[help] 3dsmax - render height map from displacement map

nitingarg172

Hi,

I have a simple plane and I am applying a vrayDisplacementMod modifier to it. Now, I want to render out a height map based on this displacement map so I can manually paint darker texture tones wherever the displacement dips below ground level.

Any idea how to do this?

Thanks

artquest

I'm not entirely sure what you mean? A height map is a displacement map for all intents and purposes. A vray displacement mod only subdivides and displaces based on a texture or procedural node plugged into it.

Do you mean that you've generated a procedural height map plugged into the displacement mod and now you want to bake it to a 2d texture?

nitingarg172

The image above is my render view. I want to paint darker tones where the ground goes below water. My viewport has just a plain as the terrain is being generated from the vrayDisplacementMod. I want to bake a height map so that I can use that as a mask to paint my textures as the height map will show me where the ground is going up and down.

Or is there any better way that you can suggest to paint diffuse map based on the displacement. I'm open to all ideas.

musashidan

You could apply your map to a regular displace mod>snapshot to a mesh>bake it to a map as usual>paint the new map with the water levels>apply new map back to vraydispmod

nitingarg172

musashidan said:

You could apply your map to a regular displace mod>snapshot to a mesh>bake it to a map as usual>paint the new map with the water levels>apply new map back to vraydispmod

Thanks! Will try this!