How can we help?

How do you work with terrains in Lumion 11?

Avatar
Morten
  • Updated
Follow

1. Here's how

There are two ways to work with terrains in Lumion 11:

  • Use the built-in Lumion Landscape.

         or...

  • Import your own model.

 

2. Using the built-in Lumion Landscape

  • The editable Lumion Landscape consists of a high-detail 2 x 2 km square surrounded by a low-detail 10 x 10 km square. The outlines of the squares are yellow and red respectively.
  • You can paint the Lumion Landscape and change the shape/height of the yellow 2 x 2 km square at a higher level of detail than the surrounding 10 x 10 km square.
  • Landscape Grass is only displayed inside the yellow 2 x 2 km square.
  • For those reasons, we recommend that you place your Imported Models inside the yellow high-detail 2 x 2 km square.
  • The squares are centered at 0,0,0. The red, green and blue axes mark 0,0,0.
  • It is not possible to change the shape/height or paint the Lumion Landscape outside the 10 x 10 km area.

mceclip1.png

2.1: To download Height Maps (elevation data) for the Lumion Landscape, we recommend using the OpenStreetMap function in Lumion 10 Pro or newer:

2.2: Alternatively, you can save and load the terrain elevation data for the 2 x 2 km square as a grayscale Landscape Map (also known as a Heightmap) via the Save/Load Landscape Map function:

mceclip2.png

2.3: If you want to load a Landscape Map (also known as a Heightmap) from a 3rd party application, please use these guidelines to prepare the texture:

  • The resolution of the Landscape Map texture should be 1024x1024 pixels. The innermost 1000x1000 pixels are only used for the 2 x 2 km high-detail square. The outermost 12 pixels along the edges are not used. Each pixel of the Landscape Map texture corresponds to 2x2m on the editable part of the Lumion Landscape.
  • The color black is equal to a terrain height of 0m and the color white is equal to a terrain height of 200m. Each grayscale step (from RGB = 0 to RGB = 255) is equal to a terrain height of 0.78125m.

2.4: Visit the following page to learn more about Heightmaps:

Example of a scaled-down Landscape Map texture:

2.5: To download real-world satellite imagery for the Lumion Landscape, we recommend using the OpenStreetMap function in Lumion 11 Pro or newer:

mceclip5.png

 

3. Importing your own model

3.1: Alternatively, import your model in Lumion and use it as a terrain. Please note the following:

  • It is not possible to adjust the shape of an Imported Model.
  • Imported Models and other models are only displayed within a 35 km circle as measured from the current camera position.

3.2: You can assign a Landscape Material to the Imported Model, so that the model uses the same Landscape Textures as the Lumion Landscape:

mceclip3.png

3.3: When you paint your Imported Model with the 4 Landscape Textures, the Lumion Landscape below your model will also be painted - and vice versa. Please note that you can only paint your Imported Model as long as it is inside the 10 x 10 km square of the Lumion Landscape:

3.4: After assigning a Landscape Material to the Imported Model, it is possible to add Landscape Grass to the Landscape Material of the Imported Model.

Note that Landscape Grass only appears inside the 2 x2 km square of the Lumion Landscape:

mceclip3.png

mceclip4.png

3.5: If you need to cut out the Lumion Landscape because your building has a basement or some other rectangular structure that needs to be visible below the Lumion Landscape, we recommend using the Landscape Cutter tool in Lumion 10 and newer versions.

This tool can instantly cut a custom-sized rectangular hole in the Lumion Landscape. Just place the landscape cutter over the area you want to remove and create a top surface cutout to fit with the elements of your design.

mceclip0.png