Height Lab - Detailed Information
Rating
| Supported OS | Windows |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 01 May 2024 |
| Developers | Little Dreamer Games |
| Publishers | Little Dreamer Games |
| Sold copies | ~ 10,000 |
OVERVIEW
Design and export height maps and normal maps from layered hand written expressions. Use the outputs directly in your game, or use them as brushes and stamps for paint and 3D sculpting applications.
EXAMPLE
Hand write expressions to generate height maps. Sin, cos, and many other common math functions are supported. PI, TAU, and other common constants are also supported.
Expressions are stored as layers that can be combined with other layers using: multiply, divide, add, subtract, and min/max. Create as many layers as you need to get the result you want.
An example of combining two layers together, Base and Blend, to get a final more complex height map.
Design the height map with the help of the live preview. When done, export the height map, auto generated normal map, or both.
FEATURES
Expression can be broken up into layers.
Preview changes live.
Quality of life Undo/Redo and Shortcut Keys.
Includes examples.
Layers can be enabled/disabled, and soloed for single layer viewing.
Multiple height maps can be designed in a single project.
Custom variables can be created and used in expressions.
Built in functions for: sphere, cone, donut, pyramid, and sweep.
Viewport area for previewing the height map in 2D and 3D.
Height map can be animated in both u and v directions.
Height map can be "dissolved" from top to bottom.
Supported output types are: height map (including normalized) and normal map (GL and/or D3D).
Outputs can be saved as: JPG, PNG, TGA, EXR16, EXR32, EXR16SRGB, or EXR32SRGB
The output size can be powers of two from 32x32 all the way up to 4096x4096.
DEMO
The demo imbeds the Height Lab logo into the height and normal map, and only saves to JPG, TGA, and PNG. Please use the demo to evaluate Height Lab to see if it is right for you.
PREREQUISITE
You'll need to know some math and a little trigonometry to get the most out of Height Lab. If you've written shaders before, then Height Lab should be a breeze to pick up since some of the concepts are the same.
WHAT YOU'RE BUYING
A permanent license to use this version of Height Lab for personal or commercial use. Minor versions are included, which will include bug fixes, and any small revisions that make sense.