Hello,
yesterday I’ve worked with the TerraFormer2. This tool allows me to create some nice pyramids within a landscape.
Now, I’ve asked me if this would be possible to do with WorldMachine too.
What do you think?
Yes it is!. And quite simply actually!
:idea: This could be used as a simple tutorial for Macro making 
It introduces scalar devices nicely
Notation:
Bold Italic : Device Name
underline : Parameter Value
:arrow: Start with a Gradient! Next, “fold” it through the middle, using a Height Selector (linear mode). Set the min and max heights to 0.5 (use a scalar generator and possibly a scalar splitter to feed the .5 into the selector device: this way both parameters will be fixed to the same value)
:arrow: Now repeat the above with a Gradient rotated 90 from the above (you can use a parameter wich specifies the angle, and add (Scalar Arithmetic device with clipping set to rollover) a constant scalar to it (.25 is a “quarter of turn” aka 90º) to use for the second gradient (this will make them dependent on each other, and if you rotate one via the first scalar generator, the other will rotate as well)
:arrow: Now combine these two steps using a Combiner in Min (fuzzy intersect) mode and with the slider all the way to the right (B). This will have the same effect of actually intersecting two terrains (in this case, two sharp and pointy walls :P)
Voilá, a pyramid made in less time than anybody would imagine 4000 years ago! 
Be sure to save the tmd NOW!!.. In WM.99, only after saving you should attempt to make it a macro! Just in case…
After this is in a macro, you can easily play with the macro that places things on a terrain (I think Rhalph made it). It should be something that uses the Displacement device, with a constant generator as input. After scaling them down to size, and placing where you want, you can put 4 next to each other with different sizes, and make a render of Gizze Valey
Alternative ways:
You could have started with four gradients prependicular to each other, and then simply combine them 2 by 2 like mentioned above… But using the Height Selectors gives you a bit more control, I think.
You could also use a Ramp device to “fold” the gradient, but in v.99 it is too tricky to set the parameter to preciselly 2…
I asked Oshyan if he could do a quick render in terragen of the worldmachine file I created above. I am thankfull to him for doing it late at night, when he should be asleep 
Here is the result:
Thanks Oshyan.
Nuts, I’m too slow… :roll: beat me too it… I guess 3 pyramids is the norm, funny I did this render this prior to seeing yours,
Thou I am going to try your method next, as you are right Ramp sucks for acuracy. I don’t know why i didn’t think to do it like you did.
I supplied built in positing and mask generatio for use in compositing. Feel Free to give it a try or rip it a part…
http://www.texturehunter.com/download/JSJ_Pyramid.zip
I also supplied demo scene, to proof that is actually was working as intended.
You can get it hear if you like.
Quicky VistaPro render, just to test it out. The pyramids, look a bit ruff but it’s just the defauld vista texture. The data, It looks perfect Leveler.
Hi jstuartj…
Just to say that, as Fil said, I have made a macro to place an object on the terrain. You can find it here…
Cool. 
Thank you Fil for this short Tutorial. Is it from you?
If not, were do you find it?
I think I’ll give it a try. It does not look very difficult, so I hope I can build such a macro. :roll:
Hmm. Is there a macro for vulcanos out there also?
Thank you Fil for this short Tutorial. Is it from you? If not, were do you find it?The trouble with this sort of stuff is that many people can come across different ideas on how to do something.. I can't say I invented it, but I did come across it with my own experience playing with the devices..
I actually remembered a highly useless macro I made some time ago to do houses! I learned that it could also do tents!.. How often do you think this is needed in a terrain
(You could think of a “Mount Tent”, or “La Maison Hillside” :D… ) Anyway, the roof for the house/tent was made using the same idea.
There was also an attempt I made to making a macro for a “single mountain” that basically was several piramids combined with different rotations… but that ended up being a pyramid with lots of sides… Somebody else (sorry I can’t remember) actually made a more decent macro for it that didn’t use the “blur” device.
Hmm. Is there a macro for vulcanos out there also?Ouch!.. what sort of vulcanos? the realistic-looking ones? Those are harder to do... :P There are some macros for doing craters ([url=http://forum.world-machine.com/viewtopic.php?t=42&highlight=crater]Crater III[/url] and [url=http://forum.world-machine.com/viewtopic.php?t=19&highlight=crater]crater filter[/url] threads) I could mention another [url=http://forum.world-machine.com/viewtopic.php?t=49&highlight=volcano]thread[/url] where volcanos were mentioned, but I don't think there is anything with great modelling usefullness regarding the specific topic of volcanoes.. The best for least-trouble volcano making, might be to try and mix some nice mountain with one of the crater macros, and try to use a "displacement" device to jitter things up a bit.. But I warn you that I have not been really happy with any attempt I made so far :(
Regarding “why don’t I write more tutorials?” the answer is simple: I don’t have that much spare time 
After September, my spare time should probably receive an extra boost, though…
Thank you for this information.
So, I think we should wait for WM1 8)
I’m not sure, if you have the registered version or not but you could take a look at my island generator, it’s far from perfect, hopefill once 1.0 get here I can make improvements. But it should be useable or for islands, volcano’s, and atols. Not exactly a tutorial but it it might help give you some ideas.
J. Stuart J.
I have a registered version of WorldMachine and I am glad about that. I hope that version 1 comes soon 8)
Can you give me a hint were I can find the Island Generator.
I will take a look in the Macro Sharing thread, maybe I will find it there?
Okay, I have found the mentioned thread but I can’t download the ZIP-File
Your Webpage http://www.jstuartj.com/ is not available.
knew I forgot something.
It’s odd, the site it’s self in not realy done. But you should have been able to the zip file. My ISP was making some DNS changes this week so you might have caught them just at the wrong time.
http://www.jstuartj.com/downloads/JSJ_Macros.zip
Let me know if it still doesn’t work. (I Just tried from work and seems fine.) Once I finish texturehunter.com I will move it there, or to my developement server.
J. Stuart J.
Thank you.
This link worked. Thanks again for sharing.