Create Heightfield from Input Geometry

[chrisdunham95]

 - Hello all, 

So I know you can project objects onto heightfields etc. But want to make use of the heightfield erode node and a few others BUT not on the default heightfields; On a separate imported model. 

Ive tried converting my model into a volume and adding a height attribute which gets me so far but not the results that I would say are working at all. 

Was wondering if anyone had any ideas or thoughts or even reference/documents they could point me in the direction of?:) 

[I also tried unlocking the heightfield otl and inputting my geo into the volumes directly but I get a flat plane currently - but this flat plane is affected by heightfield nodes so I guess I just need to re-engineer the volume conversion to not just work as a flat plane but that could be a problem as I guess heightfields were made to work on a plane basis and extrude later on?  - So heightfields work as a 2d volume and I imagine I'm going to need a 3d volume in order to convert my mesh into a heightfield ] 

 

 

- After looking inside the default heightfield nodes I'm pretty sure my process should be something like. 

- Import geo for heightfield

- Convert geo to volume and give scalar height attribute, (and no doubt some other stuff I'm currently missing) 

- Use volume creation to make use of heightfield sops. 

 

Thanks

C 

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2018 by chrisdunham95

[3dome]

Hey man,

what do you mean "not on the default heightfields"?
Basically if you heighfield project your geo with mode set to replace you get a heightfield from your geo that you can do all the operations on.

But if you're goal is to convert lets say a model of a human into a heightfield, that's not what they were designed for. I guess you better use vdbs and write your own erode algorithms on that

Edited May 22, 2018 by 3dome

[chrisdunham95]

On ‎22‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 5:59 PM, 3dome said:

Hey man,

what do you mean "not on the default heightfields"?
Basically if you heighfield project your geo with mode set to replace you get a heightfield from your geo that you can do all the operations on.

But if you're goal is to convert lets say a model of a human into a heightfield, that's not what they were designed for. I guess you better use vdbs and write your own erode algorithms on that

hey man, yeahhh it was kind of the latter I was attempting to do. Take some normal geo > turn into heightfield > apply heightfield erosion 

But I think your right I'm gonna probably spent some time with vdbs see if I can rebuild some of the height field erosion tools functionality using various vdb functions

Thanks a lot for the advice!:)  

 

[malexander]

You can also use the Heightfield File SOP to load heightfield images directly, if that's the format your source is in.

[pixteur]

I've been looking to do this same thing. Take input geometry, and use the heightfields to create interesting erosion efects while preserving the full geometry volume and undercuts.

I know heightfields are 2D, I was wondering if perhaps there is a way to analyse a geometry, slice it into sections 0-90° and 90-180° and then create UV's. Could then erode on a heightmap using these UV's? Bake all the results to textures and apply to the original gometry mesh. Basically unfolding each big planar section of the geometry, project, do your heightfield erosion, convert it back to surface sop and reverse the unfolding. But all this is way beyond my houdini skills...