How do you get a terrain to produce an object that looks like this: from this image?

I can get an object that is the reverse of this, i.e. dips where there should be mounds and mounds where there should be dips.  But not the other way around. 

Help?

I've tried creating a negative of the image, I've tried Invert in the terrain editor... maybe there's some combination of all this that works, but I'm running out of ideas.

If you can get the reverse of it, then make the terrain's y scale negative. That should do the trick...

How do you mean - "If you can get the reverse of it"?

Here's an image showing the original attempt next to the one using the negative image (of the one in the top message of this thread) and using "Invert" in the terrain editor, and making the object's Y height negative in the Attributes...

Looks the same to me.  (the one on the right is the negative one)

Here it is with the "Invert" in the terrain editor - taken off.

Looks worse...

And here with the negative height in Atributes back to positive.

Sigh...

This result is due to the sharp contrast in color. It needs smoother transition in order to create rounded effect. Normal Maps can create the result you're looking for.

Here is a tutorial:
http://www.bencloward.com/tutorials_normal_maps4.shtml

and samples.......
http://search.live.com/images/results.aspx?q=normal+bump+maps&mkt=en-us

I'm sure others will have ideas also.

hey Fran, what if you went into Wings, cut a sphere in half, elongated it on an axis, then replicated it and sized it to get the sections right? I did a trilobite a long time ago that way. just a thought...

Ah... sounds great, but is there a plug-in for PaintShopPro XI?

Or will that PhotoShop PlugIn work on PhotoShop Elements?

I also tried to get the Normal map plugin for GIMP - but every single link "page Load Error" ed on me

Yearse... I could, but the reason I wanted to do it this way was because I wanted to do a few like this, modelling them all will just take too long.  If I'd have to model them all, I'd give up this idea.

Hey pakled!!!  You use Gimp don't you?  Do you know where to get the normal map plug in for it?

And what forum do you go to to ask stuff about GIMP?

You can have this if you wanted it.If not I'll just have to make a spaceship or a sub out of it...

Attached Link: "Before the Fishes Ruled the Sea"

Aw yes, the trilobite! It is a challenge to model, but I like wildman's creation. i did a pic with a few of them and other creatures several years back

Attached Link: CrazyBump

Heres an app in beta that you might fing interesting Fran. It's called CrazyBump, and it generates both normal and displacement maps, which you can use as a heightmap in the terrain/lattice editor.

That links a dud Dan.. ...

Attached Link: CrazyBump

Oooops! My bad. here's the corrected link. Sorry.[

](http://www.crazybump.com/)

Attached Link: "How to make normal maps from real surfaces"

Here's another cool one written by the author of CrazyBump, Ryan Clark. You can use this method to create displacement/heightmaps in your image editor from real-world objects using a camera, computer,and a light source. I'm using this method to make hyper detailed rock outcrops and overhangs using macros of petrified wood. I'll show some renders when I'm done. 

**danamo,
**Thanks, danamo, I already downloaded that, but I was hoping to use the other method since I already know how to use PaintShop.

(Or PhotoShop - but only Elements as I no longer have access to the college PhotoShopCS)  (Or Gimp as that's similar to PhotoShop - or said to be so)

Trouble is I can't locate the plug in for either PaintShop or the GIMP - I have links but they lead nowhere.

I need to use this terrain method because of the look I want to achieve.

I'll save the tut, but I can't use it for this as I don't happen to have a lot of fossils hanging about my University room.

Okay, I've got CrazyBump working - bl**dy terrifying thing installing it!  I thought "there goes my PC again!" as I watched all the stuff it wanted installed, like .NET2 something or other, and DirectX, and then it says - you might need to install the latest service packs, and security updates" and gave a link - which when I went there - meant absolutely nothing to me!

So I left that page and prayed... Dunno what'll happen when I turn the PC off and then try turning it on again... sob!

In the meantime, I have created a normal from that original trilobite image..... can't seem to get it to work.

When I use it instead of the image in the terrain editor I get all the surrounding square of the terrain as well - and I can't clip that off.

I'm now trying again, with the original image first in case clipping the terrain then will help when I try using the normal afterwards...

In the meantime if wildman2 gets my email - I could see if using his model improves things at all.

Using the original image first and clipping the terrain, and then using the normal - didn't work, so I've gone all round the trilobite with the terrain brush, looking better but still not what I wanted.

When did Bryce start using Normal Maps???

I believe there is a function for converting the  normal map into a displacement map in CrazyBump.

**UVDan,

**DVLenk6 sugested using one as I'm having problems carving the image I want out of a terrain with just the original image.

**danamo,
**
Okay, I'm bewildered now - do I use the normal map or the displacement version?

And what does a good displacement map look like?  Cos I've got no idea what the CrazyBump settings are for displacement that would give me the best effect in Bryce's terrain editor.

Quote - **...**DVLenk6 sugested using one as I'm having problems carving the image I want out of a terrain with just the original image...

I did? :blink:
When did I do that?

UVMP will do displacement mapping.  UVMP Displacement tutorial.

Just one thing though...  True you can use an image to make a terrain, but you forgot something.

"Any ol' image" != "heightmap"

Of course you could use it as a reference and paint a grayscale heightmap over it on another layer in your favorite 2D app.

Quote - > Quote - **...**DVLenk6 sugested using one as I'm having problems carving the image I want out of a terrain with just the original image...

I did? :blink:
When did I do that?

Oops, sorry, it wasn't you it was ICM.  Mea culpa.

Quote - UVMP will do displacement mapping.  UVMP Displacement tutorial.

That's UVMapperPro - don't have it.

**pauljs75,
** " "Any ol' image" != "heightmap""

I didn't forget it - I don't know what it means.

" Of course you could use it as a reference and paint a grayscale heightmap over it on another layer in your favorite 2D app."

I don't think I'm a good enough artist to paint another trylobite.

And I'm not entirely sure how to either.

Hrm, this looks like a good thread to bookmark....

Hi Fran,try this terrain map

Try this in the second frame of picture editor with original in first   good luck! Jed.

This is what it looks like...

What a great job!! And you got those results with the teeny, tiny gif you posted two frames above?

Yes Dan,you can copy and paste from the terrain editor direct to Paintshop,this is the size you get.If you make any changes you can copy and paste back direct to the terrain editor.
   cheers! Jed.

Jed, that is excellent!  It's working very well for me too, and I've tried a little smoothness, and rounded/gausian edges - looking goooood!

Now... how did you create that height map?

I take it back, maybe there's some step I'm forgetting, - you see Bryce 6 wouldn't let me export an image out of the terrain editor - it kept crashing, so I thought try it in Bryce 5... trouble is when I create a terrain in B5.5 add the image to the diffuse, Texture Colour (1st channel in Mat lab) and the mask to the Texture Value (centre channel in Mat lab), when I come out and render, the terrain is once again dipping in the middle, instead of rising - like yours and my last attempt in B6 - I did try your height map and mask on a terrain I'd already been fiddling with in B6, so maybe there's... something I already did, that makes it work, in combination with your bits...

Or maybe it's just that B5.5 doesn't work the same way as B6 in the terrain editor.  Much more likely to be me!  Lol.

Tried it from a new terrain in B6 - works perfectly.  I was right, there's seems to be a problem with B5.5's terrain editor...

In this respect anyway.

Here's my B6 version anyway:

That looks real good.

Nice one Fran! the terrain editor is an excellent tool but I found it very difficult to master!
 And it's hard to explain how to use it for modelling.Perhaps I should do a tut or two about it?.....even better,perhaps?someone with more knowledge may do one!
  Cheers Jed.!

Quote - Nice one Fran! the terrain editor is an excellent tool but I found it very difficult to master!
 And it's hard to explain how to use it for modelling.Perhaps I should do a tut or two about it?.....even better,perhaps?someone with more knowledge may do one!
  Cheers Jed.!

Hey Jed! Why not you??? You seems more knowledgable about it than me and you give Fran good advice and help... So why not you??!!???

:b_smile:

Exactly, **eggs*zak*erly! ** I for one would really appreciate it Jed.

I've been playing with making a height map for a different trilobite, not sure if I've maybe gone a bit overboard with it though.

And I want a better soften brush in PaintShop, here's the image:

Here's the height map I made for it:

And here's the original image:

I think my height map makes its back look too level instead of sloping, not sure how to compensate for that...

It's really more about using Paint shop than Bryce.... with paint shop 1...Original pic rotated left 2 degrees,crop tool to bisect,copy and paste on new large background.Back to the bisected image and mirror cop,paste,position and crop to give a symetrical image.Merge and save. 2...select colours;grey scale ,then colours;negative image.colours;adjust;brightness...Reduce brightness by 100.rename and save.       3...select coloursadjust;threshold,set to about 24,this gives the mask name and save.     with  Bryce 1...create a terrain and load the grey scale image,reduce hight considerably,soften and gently use the paint brush to give hight where needed.   handy hint....set the 3d preview window to rendered and max size.   handy hint 2 ...use the photo texture with the mask select difuse,ambiant and transparency. This way you can see the beast grow before your very eyes!Magic

saving frantically

thanks a million, looks great.

Very nice work Fran! Thank you for your explanation of your work methodology Jed.
I found it to be most enlightening!