Topographic Map Modelling
 

For part of a school asignment, I have to model a topographic map. I thought I'd just scan the map, and draw curves for all of the map then set the to the correct elavation. However, I can't loft them. Certain parts of the map wont allow for it.

It's not a problem with the curves or anything. I just need to know another way to make the map. As long as it doesn't involve lofting, it's fine.

Get out photoshop. Paint a displacement map, like the one below


Then, create a NURBS plane, about 10 spans by 10 spans.

Go into hypershade

Create->2D Texture -> File and open the map.

create a new material.

Right click the file with the displacement map and right click drag over to the material. Then choose displacement map as the input.

Now, this part is optional.

Select the plane, and go to convert-> displacement map to polys.

This will take up several hundred thousand polys, depending on the density of your map.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/1...titled30va.jpg

Render- heres my result:


[/IMG] http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8789/mount0uh.jpg

BTW my map link didn't work: here's mine

I can't get it to work.

This is specifically because I can't figure out how to get my texture to be a displacement map. I also can't get the right click drag thing to do anything besides bring up that one menu.