Dang .DEM

[Adam Trachtenberg]

Cinema does natively support DEMs, but not all varieties. There are a number of free programs that translate between the formats.

[Jack Cook]

There are some plugins that will help import Terragen terrains into Cinema. Here’s a page where they are available.

https://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/resources.shtml

Jack

[J]

I still can’t get from a USGS DEM file into TerraGen.

The C4D manal says it supports VistaPro DEM format (Ref. Manual, Release 9, p.1071). This is a $50.00 Windows program, I am using a Mac w/o Windows installed on it.

It looks lilke other .DEM formats are supported as well, but only if they are “binary”. I found MacDem which may work, but it runs on an oudated O.S. ( https://www.treeswallow.com/macdem/index.html ).

I got TerraCin ( https://www.movingfrontiers.org/plugins/TerraCin/terraCin.html ) and that will get me from TerraGen to C4D, but I still need to go from a USGS DEM file ( https://data.geocomm.com/catalog/US/61069/2154/group4-3.html ) into TerraGen.

I have not found a free Mac native program that will allow this. Any further ideas?

[J]

Thanks! I downloaded TerraCin and that will help later on down the line.

I still need to go from
(1) a USGS DEM file ( https://data.geocomm.com/catalog/US/61069/2154/group4-3.html )
(2) into TerraGen.
(3) Then, bring that into C4D via TerraCin.

So, I have steps 1 and 3 down. I have not found a free, Mac native program
that will allow the mysterious step 2: USGS DEM (.DFF when unzipped) to TerraGen.

Any further ideas?

[Kevin Snyder]

Try this program
https://www.visualizationsoftware.com/3dem.html
it will open a DEM and you can save it as a terragen terrain.

KMS

[Bruce Rudolph]

Believe it or not, I use Bryce and it works pretty good.

I think they have an earlier version available for free download.

https://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/bryce/d5807e3da91096e43a910062a268a882/?