If you are a Maya user and have seen DEM Earth for C4D, or World Machine and wanted an easier way to create detailed terrains, you are not alone. Any type of terrain tool for Maya would be a welcome addition. For creating terrains, a simple displacement / height map workflow is a little more involved than it should be, but now a new script might be set to change all that.
Morteza Ahmadi is getting to release a new terrain tool that will allow you to build detailed terrains in minutes. Simply hit a button, and the script will create a subdivided plane for you that already has a material applied to it. You can then choose form a range of preset maps to create the terrain, or add your own.
The terrain tool adds a 3D texture that is visible in the scene, showing a preview of the displacement right in the viewport. You can add a falloff for the effect with a ramp node. The ramp can limit the area of coverage for the map, as well as modify the height for specific areas.
The Maya easy terrain Tool script is rumored to be available soon. Check back for updated information on that.
