stbenge <UN### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm developing a set of macros to load and manipulate 16-bit height
> field data. With them, you can import red/green 16-bit grayscale images
> and manipulate them as you would any other pigment. There are functions
> for finding edges (via a proximity pattern), finding angles for special
> effects, and even one for exporting red/green images to a few 24-bit
> image formats (to compensate for 3.7's rudimentary 16-bit support). They
> can be used to add features to existing height field data or to create
> new data. The pigments can be used in isosurfaces. I'm keeping my macros
> easy-to-use this time :)
>
> Unfortunately, there are limitations. For one, POV-Ray's handling of
> image_maps produces strange edge artifacts, so I'm having to bring the
> edges of the images down to zero. This creates a sharp drop-off at the
> perimeter of the height field. It's not a feature I wanted.
>
> Another problem is speed. A person would have to develop their height
> maps in a 2D fashion to avoid high parse times, but the macros *can* be
> used directly in a scene.
>
> Considering these limitations, does anyone think they might find such an
> include file useful? I'm pretty much done with most of the functions, so
> all I need is one response so I can begin making example files!
>
> ~Sam


Hi Sam,

I'm trying for a couple of days now to generate a 6000x4000 pixel image of a
hexagon pattern and am at the brink of getting a little desperate. First I tried
it with a smooth-edged hi-res heightfield texture, than with the same texture as
16bit grayscale tga but I still got little jagged edges. Then I tried the Wilbur
software to generate that special red-green tga for POV, which worked nicely,
except that the Wilbur software always crashed, when I wanted to generate a
really big texture (more than 4000x4000 pixels or so). So that didn't work
either for a hi-res rendered image.

Then I came across your .inc files. Do you think they are suitable for making
such a heightfield with a hexagon pattern? Something like this (I used the
tga-texture generated from the wilbur software for the heightfield in this
image):
http://alien23.de/misc/forum_up1.jpg

I tried a little to make a hexagon heightfield with your .inc files (first with
the pov-ray hexagon pattern and than with a hexagon texture map) but I didn't
got very far:
http://alien23.de/misc/forum_up2.jpg

Possibly I'm just too stupid, though.

Best wishes,
Simone

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