Instant Terrain from Heightmap

[@keggyification]

Wow, that's really nice I'm going to use that to model my bungalow so I have a realistic topography around it showing the views we have. Thanks Eric for the clear instructions and links.

[@ericsargeant3254]

Coo! Let me know how it turns out.

[@Skans-Gustav]

I saw and used this on youtube maybe two years or so ago, but this was a nice reminder to maybe use it again.

[@russkellogg8189]

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing this process

[@cekuhnen]

Thank you for the hight mal tip!

[@organize1979]

Point Dume ❤ I always see dolphins when I’m there. Great tutorial!

[@3DGvisuals]

That's really useful to know, thanks. However, I really think this just shows that some of the native tools really need to be upgraded as this should be how the geolocation tool looks in terms of quality.

[@ericsargeant3254]

The data for both the aerial and terrain mesh come from an outside provider...while GeoLocation is native, the data is not... But that said, the DigitalGlobe/Bing data works well for most users needs.

[@3DGvisuals]

@@ericsargeant3254 if it was still owned by Google rather than trimble I suspect this native feature would be far in advance of what it is.

[@JohnRodriguez-gl1hk]

This is a game changer. Thank you so much. How accurate are the height maps for elevation?

[@ericsargeant3254]

There is no 'elevation' data with a heightmap. Whit = up...black = down. That's why I showed how to use the GeoLocation Terrain as a height reference - scaling the heightmap terrain mesh by its vertical tab

[@bellousow2607]

Amazing

[@leguimaraes]

Hi Erik, congrats on the video! One question, tho: what’s the best practice for modeling terrain on SketchUp for iPad? Thank you so much for your help! I’m sending you the best vibes from Brazil! 🌼

[@ericsargeant3254]

Hi. Thanks for the good vibes. Modeling terrain for iPad not as easy as it is on the Desktop version given the lack of extensions. Even Sandbox tools function like an extension. So hopefully support for at least Sandbox Tools comes in a future release.

[@jesperfuglsang]

It doesn't seem to work in smaller countries...

[@jesperfuglsang]

Question: To make sure your texture/reference photo is the exact same as your height map where did you get it? If it's not the exact same then you can't scale exactly or paint your height map so it matches. Does my question make sense :D

[@ericsargeant3254]

Your question makes sense. I used Photoshop to overlay the heightmap and the Aerial so they lined up. Then saved both the aerial and heightmap from there so that they have the same proportions/dimensions. The Heightmapper site allows you to export with and without labels/borders. I used the labels version to help align to aerial, then saved the version without at 250 px for importing via bitmap2mesh.

[@jesperfuglsang]

@@ericsargeant3254have you tried to import height maps from outside of the States. I have tried from Denmark, and there seems to be issues when to zoom in :(

[@ericsargeant3254]

@@jesperfuglsang Seems to show up/work for me. Try posting this same question to our forum - forums.sketchup.com/ and I can help you better. Be sure to use @eric-s so that I see it ;)

[@craigmeadow2928]

I cant seem to get it to show in my extensions. It says its installed but still cant see it? Windows SKUP 2023 pro

[@craigmeadow2928]

Sorry I guess it pays to watch the video LOL got it "go to Draw "

[@ericsargeant3254]

@@craigmeadow2928 Oh good you found it. Yes it's not in the 'normal' extensions dropdown menu. Every extension works a little different don't they?

[@bm7878]

how can I import the same area? THK

[@ericsargeant3254]

Just follow the steps. Install the extension. Grab the height map after finding it Point Dume in Malibu, CA. Downsample resolution to 250 px. Then import using Bitmap2Mesh and bam!

[@cekuhnen]

I work with drone high res scans and for this found sketchUp unusable and rather do that modeling in blender or shapr3D

[@ericsargeant3254]

That's a bummer as I've imported huge drone photogrammatry meshes and images and works for me. Let me know if you ever have specific questions and I'll share more on the process.

[@cekuhnen]

@@ericsargeant3254 hmm maybe I made a mistake - what format do you use when importing and how big are the models ? My scans are between 200mb to 1gb