Changing Terrain Altitude does not change heightmap output

Bug Reports
#1

Is the Terrain Altitude just for preview purposes in World Machine and not actually affecting the exported heightmap?

For example, if I change the Terrain Altitude to 3000m and export out the height map (TIF) and view it photoshop I see the exact same heightmap (white levels) if I were to change the altitude to 1000m and rexport out the heightmap. I would have expected the 1000m heightmap to have much lower white values in the heightmap, yet they are identical. The only way I can change the actual exported heightmap white values is to either change the elevation in a perlin noise or by using a clamp.

You can quickly visually see what I mean if you switch the preview window to 2D, grayscale, and then adjust the terrain altitude slider. There is no change. However, in the 3D view you will see the change.

Is this as intended? just curious

#2

Correct.

You can think of the Terrain Altitude settings in WM as mapping the black and white points in the exported height maps to a given elevation.

The reason why this doesn’t seem to change anything is because internally all of the generators, etc will always output relative to the full-range; if you change the range they change their output. The only exception to this is when importing files with altitude metadata; in that case the specified elevations are respected (and if they’re out of range, they’re clipped)

#3

Gotcha. Thanks Stephen. :slight_smile:

#4