Terrain Bender Manual

Data Import and Export

Terrain Model

Use File – Open Terrain Model to load a terrain model from a ESRI ASCII grid file.

freegeographytools.com has a tutorial showing how to convert terrain models to this format.

Use File – Save Bent Terrain Model to store the terrain model in an ESRI ASCII grid file. Bending, horizon curvature and vertical exaggeration are applied to the saved model.

Settings

With File – Save Settings, the current bending, vertical exaggeration and horizon curvature are stored in a file.

File – Open Settings re-applies previously saved settings.

Export Rendering

File – Export Rendering saves the current view at screen resolution to a PNG image.

Texture Overlay

Select a raster image to drap over the terrain model with File – Open Texture Image. For a perfect match between the image and the terrain model, the image must cover the same area as the terrain model.

freegeographytools.com has a tutorial showing how to align texture images with terrain models.

Remove a texture image with File – Clear Texture Image.

Bending, Vertical Exaggeration and Horizon Curvature

Bending

Adjust the terrain bending with the interactive graph in the Bending tab. Control points can be added to the curve by clicking on the curve. Adjust the bending by dragging the control points. Remove control points by dragging them to the lower end of the graph.

Horizon Curvature

Spherical curvature can be applied to the horizon. Adjust the amount of curvature with the Curvature slider. The amount of curvature linearly diminshes toward the foreground.

Vertical Exaggeration

Elevation values can be vertically exaggerated to emphasize mountain ranges. Use the Background and Foreground sliders to adjust the vertical exaggeration. The exaggeration is linearly interpolated for positions in-between.

Foreground - background direction

Bending, vertical exaggeration and horizon curvature are applied in a foreground-background direction. To adjust the foreground-background direction, rotate the view and then click the button labeled Bend in Current View Direction.