Fractal Terrain into PlanetMaker

WBruce

Hi, I am trying to show my Fractal Terrain world as a spinning globe in the space.

1. What would be the best settings for me to export my file so I can put it into Planet Maker?
2. What other ways do I have to do that?

Thanks.

Monsen

I am not familiar with PlanetMaker, but it seem to just need a flat texture to import.

What I did as a quick test was to export my map as a 4096 wide jpg. (Using file -> save as and picking the jpg picture file file type)

Then I exported it again to a new file to get the heightmap, this time as a 16-bit greyscale png height file.

Then I switched to the normal map view and exported that as well, using the jpg picture file type.

Unfortunately, the way FT exports these, it keeps the unused area in the window as part of the image, so you need to crop them all in an image editor, make sure to crop them to the same size.

Then, in planet maker, set it up to use the tree textures you exported as surface, bump map and normal map respectively. (you won't have a specular map, so leave that blank, same with background unless you have something you wish to add there)

WBruce

No need to do all that.

I found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdptrNyYd4s

The only thing I don't like about what I got is that the sea around the landmass looks weird from space. But my landmass don't look that great also. Seems I am not doing something as right or good as I could within FT3. Take a look:

See how the low sea terrain looks too strong?

Is there anything people use to make a whole system?

I do own cosmogropher but I am not sure how to create a map of my star system.

I would appreciate any tips on that.

Monsen

The reason I did all that is because that doesn't just bring the flat image into PM, but also the height data and surface normals for a better representation. You only strictly need the surface map if you don't have anything else (which would be the result from making it using wonderdraft as the video did), but it can look better with normals and height map, and since FT3 do have the ability to export these, I added them to take as much advantage of the FT3 - PM combo as possible.

As for your seas, I guess you exported that one from the Gaia view in FT3. It is designed to be a simple pretty view, but it isn't configurable at all. Try basing the export on the altitude view or the texture climate instead. I believe that will give you better results.

WBruce

Indeed I used Gaia View. I am creating a Gaia Planet, so it seemed logical, but I will take your advice into consideration.

To be honest with you I am not completely happy with any solution. There must be a better way to make a globe representation.

What you said about the heigh map is the reason I am not using Wonderdraft, actually. I just think it's too much trouble to exclude every background in Gimp for every planet I am making, and I am making a lot.

Thanks anyway, this gives me some ideas.