Terrain generator/editor for POVRAY

Terrain Maker 2.0

Status report (updated: 2001/5/3)
Alas, I have not much time at all these days to work on my pet projects. Terrain Maker is effectively on hold indefinitely. I'll keep this page updated, though.

Do you have suggestions? Do you want to beta test? Please send email to me at eric@me3.net (Please make sure "Terrain Maker" is in the subject line!). 

Terrain Maker 
Version 1.1
by Eric Jorgensen

DESCRIPTION
     Landscape generator/editor for gif heightfields used by POV.
     It has a midpoint algorythm fractal landscape generator and a suite of 
     tools for editing landscapes.  Includes a colormap editor.
     Shareware- five bucks.

     Required:      386 or better
                    Mouse
                    VESA compatible SVGA adaptor with 512 Kb

     Recommended:   486
                    1 meg video ram

FEATURES:

     - Colormap editor with palette smoothing
          - reads colormaps from gifs and rgb files
     - landscape editing tools (with undo)
          - Erosion, lava, and dirt
          - raise, lower, level and expand
          - smoothing and roughing
          - plain painting
          - 'paint' and 'do all' modes
          - size/rate/intensity control with single step mode
     - Import function: translates brightness->altitude
     - Fully mouse driven with hotkeys and parameter manipulation
          with sliders
     - pseudo 3D preview
     - Example files included
Here is an example rendering:

The heightfield and scene files used to produce this image are included with Terrain Maker. This image is designed to show some of the strengths (natural-looking landscapes, altitude control, color mapping) and weaknesses (gridding at close ranges) of Terrain Maker.
About the title image: I produced the image at the top of this document by using Terrain Maker and a photo editing program called PhotoFinish®. These are the steps I followed to create it:
  1. Created a random landscape with Terrain Maker.
  2. Loaded Landscape GIF into PhotoFinish® and copied in a greyscale palette.
  3. Added light grey text.
  4. Saved image as a regular GIF.
  5. Imported landscape with text into Terrain Maker.
  6. Used lanscape modification tools to merge text into the landscape.

Click HERE to download Terrain Maker Version 1.1

More Examples

The model for this slime was generated completely with Terrain Maker. I started by using the paint function to make the general shape, then I used the smooth, raise, and lower tools to give it a bumby, ameoba-like appearance.

Other examples on the WEB:

My POV hot list.

 This web page has links to other POV utilities you might find interesting and/or useful.
Eric Jorgensen can be emailed at varmint@Mightybits.com.
Eric's AOL Instant Messenger Handle: evarmint
You might also want to check out Eric's POV animation utility, Varmint's POV animator.