First, you'll need to download L3DT Standard Edition c: You can do that here:
http://www.bundysoft.com/L3DT/downloads/standard.phpGIMP and other similar programs are helpful here, but not needed!
I know there was something about L3DT on the old forums, thats were I found this from, but this tutorial is different c: Let's start!
1) Once you've installed L3DT Standard Edition, open it up.
2) Click File > New Project > Blank Heightmap
Doing this will give you a more promising outlook c:
3) Set the size to 512x512.
4) When clicking ''Next'' it will open up a program called Sapphire. Here you can start making your map.
Sapphire is set on hover by default, keep it that way. Right Mouse button is used to look around, WASD is used to move around, E moves up, whilst R moves down
::TOOLS::
You'll only need the heightfield tools. c:
Point Grab
This is used to move terrain up or down on the Y-Axis by a selected point in which you grabbed.
Raise Brush
This tool raises your terrain up, its handy-dandy for making hills and mountains c:
Lower Brush
This tool is opposite of raise. I suggest using this when making lakes and making a deeper ocean. It will lower terrain.
Set to
This tool sets terrain to a certain height value.
Raise to
This sets terrain to a certain height, however, it will not effect heights taller than the height value you entered.
Lower to
This sets terrain to a certain height, however, it will not effect heights lower than the height value you entered.
Cliffs
This is helpful when making cliffs on mountains, set it to a value and then click on the hill or mountain you want to have it, and it creates the cliff.
Avalanche
This creates the ''Avalanche Effect'' like sometime in the past an avalanche occured in the area.
Bulldozer
If you use this and click on the ground somewhere, it will create a red line, in which you can move to a certain degree to bulldoze that area back to the original height ''0''.
Leveller
It does the same thing as ''Bulldozer'' except it levels the area to the height you had clicked, rather than put it back to height ''0''.
Level at
This you enter a set height value, then click creating the red line. Anything within that red line will be leveled to the height value you entered.
Smooth
You can use this to smooth out hills to create a more rolling landscape. Can also be used to turn a mountain into a hill.
Perlin noise
Within the area your on, when holding down the mouse button, creates jagged land. I use this at the top of mountains to add a ''rocky'' effect to it.
You can use the center mouse button on your mouse to change the size of your circle area in which this all takes place.
Once you've made your preferable map, press the big red ''X'' button in which we all know of to exit sapphire. This will create a black and white heightmap in L3DT.
After you've created it, press left CTRL+E to bring up the export window.
Set the file format to PNG
Enter a file name and click the ''...'' to the right of it, and set it to save in C:>Feralheart>Media>Terrains
Check the box ''Resize for Export'' and change the 512 to 513. c:
Then click OK, and shut down L3DT. It will prompt you to save, you don't need to do this.
If you forgot to resize, open up GIMP or any other program, I use GIMP. Then scale the image to 513x513.
If you do open it up in GIMP, you'll notice its already been grayscaled. L3DT does this for you by default, so if you remembered to resize it when exporting it, you wont even need the GIMP(Or others) program except for making masks.
Now, you can go try out your map c: I'm sure all you map makers know how to open it up in feralheart and begin making a map, but I'll tell you anyways for the begginers c:
Open up FH.
When on the title screen, click ''Tools'' and go to Map Maker
Go to the ''MAP'' tab of it and where it says ''Terrain Heightmap'' and ''defaultTerrain.png''
Change the ''defaultTerrain.png'' to whatever your heightmap is, say ''desert.png''
Click out of the box or press enter and it will load your heightmap. c:
I hope this helped a few people!
Talk to me here if you have any trouble understanding it, or PM me about it.
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