Houdini 20.5 Nodes Geometry nodes

HeightField Terrace 2.0 geometry node

Creates stepped plains from slopes in the terrain.

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Since 18.0

Overview

This node was completely re-written for Houdini 18.0. Terrace 1.0 only allowed for a single terrace step size with no controls for how much the mesa should cut into the mountain. This version allows for variable terrace step sizes plus additional controls to fade the original terrain into the terrace.

Mask layers

This node adds two mask layers to the output. The mesa layer marks areas where the node leveled the terrain. The cliffs layer marks the borders of the clipped regions. You can use these masks in subsequent layers to apply different effects to just the areas that were clipped (or not clipped).

Parameters

Height Layer

The name of the height volume to operate on, usually height.

Mask Layer

If a mask volume is wired into this node’s second input, this specifies which volume in the second input to use to mask this node’s effect, usually mask. Click the “Add mask paint” button to paint the mask directly in the viewport (this automatically adds a paint node to the second input).

Compute Range

Click to fill in the Min height and Max height parameters with the current minimum and maximum height of the input.

Min Height

Don’t modify areas below this elevation (in meters).

Max Height

Don’t modify areas above this elevation (in meters).

Fade

Global fade: how much the original terrain shape shows through the terracing. 0 shows only terracing, 1 shows no terracing, values in between blend the terraced terrain with the original terrain.

Max Step Size

The maximum height of an individual terrace step (in meters). Higher values give a smaller number of tall levels. Lower values a greater number of shorter levels.

Step Offset

The height of each level (in meters). Higher values give a smaller number of tall levels. Lower values a greater number of shorter levels.

Smooth Edges

Smoothness of the transition between terrace steps. Higher values give a gentler slope between levels. Lower values give a sharper vertical drop between levels.

Terracing

Fade Ramp

This is like the global Fade parameter, but based on terrace height. The ramp’s horizontal axis represents the range in the Min/Max height parameters. The vertical axis represents the amount of fade at the specific elevation (on top of the global Fade parameter). This allows for terraced areas to be overrun by the mountain at specific heights.

Step Ramp

The ramp’s horizontal axis represents the range in the Min/Max height parameters. This multiplies the Max Step Size parameter by a percentage represented by the vertical axis. This lets you create terraces with multiple step sizes.

Undulations

Type

A random wave-like pattern added to surfaces, controlled by the noise parameters below.

None

Do not add undulations.

Standard

Creates undulations with a maximum height taken from the Amplitude parameter below. This creates bigger undulations where the step size is large, and smaller undulations when the step size is small.

Custom

Creates undulations with a maximum height controlled by the Undulation ramp.

Amplitude

Scales the amount of vertical displacement.

Element Size

Scales the noise pattern outward across the grid.

Offset

Moves the noise pattern across the grid.

Noise Type

The type of noise to generate, Different algorithms generate patterns with different characteristics.

Fractal

Whether to do multiple iterations of smaller noise on top of bigger noise.

None

Does not add any additional noise on top of the basic noise.

Standard

Adds pseudo-random noise on top of the basic output.

Terrain

Adds noise like “standard” but dampens the noise in the valleys, which generates more realistic-looking terrain.

Hybrid Terrain

Like terrain, but with more sharpness in the valleys.

Fold

Only allow absolute values in the noise output.

Undulation Ramp

If Undulation type is “Custom”, this ramp scales undulation based on height. The horizontal axis represents the range in the Min/Max height parameters. The vertical axis controls the undulation noise amplitude at each height.

Output layers

Output Mesa Layer

If this is not empty, adds a mask to the output geometry named this (usually mesa) that marks where the height field was clipped. You can use this mask to apply effects to areas that were or weren’t clipped.

Output Cliff Layer

The node adds a mask to the output geometry named this (usually cliffs) that marks the voxel borders around where heights were clipped. You can use this mask to apply effects to areas around the clipping.

Slope Mask Smoothing

Blur radius applied to the generated mask layers representing the “clipped” areas (mesa) and the clipped edges (cliffs).

Mesa Max Slope

Smooths the generated mask layer representing the clipped areas (mesa).

Cliff Min Slope

Smooths the generated mask layer representing the edges of the clipped areas (cliffs).

Geometry nodes