for *every* tile that is intersecting with the region that you specified. You won't get just the region that you selected, you will get every GIS DEM tile that intersects with it. You then look at those DEM thumbnails, and choose the one(s) that you want to download, and in the case of TerreSculptor, you will want to download void filled heightmaps in ESRI ASC, BIL, FLT, HGT, or GeoTiff file format.

[@hollowedrevenantstudios5922]

When I import the map its super bumpy and doesn't look right at all. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.

[@demenzunmedia]

Do you mean when you import it into TerreSculptor? If the terrain doesn't look right after import into TerreSculptor, then the import settings are not correct. If you are importing a headered file types, such as HGT then be sure that TerreSculptor is also finding the Header File. The Import dialog will show you this information.

[@m.s.3199]

Same here...cant figure it out. Been playing with the setings for 3 days....nice vid...but definitely not for beginers.

[@KeepItSimplePC]

3:35 u went way to fast, and are you using Pro version i don't see the UDK option when we need to resample

[@demenzunmedia]

Enable the Unreal Engine option in the Settings Dimension tab, that will give you the Unreal Engine dialog button on the Resample dialog etc. There is no longer Standard/Professional Editions, that was years ago with TerreSculptor 1.0. There are newer videos for UE5 covering this same topic.

[@KeepItSimplePC]

@@demenzunmedia ty yes i love this tool could you tell me the benefit to using a splat map vs just doing the height map import and adding my multi biom material?

[@demenzunmedia]

@@KeepItSimplePC - Auto-materials are typically the fastest to deploy, but are typically limited to elevation and slope texturing. Hand-painting can take days to paint large terrains. Weightmaps are fast to extract and can extract complex information including flowmaps, convexity, and more, with multiple weightmaps being used to create a splatmap. Splatmaps are faster than painting and can create significantly more complex texturing than auto-materials, but can be difficult to use with tiled terrains.

[@hammertl2673]

hi, I have a heightmap in tif format, but when importing it into terresculptor I can only get a flat terrain, any suggestions?

[@demenzunmedia]

If the file is a GeoTIFF Heightmap, make sure that you choose GeoTIFF type in the Import dialog. If you choose TIF Image that is an entirely different file format and file importer.

[@hammertl2673]

@@demenzunmedia Thank you, that solved my problem.

[@jb5488]

Awesome tool. I have a question: is the elevation data from USGS, which i believe is in meters, automatically converted between 0 to 1 scale which UE4 uses for correct 1:1 Z scale or do you just guess this?

[@demenzunmedia]

If you import a file such as a BIL 16-bit DEM, and don't modify the elevation data in any way in TerreSculptor, and then export it as a PNG-16, the elevation range will be correctly maintained through the import-export pipeline. There are some additional Scale tools coming to TerreSculptor soon that will allow you to modify elevation to specific values in meters if you wish to adjust the data.

[@jb5488]

@@demenzunmedia Hey, thanks for the quick responce! I remember this being a massive pain in the ass. You first had to use the USGS script, then if you wanted multiple tiles you had to take the min and max elevation range of the tiles you had and divide 1 by the min and max elevation range to get it between 0 and 1 space. This had to be done in video editing software and also to keep the 16 bit in tact. Then you had to take your math corrected USGS tiles to PS to then assemble them in to one large image to then break them up again in UE4 useble tiles with L3DT. World Machine can't do this, because It resample's internally to 2k, so the only option is to use the tiled import and WC, well, you can't do any processing because of the way that level system works. So i guess i will have to try this out and hopefully this will be a all in one solution.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@jb5488 - Are you working with tiled DEM files? The Tiled Import is designed to manage DEM data to retain the constant altitude of the tiles. Currently it only support ESRI ASC format, more DEM formats are coming soon. It also support void filling. Also, what format files are you using? Depending on the format that you are using, the import dialog properties for Conversion type might have to be set correctly to scale the imported data, so that when you export it, it is also scaled back to the same range. For example, on 16-bit files, TerreSculptor scales them from 0-65535 to 0-100 on import, and then scales them back to 0-65535 on export. So it retains the overall elevation of the data correctly so long as you don't normalize or change the altitude in any way within TerreSculptor. I just noticed that Scale import on BIL seems to have an issue, I will fix that for the next build.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@jb5488 - 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit Integer files should all correctly maintain scale from Import to Export if you choose the Scale method on the Import dialog. However, 32-bit and 64-bit floating-point files do not maintain scale and are Normalized. I am currently re-working the entire file import code base to support additional features such as DEM Void Fills and also Scale Tracking from Import to Export. This should be available in a build sometime this summer.

[@jb5488]

@@demenzunmedia yes. i was using multiple USGS DEM tiles @ ~10k by ~8k resolution. Downloaded as ArcGrid and converted via script to Geotiff. Then i would do the conversion in Natron and paste them together in PS to one large 20k by 16K image and then further crop it to 16x16k. Then i'd use L3DT to chop them up to useble tiles for UE4. That is nice, because if i am not mistaking PS internally convert the image to 0 - 32768. I haven't tested Terresculptor yet but i will maybe tomorrow, either way when i do, i will post you my findings.

[@AdiJager]

Any ideas how to match TS waterlevel to unreal Z=0?

[@demenzunmedia]

If you have set the TerreSculptor Units to the same as Unreal Engine, then the XYZ axis values should be the same.

[@_senshi1_]

How do you resample it one to one though?

[@demenzunmedia]

What exactly do you mean by your question? Are you referring to digital elevation model data that is other than 1 meter data? Such as 10 meter or 30 meter or 90 meter data? If the source digital data is 30 meter, you wouldn't resample it down to 1 meter because that simply adds unnecessary data to the heightmap, making your heightmap significantly larger in file size and data size. You can't add in the missing detail through resampling. Instead, if you were using the 30 meter data heightmap in Unreal Engine you would change the Landscape XY Scale to 3000 for 30 meters per quad. If you really must resample though, you would take the digital elevation model meters scale and multiple that to get the resample ratio. So if you had a 30 meter digital elevation model heightmap, and you wanted it to instead be the equivalent of 1 meter, you would resample the width and length by 30 to get 1 meter per sample point. So a 1000x1000 30 meter heightmap would become 30000x30000 at 1 meter. Your heightmap is going to increase significantly in size doing this though, with no actual increase in more detail. You also have to keep in mind that the largest heightmap dimensions that you can currently resample up to is about 46000x46000, due to a limitation in the Microsoft Windows API. A future update to TerreSculptor will be increasing this resolution though to be as large as available memory.

[@felipe96150]

How to scale the imported terrain so it shows as 1:1? I'm finding it quite difficult to understand scale in the properties, it doesnt make sense. I'm using AW3D30 DEM, which is ~30m/px.

[@demenzunmedia]

If you go into Tools, Settings, Units and look at what your current Units are, if they are 1 unit = 1 cm, then 3000 units in pixel/vertex spacing will be 30 meters.

[@olizanela377]

The provided maps are not for purchase or for download; it is to be used as a guide for reference and search purposes only". Cool, but why i cant download anything?

[@demenzunmedia]

EarthExplorer allows downloading of digital elevation model files. Have you created an account on the site? You must have an account to be able to download.

[@beerbellygod1511]

Alot of what I'm importing is hit and miss. Many of the terrains from the Bil file just look like a spiky mess. I'm new so maybe its a learning curve thing

[@demenzunmedia]

Depending on the region that you have chosen, you may get digital elevation model files that still contain the trees, which look like terrible spikes all around the terrain. Usually if you choose areas that are not forested you will get better digital elevation models that are of just the terrain itself.

[@dionpinto3627]

Just a question, can you do a similar thing for cities?

[@demenzunmedia]

You can download digital elevation model files that are in city locations and then replace the buildings with meshes.

[@LaSombraa]

@@demenzunmedia Make a video doing this.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@LaSombraa - I have DEMs that include buildings and roads, so I could make a video that covers using that type of DEM. But I don't have a set of modern building meshes, so I would just have to use cube placeholder.

[@joyceanblue]

Hello, Great tutorial, very helpful. Do you have any idea where I can find digital elevation model for Bahrain? Thanks

[@demenzunmedia]

EarthExplorer and Terrain.party have most of the entire earth available. However, depending on the region it may be 30 meter or 90 meter data, which may be too low in resolution depending on what you are trying to do with it. Otherwise you would have to search if the specific country has any public elevation data repositories available.

[@joyceanblue]

@@demenzunmedia Thanks a lot for quick response and showing the right direction. cheers. Edit - Unfortunately neither have bahrain map. not even 90 meter data. Edit Edit - I did get some very rough data (3 Arc) out of EarthExplorer. thanks. lets see if it will do

[@RoqueMatusIII]

How do you do his for Mars?

[@demenzunmedia]

The workflow is the same but you will have to go to MOLA or HiRISE for the Mars elevation data. Mars elevation data is all really low resolution though, so it won't be any good for play area terrain.

[@MatteoTB777]

If the data set of the hightmap I am looking for is only a 3-ARC resolution what should I do? I am looking for the heightmap of the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Scottish Highlands for a school project and any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated!

[@demenzunmedia]

I assume that 3-ArcSecond is too low resolution for your needs? If you are using EarthExplorer they usually only have high resolution data for the United States since it is a USGS site. The UK/Scotland should have their own government high resolution dataset website, possibly with 2-meter or 5-meter data. You would have to search to locate a dataset site in that country. Most countries in the world have their own high resolution dataset sites. I used to have a list of many sites around the world, but they keep changing URL every year or two, making it virtually impossible to keep up with them. Google should return you something though.

[@MatteoTB777]

@@demenzunmedia Awesome, thanks so much for the quick reply even though it's been a couple months. Love your videos and help!

[@demenzunmedia]

@@MatteoTB777 - Your comment was posted 1 hour ago... ?? Did you originally post it a couple of months ago? If so, KZbin only released it just now. I always get notifications.

[@MatteoTB777]

@@demenzunmedia oh I was referring to the release of the video, I sincerely appreciate how fast you responded!

[@demenzunmedia]

@@MatteoTB777 - You're welcome.

[@nishikata-sam8789]

How do I add multiples heightmaps? I've downloaded here a lot of heightmaps, but I don't know how to merge all of them

[@demenzunmedia]

Use the Import Tile tool on the File menu. The heightmaps must be adjacent tiles, and you must open them to the proper relative location, and they must be in Import Tile supported file formats. The Import Tile tool will then combine all tiles into one single heightmap.

[@mpanchal8654]

How would you do this with ocean maps that simply contain latitude, longitude, and elevation?

[@demenzunmedia]

I don't follow what you are asking. Can you be more specific. Any supported digital elevation model file that contains elevation data can be imported into TerreSculptor, such as industry standard ASC, BIL, FLT, HGT, GeoTIFF, etc. If you are referring to a file format other than digital elevation models containing elevation data, then an importer would have to be written for that specific format to convert it to a standard floating-point heightmap.

[@khayyamal9207]

hey there...i just checked out your website and....it has changed a looot and i cant see any licensing options...so my question is: is terresculptor fully free right now?

[@demenzunmedia]

Hi. TerreSculptor is "Open Use" software, you can use it for personal, commercial, or academic use at no cost. It is free to use. If you would like to help support the development costs of the software, you can become a Patreon subscriber for as little as $1 per month. I appreciate any support that I can get. Click on the Patreon links or menus in the software to go to the Demenzun Patreon page to sign up. Patreon Silver+ subscribers also get additional bonuses such as access to beta builds of the software. www.patreon.com/demenzunmedia

[@hunter7777]

Why do my maps come in at 1201 x 1201 instead of 3601 x 3601 as in your video? And the file looks really bumpy even if I am in a pretty flat area.

[@demenzunmedia]

Digital Elevation Model files are typically ~10,000 for 1-meter, ~3600 for 30-meter, and ~1200 for 90-meter. So the file that you have is 90-meters sample spacing, which is useless for most purposes because it is too low in resolution. 90-meter data typically is sourced from satellite data. There are a number of reasons why a DEM file looks really bumpy: if it includes trees and buildings, if it is a data file other than elevations (many DEM repositories also include such things as water sheds and other GIS feature data in addition to elevations). The data set that you have chosen and the file that you are using is really low resolution and may not be elevation data. I would recommend looking at a different world location or even locating a DEM repository with higher resolution elevation data. Perhaps try Earth Explorer or Terrain Party, or look for a high resolution repository for the world location that you are after.

[@hunter7777]

@@demenzunmedia Hello & thank you for the reply. I figured out the problem. In TerreSculptor (even though I had already done this prior to importing the heightmap), I went into Tools, Settings, Dimensions & made sure UDK was selected. Then I went into Units & made sure that 1 Unit = 1 Centimeter. I clicked OK, & restarted TerreSculptor and when I imported the PNG file from before, it came in at 3601 x 3601 as it should. I don't know why TerreSculptor had to have me redo those settings, but it solved the issue I was having. Thanks again for getting back to me. Now can you direct me on how to texture my terrain in TerreSculptor using Weightmaps, as you mentioned at the end of your video? Thanks again.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@hunter7777 - Setting the Dimensions and Units has no bearing at all on the resolution of the heightmap that is imported, that only affects what the software shows as the area in meters of the heightmap. So I have no idea what happened there. See this video for texturing the terrain in TerreSculptor with a splatmap using the Colormap Material and multiple extracted weightmaps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/naG0nmeQlMSNpbc

[@rafalfaro]

I'm only getting 1-ARC for my region if I choose the SRTM 1 Arc-Second Global dataset. I compared it to the void filled and it seems exactly the same. Is there any issues with this version? I followed the tutorial and it seems fine. By the way I'm an idiot I forgot that youtube has speed controls. If anyone is having problems following this video just play it back at a lower speed.

[@rafalfaro]

This one earthexplorer.usgs.gov/metadata/8360/SRTM1N10W085V3/

[@demenzunmedia]

The data resolution on EarthExplorer varies by region. All online Digital Elevation Model repositories have various resolution data. TerreSculptor will work with DEM files of any resolution, which the standards are 1 meter, 5 meter, 10 meter, 30 meter, and 100 meter. The only difference that each file has is the resolution in pixels of the resulting grayscale heightmap. If you require a higher resolution terrain for your purposes, then you would either have to go with a different world location or a different repository than EarthExplorer. The USGS alone has multiple sites including NED and 1 Meter USA. Void Filling provides the same resolution data, just with any altitude sample holes filled in with data.

[@jpope3292]

BIL's work fine but i'm struggling to import GeoTIFs, any reccomendations? I've tried scouring your documentation but i'm drawing a blank.

[@demenzunmedia]

I would have to see the source TIF file to be able to discern what the technical issue is. The GeoTIFF importing has worked properly with every file that I have tested. One of the issues with GeoTIFF is that some data sites use non-standard file tags and headers which may prevent them from properly importing. Most non-standard tags should be ignored though, and the raster data should be imported correctly. The GeoTIF importer in TerreSculptor is using the standard TIF Image codec, so any GeoTIF must be closely following the native file specification or it won't import properly. Also, the GeoTIF importer does not support files with voids, so if the file you are importing contains voids, it will not import correctly. Always be sure to choose void filled data files. Other than this, I would have to know which file you are trying to import.

[@toninotarsi]

Thanks but I have problems maintaining exactly the real vertical proportion. Working with the original geographic file poses problem for me. I was thinking, first of all to convert the USGS DTM into planar coordinates (UTM - using QGIS for example ) and the calculate all scaling factors for importing into Terrescuptorr and then unto UE4. Some help here will be appreciated.

[@demenzunmedia]

When dealing with 30 meter and 100 meter data it is pointless to try to maintain the true real-world dimensions. If you attempt to maintain the real altitude without also maintaining the real width/length, the landscape will be totally spiked and unrealistic. For example, to create a UE4 8129x8129 Landscape, which is the largest single size, you would have to either resample a 271x271 crop from a BIL file up to 8129x8129, or use a 271x271 cropped heightmap and set the Landscape XY scale values from 100 (1 meter) to 3000 (30 meter). There would be no detail left at all, it would look absolutely terrible since it would be such low resolution. Try creating a 253x253 Landscape and setting the XY Spacing to 3000 just to see how bad it looks in UE4. BIL header files do not contain any altitude reference information, ie the base lowest altitude and spacing reference for vertical data, so it is therefore not possible to maintain the correct original altitude range from the BIL file through TerreSculptor and to UE4. The only easy way to get the altitude range close would be to use an online reference for some features in the heightmap that give altitude information, Google Earth supports this, and find a reference location such as the base and summit of a specific mountain in meters above sea level, subtract the two values to get the mountain height range, then simply adjust the Z scale value in UE4 while looking at the side view of the Landscape so that it approximates the altitude range. Attempting to use video game engines as if they are GIS systems is pointless since the toolsets are totally different, and video game engines are simulations. Since the assets brought into the engine are almost always lower resolution than real life, attempting to match real world locations meter-for-meter will often look really bad and low resolution. I do plan on creating a tutorial video that covers using 5 meter and 1 meter data, which is actually designed for maintaining proper scaling much better, but it even still is usually only approximated. The big issue is that finding free online 1 meter data is almost impossible.

[@toninotarsi]

@@demenzunmedia >>> The BIL header files do not contain any altitude reference information, ie the base lowest altitude and spacing reference for vertical data, so it is therefore not possible to maintain the correct original altitude range from the BIL file through TerreSculptor and to UE4. Why not using the BIL binary file for having base minimum altitude and range. This is was a was planning to do ... manually

[@demenzunmedia]

@@toninotarsi - The BIL binary file does not contain any relative altitude information for what the altitude Z scale is. So it is impossible to use the binary data by itself and determine what the correct aspect ratio of the data is. Each numeric value increase in the binary data can be anything from 1 foot, to 1 decimeter, to 1 meter, or anything else that the source DEM data provider scaled it to. So attempting to set the range by the binary data values will never get the original altitude information without knowing the correct Z scale. The BIL PRJ Projection file can optionally contain the ZUNITS information, but many sources do not provide that in the PRJ file, including EarthExplorer sourced data. Without that ZUNITS value in the PRJ file there is no way to tell what the actual original measurements of the elevation data are. It would be easier and faster to simply measure a reference elevation set in Google Earth, such as the base and peek of a mountain, and then set the final Z Scale in Unreal Engine 4 using that.

[@karlhalvorson]

I think your instructions would have been much better if you went slower and explained each step precisely. I slowed the video down to the slowest speed and still had a hard time seeing what you were clicking on. Also, for newbies, some items were not already available like the UDK button in TerreSculptor.

[@demenzunmedia]

Thanks for the feedback. I will keep it in mind for future videos.

[@CatherineScott1]

What if the area you chose only comes with a 3-ARC resolution?

[@demenzunmedia]

1 arc-second is 30 meters per pixel. 3 arc-seconds is 90 meters per pixel. You can still use 3 arc-second heightmaps, they are just very low resolution. If you are using them in a video game engine, you would adjust the terrain mesh vertices to have a 90 meter spacing to have the terrain look correct to scale. 90 meter spacing works fine for background backdrops around play areas.

[@CatherineScott1]

@@demenzunmedia Thanks for your response. I was wondering if you have any classes for sale on how to make maps using this system. I am new to UE 4 and have tried other things but this would work well for me. I am trying to make a interactive map of a real place that can be edited and put on a pc or tablet.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@CatherineScott1 - Sorry, no classes for sale at this time. There is currently just the videos on KZbin. There are some videos with full workflow in UE4, and I plan on adding more videos soon on World Composition and other topics. TerreSculptor is a solo project that I work on after my daily employment job, so I am the only person working on this entire project.

[@CatherineScott1]

@@demenzunmedia Thanks, can your recommend setting to properly import a 3-ARC map into UE 4, mine doesn't look too good, thanks.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@CatherineScott1 - A 90 meter pixel spacing heightmap will have a UE4 Landscape Scale XY of 9000, which will be very large terrain polygons. It might be ok for a low-poly artwork video game, a flight game, or for distance mountains around a high-resolution play area, but it won't work well for a main conventional play area. Depending on what art design style you are going for, 90 meter data may simply be too low in resolution. You may be forced to locate 1 meter or 2 meter data for your needs. There is data as high as 25cm spacing for certain areas of the world, such as the UK (see my UK video), and 1 meter data is common for the USA (see the USGS or EarthExplorer). Depending on the region that you are trying to use, you will have to find a digital elevation model site that supports the data in the resolution that you need. I am always looking for new DEM sites and constantly creating videos to support their use.

[@fenrixrex2554]

Unable to down load any of the files it just say server error. I think they disabled this for now unfortunately

[@demenzunmedia]

I just tried Earth Explorer right now, Jan 01 2023 at 10:14 MST and it works fine, although the file download was terribly slow. Perhaps their server is just congested right now with users. Try again shortly.

[@fenrixrex2554]

@@demenzunmedia I tried it 3 times it was all just giving an error

[@demenzunmedia]

@@fenrixrex2554 - You created an account on the USGS site and were logged in? I tried it just a while ago as seen on my previous message, and the site worked fine for me. So if you are logged in and encountering errors then I don't know what the issue is on your end.

[@fenrixrex2554]

@@demenzunmedia Yeah I did I followed the tutorial step by step but the download part just dont work

[@demenzunmedia]

@@fenrixrex2554 - I don't know what to say. Their site worked fine for me yesterday when I tried it. Have you tried a different browser or a different location on the world map? You were downloading the GeoTif or BIL Elevation results from the location search? Did you try the other file format to see if that would download?

[@TheIcemanModdeler]

Is it possible to also export the color?

[@demenzunmedia]

If you mean the terrain colors then yes, use the Save items on the Tools menu. The Save Colorset saves the Colorset at the full resolution of the current heightmap datamap. The Save Vertex saves the colors of the current terrain mesh vertices and resolution. Save Colorset bitmap kzbin.info/www/bejne/nH28gXyhmdqNaMk Save Vertex Colors Bitmap kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKW4f5aMd9mrnZo

[@TheIcemanModdeler]

@@demenzunmedia Thanks for the reply and for the tutorial, tried it and it works great, sometimes i get really low spikes in the terrain and using the Void options like linear interpolate fixes that, regarding the color i was referring if i am able to get the colors from the USGS website similar to how i export the heightmap. I guess i could use the coordinates and export from google maps the color map.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@TheIcemanModdeler - Depending on the DEM site that you are using, you can often choose Void Filled data which already has the voids filled for you. Most DEM sites do not include color maps of the tiles. Only if the site that you are using includes color maps or aerial maps will there be any. If you are using EarthExplorer it does include some aerial maps. Simply mark the region that you want, and choose the Aerial maps instead of the DEM maps to get the aerial content for download. If the site does not have color maps available, then Google Earth would be your best bet, but you may have issues with matching up the Google Earth screenshot with the DEM tile, since the projection may be different, so Google Earth may have a distorted map in comparison, and you may have to modify it with 3D projection and warping in Photoshop etc.

[@TheIcemanModdeler]

@@demenzunmedia I see, thanks for the info, will test it out. Cheers

[@Grishnakh66]

I have an issue with maps that have holes in them even though I chose the void-fill files. I tried the same location as you and that works fine. Does anyone have a fix? Entity ID: SRTM1N59W136V2 (Skagway) You can even see it in the USGS "browse overlay" button. There are lots of small holes in the image. Thanks for the vid and any help! =)

[@demenzunmedia]

I am working on more Void Fill tools for TerreSculptor, but that is still a ways in the future. Once I get "libtif" integrated into TerreSculptor so that I have better GeoTIF support, I will be adding some better Void filling tools. I am also looking at integrating the MapBox world DEM site which doesn't have voids, you will be able to browse the world right in TerreSculptor. The only proper way to resolve the issue with voids is to choose other world locations that don't have voids, go to another DEM site that doesn't have voids for the location that you want, or purchase some GIS software with void filling capabilities. Voids are a real pain, and it's a shame that the governments and sites are putting out files in such bad condition.

[@conqueringram1799]

What if the only data set available is 3-ARC what can I do?

[@demenzunmedia]

3 arc-seconds is 90 meters per pixel, which is only really any good for distant backdrop terrains or flight sims. If you have a specific region that you want the data for, and you want it in 1 meter through 5 meter resolution, then you will have to try one of the other digital elevation model sites to see what data sets they have available. There are hundreds of sites around the world with data.

[@conqueringram1799]

@@demenzunmedia ok thank you!

[@demenzunmedia]

@@conqueringram1799 - If I know what region you are looking for, I might be able to suggest a site or two that may have the data you need. There are additional videos on my channel for other sites as well, including NED (US National Elevation Database) and the UK.

[@conqueringram1799]

@@demenzunmedia yes its the region of north west saudi arabia around jabal al lawz, ok ill check your channel thanks. These are the coordinates: 28.6510678, 35.3404709

[@conqueringram1799]

@@demenzunmedia I'm mostly using this for photorealistic landscape for film within UE4 so I know I will need to do a lot of stuff manually depending on the scene.

[@12qs1]

For me it does not work this plugin, poorly optimize?

[@demenzunmedia]

If you are referring to EarthExplorer you have to create an account on the site. You don't have to use EarthExplorer though, there are hundreds of Digital Elevation Model web sites all over the world, and the process is the same.

[@12qs1]

@@demenzunmedia Excuse-me, Iam deceive of person, sorry.

[@MrZyprez]

This is for us only?

[@demenzunmedia]

'us' as in USA? EarthExplorer is the entire earth.

[@MrZyprez]

@@demenzunmedia yea, okey thanks:) ill test it out!

[@MrZyprez]

@@demenzunmedia nah, doesnt work in northern norway!

[@demenzunmedia]

@@MrZyprez - Search for a DEM repository site in Norway. Virtually every country has their own DEM site. They all typically use the same style of interface and file format, so all of the same concepts in this video still apply.

[@AdireetiVlogs]

sir can weincrease the map size after importing in unreal engine

[@demenzunmedia]

Once you have the heightmap imported into Unreal Engine, you can increase the overall size of the Landscape by changing the Landscape Scale X and Scale Y. This changes the spacing between the Landscape vertices and increases the size of each quad from the default 1 meter to the larger space value. If you need to increase the size of the heightmap itself, you cannot do that in Unreal Engine. So if you imported a 1009x1009 heightmap and you prefer to have it as 2017x2017 then you must re-import the new larger size heightmap into the Landscape actor.

[@AdireetiVlogs]

@@demenzunmedia thanks for reply..... One thing.....I import two heightmap in one map but they overlap each other I try to separate them but not possible plz suggest how to sperate them

[@demenzunmedia]

@@AdireetiVlogs - Change the Location properties of one of the Landscape actors. Or select it and drag the Move widget with the mouse. For support with Unreal Engine the best place to ask for help is on their forums or Facebook groups.

[@MikeCrystalTv]

I do as in your video ... and he gives me only rectangular cards !! how does he give you square ???????????

[@demenzunmedia]

Are you referring to the dimensions of the digital elevation model files? The resolution and dimensions of the DEM files can vary depending on the earth location that you are retrieving, the DEM file format, and the satellite or aerial data scans. DEM files are not guaranteed to be any specific resolution or dimensions in any online repository. Quite often a repository has a wide variety of data in it, with different file formats, resolutions, and dimensions intermixed in the same file sets. They are not like a fixed-size texture database or store. They can be square, rectangular, or strips. They can even have voids (holes) in them depending on the data. If you are not getting the square aspect data from the earth area that you are specifying, and you need square aspect data for your use, then you will have to choose data from a different earth location or from a different online DEM file repository such as NED (The National Elevation Dataset) or one of the others. I recommend that you do some reading into what DEM files actually are, in order to make understanding what you are retrieving make more sense. You can Google it and also here is a Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_elevation_model

[@demenzunmedia]

You can also import a rectangular digital elevation model and crop it to square in TerreSculptor using the Crop modifier, if it has to be square. If you are targeting Unreal Engine you usually want to crop or resample to a recommended Landscape resolution anyway.

[@ncdogman6733]

i tried importing k2 mountain. there isnt a 1 option theres only 3 as a download. doesnt turn out right. getting super annoyed clicking settings lol looks nothing like the mountain after importing. cant find any way to so this. every way online fails. i see models for it online, so it can be done just not by me lol

[@demenzunmedia]

Working with Digital Elevation Models requires a person to have a basic understanding of what the files and file formats all do. Each online repository also has multiple data file types and more files than just elevations. There are also often multiple files of different resolutions in arc-seconds. Online repositories are actually designed for GIS (geographic information system) usage and not for video game usage, so it is required to understand what GIS file types do, and how to locate just the data that you want. If you choose a file set that is not elevations, or you choose a file that includes trees or other structures or a file with voids, then it isn't going to be usable for creating a standard video game style terrain. If you follow the tutorials here exact, then you will get usable data. If you are looking for Digital Elevation Models of other locations or on other repository sites, then it is required to have a basic understanding of what all of the GIS data is and how to use it.

[@ncdogman6733]

@@demenzunmedia oh I know the problem is me. Lol I can make the terrain by using the sculpting tools unreal. I just wanted a higher resolution exact copy. Maybe it isn't doable with the resolution of the available bil file.

[@demenzunmedia]

@@ncdogman6733 - It depends on what you are looking for, and what the purpose of the heightmap file is. For example, most online digital elevation repositories are either 10 meter, 30 meter or 90 meter data. Which is only really any good for low poly games or for map distant skybox backdrops. You wouldn't use that data for main play areas for most game designs such as first person shooters like CoD. You also have to know what file sets to look in, as most repositories have not only elevation data, but soil data, watershed data, and other GIS specific files, which are useless for creating heightmaps for gaming. The USGS and UK also do have 1 meter and even higher resolution data available. The UK site has it down to 25 cm for some areas. Most of the UK site though includes town and city roads and buildings and trees, again making the files useless for video game design. You really do have to spend literally days to weeks searching through the repositories looking for data that will suit your needs. I have a bunch of 1 meter DEM files that I will be putting onto the Epic Marketplace (if they will accept them), which will make it easier for people to locate good heightmap data. But it has taken me months of work and weeks of searching through 30,000+ 1-meter files to locate just a few usable heightmaps. I plan on selling the multi-heightmap packs for real cheap on the marketplace, with a tutorial video on how to do complete splatmap-with-editing workflow. So you might find those easier to use and work with instead of trying to locate your own DEMs.

[@ncdogman6733]

Like I said im only looking for a k2 mountain I could import into unreal. So it's a smallish area. I'm just having a hard time doing it myself in any detail from map data. Maybe I'll figure it out eventually. Its mostly rock ice and snow. So it's not very elaborate

[@ncdogman6733]

@@demenzunmedia it's just for personal enjoyment so I dont want to sink any money into it. I have no plans on doing anything with it besides staring at it in vr lol

[@MeltedSphere]

"ill now make a few changes so it looks the same as UE4" *clicks on a bunch of stuff lightning fast without saying anything...*

[@demenzunmedia]

Setting up TerreSculptor to match the viewports of other game engines has been covered multiple times in other videos specific to that topic. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4G2YqRpbaumack

[@MeltedSphere]

@@demenzunmedia lol i just played the video in .25 speed but i will check out your other videos on terresculptor, i'm liking it a lot an considering switching from Worldmachine to this.

[@cynthiavalls9853]

Actually, this is not a practical workflow for video games or anything. Building light: 30 min and still at 0% (Empty project, just Landscape, Direct Light and Skylight) 8k texture is madness.

[@demenzunmedia]

It is a completely practical workflow and the exact workflow used for creating map levels, regardless of size. Use dynamic lighting if you don't want to build static lighting. What are your computer system specifications? If you are using a lower end computer, then building static lighting takes a long time. Creating large games with large map levels is futile without a high end computer system. You can also use a landscape size suited for your specific video game design, it does not have to be the largest supported single landscape size of 8129. Maybe your video game design only requires a 505x505 or 1009x1009 landscape. If so, then Crop or Resample the terrain in TerreSculptor before exporting it for Unreal Engine. Even if you split an 8129 landscape into tiles using World Composition, you would still have to build the full 8129 landscape size overall for all sections, so the time spent would be the same.

[@hollowedrevenantstudios5922]

Could you do a tutorial for cryengine ?

[@demenzunmedia]

I'll see what I can do.

[@dreamrider8207]

Usgc need login

[@vipergamingsl5188]

Can we get acity

[@demenzunmedia]

Digital Elevation Model files of city areas do contain roads and buildings in the terrain elevation data. Simply choose the city region that you want in Earth Explorer and download it as shown in the video. However, a Digital Elevation Model does not have mesh style buildings though, those would have to be modeled in 3D software and added later in the renderer or video game engine software.

[@omegablast2002]

@@demenzunmedia i have a similar question, i want to grab a section of lower Manhattan to use as kind of a stencil where i will place my own roads and buildings on the map using the landscape to base my city on...this can actually grab road layouts and buildings? Not looking for extreme 100% accurate building and road placement, just enough of a hint from my landscape that a road or building belongs in a spot on the map...also can this export tiled landscape? Sorry for bombing you with questions... obviously im very excited to have found your program...

[@demenzunmedia]

@@omegablast2002 - Almost all Digital Elevation Model files of the earth include the tops of roads, streets, and highways, in any areas where roads exist. This varies by the source of the DEM data and is not specific to TerreSculptor. Whether a Digital Elevation Model file will have the base or the top of buildings will depend on the specific Digital Elevation Model file source. But many DEM files do include the buildings in cities. You may have to edit the DEM file to suit your specific needs if it has the tops of buildings. The accuracy of the roads and buildings will be as accurate as the resolution of the DEM file. Most DEM files are 10 meter or 30 meter which actually is not very accurate and is quite low resolution. If you are looking for the best quality, I recommend looking for a source of 1 meter or 2 meter DEM data. I cannot recommend any high resolution data of Manhattan at this time since the DEM sites change URL quite often. The USGS should have some high resolution data of most USA main cities on one of their sites though. I will be posting some high resolution sites and data onto the Patreon page over the next couple of months though for bonus Patreon content, so be sure to check out the Facebook and Patreon pages for additional information not found on the KZbin channel (page links are on the Welcome screen and Help menu). TerreSculptor can split the current editor heightmap or any BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, or TIF file into up to 8x8 (64) Tiles using the Tile Creator on the Create menu.

[@omegablast2002]

@@demenzunmedia awesome! Thank you for terrascuptor, you're a saint!

[@swallux_]

it can only be mountains i want city

[@demenzunmedia]

Digital Elevation Models are available for most of the entire earth including cities. If you are looking for a city DEM file, simply choose which city you want, and download it. There are hundreds of DEM sites that contain the data including EarthExplorer, Terrain Party, UK Difra, and many others.