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i am wondering if there is one single program which can easily create a heightmap image of a map,

- i saw that fractint is able to do it, but i couldnt find a method to actually HOW to do it

- i could write an opengl heightmap render but do not have fun to do it

- there is terragen, a landscape renderer for heightmaps, a bit over the top, i do not want photorealistic results, just plain rgb heightmap rendering

- povray - i know it can do it, but enormous complex to set up

so, has anyone here created a heightmap rendering without programming a single line by itself ?

or do i have to write my own plain heightmap renderer :(

Maybe one of Terry Gintz' programs will do heightfields ?

If you don't need output for actual rendering as realworld solid 3D objects then I (like Jos) have a WIP formula for UF/(ChaosPro) that allows heightfield rendering of a few formulas in UF but mine's in a bit of a mess atmo and not really suitable for public consumption, but if you're getting desperate I can try and tidy it up a little and send you a private copy if you like ?

I just remembered - Ron (Barnett) rendered some heightfields too - maybe his formula is in the UF formula database (probably in reb.ulb).

thank you, i will check the database

I have a formula called mesh raytracing, but it can't do deep zooms. I am working on fixing that, but I suspect it isn't a quick fix. This may be a case of going back to the drawing board and starting from scratch.

i dont want to do deep zooms, i just want to create an image showing height map rendering version of the mandelbrot, is that mesh raytraycing in the formula database ?
can you provide an example?

You want something like this?
If so, plse contact me privately

maybe a 3d sw?
Peacock? > http://www.aviary.com/blog/posts/aviary-introduces-browser-based-terrain-generation

I just feel like adding that there is an artificial method for doing so much more than just height map adjustment.
What you do is rotate the camera about a point in your fractal, saving atleast maybe 30 images to make what will become a 3d object map you can make in Blender, automatically.
This way you can take whatever parts of the fractal that suck , and delete, or you can multiply objects, deform them in any way, add faces to fill, even make them deform as bouncy objects in animations. Make them crumble apart. Pretty much anything. They can get up and walk away!
If I get the time I'll do something to this effect in an H.R.Geiger style. Maybe have little fractal babies being born out of sludge, grow up, walk, head swells up with light then explodes.

https://www.math.univ-toulouse.fr/~cheritat/wiki-draw/index.php/Mandelbrot_set#Normal_map_effect