Wormbo: /* Export via UTPT and G16ed */ added image captions and mentioned why format=10

2009-07-28T10:23:17Z

‎Export via UTPT and G16ed: added image captions and mentioned why format=10

Wormbo: how to export height maps using UTPT, G16ed and Windows Calculator ;-)

2009-03-01T11:28:57Z

how to export height maps using UTPT, G16ed and Windows Calculator ;-)

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[[Unreal Engine 2]] games store [[terrain]] height maps as grayscale images with 16 bits per pixel. To port terrain to a different game or to edit the height map in an external application, you need to export the terrain height map first. The result will be a 16 bit [[wp:Windows Bitmap|Windows Bitmap]] file that needs to be edited in special applications, such as [[G16ed]]. Almost no regular image manipulation tool supports 16 bit grayscale images, some interpret it as 16 bit color image, some reduce the color range to 8 bit.

==Export via UnrealEd==
{{sectstub|Link to general texture export page}}
If the game supports it, you can use the [[UnrealEd 3]] or [[BatchExportCommandlet]] that comes with the game to export the height map texture as BMP.

==Export via UTPT and G16ed==
[[Image:UTPT-ExportTree-ContextMenu.png|right|thumb]]
If the game doesn't support texture export, you can try using [[UTPT]] and [[G16ed]] to extract the raw texture data of the height map. Unfortunately UTPT does not support G16 texture export, but it will help finding the parameters for G16ed's RAW import:
#Open the package containing the height map (usually the map file itself) in UTPT.
#Browse the Export Tree or Export Table to find the height map texture.
#Right-click on its entry in the list and select "Analize Raw Object". [sic] A hexeditor-like view should open.
#In that view's menu select Format -> Auto format. UTPT now auto-formats the raw texture data by interpreting the data and adding background colors to th various fields. You don't need to worry what most of the field actually mean.
#[[Image:UTPT-Raw-Property.png|right|thumb]]Hover your mouse over the various fields marked with gray background to find the property '''Format''' and check its value. It should be '10', meaning 16 bit grayscale. If it's a different value, you can skip the remaining steps and just export the height map directly with UTPT.
#Next find the fields '''USize''' and '''VSize''' (not UBits and VBits) and note their values as the height map's X and Y dimension respectively.
#Select the first byte of the large yellow data block labeled '''MipMapData'''.
#At the bottom of the raw analysis view there should be a label reading "Offset in Package: 0x...", the value after "0x" is the height map data's start offset in the package file in [[wp:hexadecimal|hexadecimal]] notation.
Now you're ready to extract the height map with G16ed:
#Select File -> Import -> RAW data... from G16ed's menu.
#Enter path and file name (with extension) of the package file in the '''File''' field or select it through the "..." button.<br/>Note that the open file dialog assumes the file extension "raw" by default. Just enter "*.*" in the file name field there and press enter to see all files.
#Leave '''Bits per pixel''' at 16 and '''Byte ordering''' at "Little-endian (Intel)"
#Enter the height map dimensions you found with UTPT as the '''Width''' (USize) and '''Height''' (VSize)
#Enter the '''Data start offset''' in [[wp:decimal|decimal]] notation. You can use e.g. the Windows Calculator to convert the value:
##Switch to scientific mode (menu View -> Scientific)
##Switch to hexadecimal mode (press F5 or click on ''Hex'')
##Enter the hexadecimal value
##Switch to decimal mode (press F6 or click on ''Dec'')
##Copy/paste or manually enter the displayed decimal value in G16ed

[[Category:Mapping tutorials|{{PAGENAME}}]]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 ==Export via UTPT and G16ed==
-[[Image:UTPT-ExportTree-ContextMenu.png|right|thumb]]
+[[Image:UTPT-ExportTree-ContextMenu.png|right|thumb|Pop-up menu of the Texture object with the "Analize Raw Object" entry.]]
 If the game doesn't support texture export, you can try using [[UTPT]] and [[G16ed]] to extract the raw texture data of the height map. Unfortunately UTPT does not support G16 texture export, but it will help finding the parameters for G16ed's RAW import:
 #Open the package containing the height map (usually the map file itself) in UTPT.
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 #Right-click on its entry in the list and select "Analize Raw Object". [sic] A hexeditor-like view should open.
 #In that view's menu select Format -> Auto format. UTPT now auto-formats the raw texture data by interpreting the data and adding background colors to th various fields. You don't need to worry what most of the field actually mean.
-#[[Image:UTPT-Raw-Property.png|right|thumb]]Hover your mouse over the various fields marked with gray background to find the property '''Format''' and check its value. It should be '10', meaning 16 bit grayscale. If it's a different value, you can skip the remaining steps and just export the height map directly with UTPT.
+#[[Image:UTPT-Raw-Property.png|right|thumb|The "Format" property with a byte value of 10<sub>dec</sub>.]]Hover your mouse over the various fields marked with gray background to find the property '''Format''' and check its value. It should be '10', which stands for [[UE2:BitmapMaterial (UT2004)#ETextureFormat|ETextureFormat.TEXF_G16]], meaning 16 bit grayscale. If it's a different value, you can skip the remaining steps and just export the height map directly with UTPT.
 #Next find the fields '''USize''' and '''VSize''' (not UBits and VBits) and note their values as the height map's X and Y dimension respectively.
 #Select the first byte of the large yellow data block labeled '''MipMapData'''.

UE2:Exporting heightmaps - Revision history

Wormbo: /* Export via UTPT and G16ed */ added image captions and mentioned why format=10

Wormbo: how to export height maps using UTPT, G16ed and Windows Calculator ;-)