We’ve tried using this software at our office, I wanted to believe it could work, but alas… it’s crap.
Not only can you not ‘roundtrip’ data, but the limited formats and backwards coordinate system makes it more of a pain than anything else. All we wanted to do was import a DEM, tile it into pieces, maybe run a filter or two, and export it back to real world coordinates… Well you can forget that. Not only does it not work, but the limited support I initially got was cumbersome and completely amateur, but the support essentially stopped without any notice… Were my questions too difficult? Is the engineering company that I work at ( 10,000+ people ) not important enough for you?
Well I can tell you that we are not impressed whatsoever, and will not be recommending it to anyone.
World Machine has its faults, as all software does, but it is very useful to a large number of artists and companies. I am always willing to refund a customers money who is not happy.
I was hesitant about bringing this thread up again. But since guests and people looking for a terrain generator might be rejected by reading something like this I could not leave this uncommented.
norpchen, you’re probably long gone, but I can’t believe you registered in the forum just for this first and only post. I don’t know how much support you requested directly by e-mail, but there are many knowledgeable and helpful people here in the forums as well, and asking here wouldn’t have hurt.
Also, my use case seems to be similar to yours: I import DEM data, smooth, modify, tile and export it, and then use the results in other applications. This works smoothly for me and produces very nice results. I only run into problems when working with massive terrains, and that is just the nature of the beast (memory issues etc).
I just can say, World Machine is a perfect match for my needs, and I encourage everybody interested to give it a try. It takes some time getting the feel for it, but it’s well worth the effort!