Heightmap customization
The heightmap editor allows you to create and customize the heightmap manually, giving you more control over the world's terrain, unlike random generation.
To access the Heightmap Editor, you can either:
- Navigate to Tools > Heightmap in the menu. (Look at the image below)
- Use the hotkey shift + h.
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The heightmap editor offers three different modes to choose from. Its recommended to save your map beforehand.
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Erase:
- This mode regenerates all data on your map, including cultures, states, biomes, and more.
- It offers the most customization features, such as the image converter and template editor.
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Keep:
- This mode allows you to retain most of the map's existing data.
- However, it does not allow changes to the coastline.
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Risk:
- This mode allows you to keep most of the map's data while also allowing changes to the coastline.
- Note that using this mode can potentially cause some errors.
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The Heightmap Editor includes tools to help you create and customize your map. Below is a detailed list of all available features:
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Paint Brushes:
- Automatically opens and allows you to edit the map.
- Use different brushes to draw and modify the height.
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Template Editor:
- Edit, load, or create templates for your heightmap.
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Image Converter:
- Convert images into heightmaps.
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Preview:
- Displays a monochromatic image of the map in the bottom left corner.
- You can click the image to download it.
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3D Scene:
- Opens a 3D version of the map in a new window.
- Allows for a more immersive view of the map's shape and features.
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Enable Ocean Cells:
- Enable or disable ocean cells on your map.
- Useful for defining water bodies and coastlines.
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Allow Water Erosion:
- Simulate water erosion effects on the terrain.
- Adds realism to the map by shaping the landscape according to water flow.
Once you are satisfied with the Heightmap, click on Exit Customization in the bottom right.
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- Radius (top slider) - slider to control Radius for brushes
- Power (bottom slider) - slider to control the intensity of brushes
- Raise
- increase cell height by power value, drag for continuous usage - Elevate
- drag to gradually increase cell height by power value - Lower
- decrease cell height by power value, drag for continuous usage - Depress
- drag to gradually decrease cell height - Align
- fit cell's height to the first tagged cell, drag for continuous usage - Smooth
- smooth cell height, drag the map for continuous usage - Disrupt
- randomize heights a bit, drag for continuous usage - Checkbox “change only land cells” - this option allows you to prevent you from changing the coastline
- Un-do
- step back, works only for a Heightmap customization - Re-do
- step forward, works only for a Heightmap customization - Rescaler
- slider to rescale all cells - Condition
- conditional Height rescaler - Smooth - smooth all heights a bit
- Disrupt
- randomize all heights a bit - Clear
- set all heights to 0
Please see template editor
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- Upload image- Here you can upload the image you’d like to convert into a Heightmap.
- You can upload colored or b/w images.
- Recommended are b/w images with black being ocean
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- Auto-assign colors based on luminosity- This option assigns the colors to heights based on their luminosity.
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- Auto-assign colors based on hue- This option assigns the colors to heights based on their hue.
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- Reduce the number of colors- Here you can reduce the number of colors of the image.
- This obviously reduces the number of heights to assign.
- The minimal number is 3.
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- Increase the number of colors- Here you can increase the number of colors of the image.
- This also increases the number of heights to assign.
- The maximal number is 256.
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- Complete the assignment- This completes the assignment of colors.
- All not assigned colors will be considered an ocean.
You also can assign the colors by hand. To do so click on a color and then select a height by clicking on the bar above.