In FT3+, Can we import Climate map, Temperature map, Rainfall map and Altitude map ?
Hello, please excuse my poor english.
I was trying to do realistic planets in FT3+ with Terraformer and I tried to find a way to import the maps of all types of parameters (climate, rainfall, height, temperature) so I can modify them in an art software, but I didn't find anythings.
Is this even possible ? Or maybe there is a tricky way ?
My final objective is to have a result very realistic and more close to Google Earth with smooth transitions between the biomes.
Best Answer
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jslayton
Moderator, ProFantasy Mapmaker
That's a feature that has never been requested before! There is no direct way in FT to import the various editing channels with the exception of the altitude offset channel. Note that I say "edit channels" because FT's final result displayed onscreen is a result of the base model plus the values painted into the editing channel.
Having said that, you can approximate setting an editing channel by forcing the model contribution to zero, loading your desired map as a selection and then using the Tools>>Global Set operation for the appropriate channel. The image to import as a selection should be an equirectangular projection image twice as wide as it is high with the 0,0 point on the map hitting the seam on the world. Ideally, the image resolution will match the world editing resolution in FT, but the software will stretch the image as required.
Forcing a channel to zero depends on the channel:
Altitude is calculated as altitude=roughness*(function+prescale)+offset. Use Tools>>Global Set to set Offset, Prescale Offset, and Roughness to 0 and your world become flat and featureless, controlled by changes to the Offset channel. The units for altitude are meters.
For temperature, use Map>>World Settings and on the Temperature page, select the Specify Base Temperature page and then set Random to 0 and Variance to 0. Altitude will still have some contribution, unfortunately, but you can eliminate that more or less by saving a grayscale altitude map and then adjusting your desired image by that contribution. The units for temperature are degrees Celsius.
For rainfall, use Map>>World Settings and on the Rainfall page, set Base Value and Random Amount to 0. The units for rainfall are mm/year.
Climate is the hardest one because it's automatically calculated as a lookup into the internal climate table based on annual average rainfall and temperature (it's approximately a Whittaker biome chart) and the internal values aren't exactly friendly for humans. The only way to directly set values in the climate map in a very controlled way is to load a selection for the particular climate type of interest and then use Tools>>Paint Value>>Climate with the selected climate type and manually paint into that selection. Repeat for each climate type that you're interested in. It's not a pleasant process... If you are interested in climate coloring rather than the name of the climates and you're able to express your climate results generally as a 2D image with rainfall:temperature axes, then you can use the Image Climate or Textured Climate shaders to get the appearance you'd like without having to mess around with manually painting things.
Answers
I am sure there are parameters to adjust those.
I think it has a PDF, check the downloads section to see all the files included with FT3
Hello, thank you for the answer.
I indeed find a way to import height map by creating a new map, but it don't work for the others parameters like temperature and rainfall. I can't simulate the appearance of the climate without these information, and the tools inside FT3+ are clearly to poor so I can have a proper final result.
That's a feature that has never been requested before! There is no direct way in FT to import the various editing channels with the exception of the altitude offset channel. Note that I say "edit channels" because FT's final result displayed onscreen is a result of the base model plus the values painted into the editing channel.
Having said that, you can approximate setting an editing channel by forcing the model contribution to zero, loading your desired map as a selection and then using the Tools>>Global Set operation for the appropriate channel. The image to import as a selection should be an equirectangular projection image twice as wide as it is high with the 0,0 point on the map hitting the seam on the world. Ideally, the image resolution will match the world editing resolution in FT, but the software will stretch the image as required.
Forcing a channel to zero depends on the channel:
Altitude is calculated as altitude=roughness*(function+prescale)+offset. Use Tools>>Global Set to set Offset, Prescale Offset, and Roughness to 0 and your world become flat and featureless, controlled by changes to the Offset channel. The units for altitude are meters.
For temperature, use Map>>World Settings and on the Temperature page, select the Specify Base Temperature page and then set Random to 0 and Variance to 0. Altitude will still have some contribution, unfortunately, but you can eliminate that more or less by saving a grayscale altitude map and then adjusting your desired image by that contribution. The units for temperature are degrees Celsius.
For rainfall, use Map>>World Settings and on the Rainfall page, set Base Value and Random Amount to 0. The units for rainfall are mm/year.
Climate is the hardest one because it's automatically calculated as a lookup into the internal climate table based on annual average rainfall and temperature (it's approximately a Whittaker biome chart) and the internal values aren't exactly friendly for humans. The only way to directly set values in the climate map in a very controlled way is to load a selection for the particular climate type of interest and then use Tools>>Paint Value>>Climate with the selected climate type and manually paint into that selection. Repeat for each climate type that you're interested in. It's not a pleasant process... If you are interested in climate coloring rather than the name of the climates and you're able to express your climate results generally as a 2D image with rainfall:temperature axes, then you can use the Image Climate or Textured Climate shaders to get the appearance you'd like without having to mess around with manually painting things.