[SOLVED :D] Problems when rendering a region

[peperodriguez2710 138]

Hello, I don't know if somebody has already solved this problem, sorry if I'm repeating it. Maybe my problem it's created because of a stupid reason, I don't know, sorry 

I've been creating a custom region using parts of other regions and sculpting in SC4 Terraformer. After finishing it, I created the config.bmp, saved it as a SC4M file, and as a PNG greyscale in the region folder. When I entered SC4, the region was displaying the city borders acording to the config.bmp, and started rendering the greyscale PNG image. When after an hour it finished, the region was all water tiles or land tiles with no elevation changes, completely flat. I tried using .bmp and tried rendering without any open program open or process active at the same time, but results are the same: the region is a flat ocean with sometimes flat land tiles. And I don't think it's the water height problem, because cities are completely flat, and the region has pretty big mountains. I also tried to use a jpeg greyscale, but SC4 didn't read it. (I don't include pics of that flat regions, but I can add them, though I think it's not necessary, my explanation it's exactly what it is)

I don't know what to do! Any thoughts? Is the issue realated with the greyscale image (I add it if is needed)?

Spoiler

Thanks in advance ^^

  Edited March 1, 2016 by peperodriguez2710  
Problem solved :)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

If that's your gray-scale, it is pretty flat. Here is one of mine for comparison:

And this is the render:

This is on the STEX as New Harbour.

[peperodriguez2710 138]

I thought it looked flat too, but it's what SC4 Terraformer exports as a greyscale... Should I modify it manually?

Thanks for you quick answer!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Whatever floats your boat.  I don't use Terraformer or Mapper.  To generate a new map I use the Landscape Designer, then work on the gray-scale if I am unhappy with the result and want to tune it a bit.  LD will happily export/import gray scale maps to allow you to view the results without doing a render.

This oldie, but goodie, has been around for much longer than those Python products and expects you to read the help files thoroughly.  For what you are doing, it is probably a better deal.  My example above is from this program.  No messing around.  You get the whole region in one fell swoop.  It is a VS program and so no external libraries are needed, but you might want to load the data base library.

[peperodriguez2710 138]

7 hours ago, A Nonny Moose said:

Whatever floats your boat.  I don't use Terraformer or Mapper.  To generate a new map I use the Landscape Designer, then work on the gray-scale if I am unhappy with the result and want to tune it a bit.  LD will happily export/import gray scale maps to allow you to view the results without doing a render.

This oldie, but goodie, has been around for much longer than those Python products and expects you to read the help files thoroughly.  For what you are doing, it is probably a better deal.  My example above is from this program.  No messing around.  You get the whole region in one fell swoop.  It is a VS program and so no external libraries are needed, but you might want to load the data base library.

 

I've followed your advice, so I first elevated the grayscale with Landscape Designer. Finally I made some dikes and riverbeds with Paint.NET and started rendering. While my PC was rendering, power went out (what happens when you plug too many things to the network ), so I had to start it again. When I entered to see the results of the interrupted rendering I found this:

I realised that the grayscale was too low and that elevating the terrain made mountain tops flatter, so I changed the grayscale for adjusting to my requeriments. Although the previous rendering stopped, it made something, so I thought that when I fixed it it would work perfectly. The new grayscale, shown in LD too is this:

 

I started rendering another time, but, surprise! Another time the flat-ocean region...: (yeah, that's water)

 

I'm a hoodoo or something, but I never manage to render it correctly! Help 

Thanks a lot  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

You don't have your water level set to something outrageous, I trust.  Make sure that your water level is set to default for openers.  It is around 80.  Also, make sure that Paint.NET did not export your map as RBG instead of Black and White.

You might have more success with the GIMP.  It is a more complex editor with a slight learning curve, and you need to download some parts (help files for example) separately.  There is a very good tutorial called 'Grokking the GIMP'.

BTW, the GIMP is the basis for a lot of graphics done using the GTK (GIMP Tool Kit) package which is the basis for much work in the Linux community, including the desktops we run.  It runs on any machine, as does the GTK, but you will need the GCC compiler.  This whole business replaces Microsoft's Visual Studio and frees you from any lock in's set up my MS.

All of this stuff is free under the GPL (GNU Public Licence).

[rsc204 21,805]

Paint.Net and alphas = problems. Get Gimp or anything else that can handle transparency and gradients properly.

[peperodriguez2710 138]

Hi, finally got it!  I used Illustrator for redoing the grayscale but then I thought "Hey, Landscape Designer has the ability to import and export grayscale, so, maybe if import the messy grayscale and export another one from the obtained terrain it works" . I turned the crazy one to black and white, just in case, and imported into LD, exported another one, and tried to render. EUREKA!  It worked, and I have my region ready-to-play. I just need to polish some things in SC4T (montains smoothed and my dikes are under water) and start playing.

Thanks a lot, everybody, but especially Nonny Moose, for pointing me Landscape Designer. You're the heroes of Nueva Nueva Montes (my region)!  

 

Have a nice day ^^