Height Maps

I decided I wanted to use a Height Map to create some of the volcanic scenes in my animation. With Height Maps, once loaded into 3dsMax, I can use the 'Displace' modifier to adjust them and raise certain parts of the image. For example, because height maps are black and white images, the modifier detects this and raises parts of the image depending on their brightness. This is a very useful technique as it helps to create realistic textures.

I used the search engine 'Google', to help find some volcano height maps. I know I had already made some volcanos in 3dsMax previously, but I wanted to experiment with other techniques and to see if I could make them look better by possibly using a height map instead.

I came across a few, but when I loaded them into 3dsMax and added the 'Displace' modifier, they weren't as effective as I had hoped. 

Here is one of the height maps I tried out...

http://www.stevenfrostwick.com/blog/tag/heightmap/

Accessed [16/11/2011]

The modifier did raise parts of the image and created a good texture, but not to such a large extent that I was hoping for. I wanted my volcanos to be quite big and stand out, I felt that this height map only did this to a limited extent. 

I kept searching for height maps, and tried finding lava height maps too as my planet what suppose to be covered in streams of burning lava and what not. I eventually came across a height map of two hills with a stream of lava between them...  

http://zero-k.info/Maps/Detail/7552

Accessed [14/11/2011]

I decided I would use this height map as it looked more detailed than the others I had found. Although the image had two hills in it, which I didn't really want, I decided this wasn't a problem as I would simply add my volcanos, that I had already made, on top of them.