![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303-00001.jpg)
Part 3D. Generating Terrain
1. VNS doesn’t limit you to imported data for terrain. You can also create terrain with the Terrain Generator. Create a new project and name it TG.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00101.jpg)
2. When asked if you want to import data, answer No, as we’ll be creating our own.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00201.jpg)
3. Go to the Data menu and open the Terrain Generator.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00301.jpg)
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00311.jpg)
4. Open a view for TG Camera and zoom back a notch with the – (minus) key.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00401.jpg)
5. We have terrain visible in the camera view, but we don’t have any DEM objects in the Database Editor. This is a preview of the default Terrain Generator texture, size, and elevation range. It doesn’t become a DEM object until we create a DEM.
6. Select Elevation Range Texture Operations and Edit Texture.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00601.jpg)
7. Drag the Texture Editor out of the way so we can see the camera view. The default element is a Hybrid Multifractal texture.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00701.jpg)
8. Go to the Selected Element dropdown list and choose Turbulence.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00801.jpg)
9. The camera view refreshes with the new texture element.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-00901.jpg)
10. Try Pebbles next. In addition to creating artificial terrain, the Terrain Generator Texture Editor is a great place to experiment with different textures and see how they work in 3 dimensions.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01001.jpg)
11. Close out the Texture Editor and go to the Terrain Generator Coverage page. The default terrain size is about 28 kilometers on a side and the elevation ranges from 0 to 5000 meters.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01101.jpg)
12. To choose another area preset, use the Area Presets dropdown list and select Square Kilometer.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01201.jpg)
13. The elevation range and cell size will scale accordingly.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01301.jpg)
14. The camera view changes as the nearly 800 square-kilometer terrain is reduced to a single square kilometer. That’s the DEM off in the distance.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01401.jpg)
15. Reset the TG Camera to its default position.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01501.jpg)
16. You can also set your own values for DEM dimensions, bounds, cell size, and elevation range. As with all VNS Components, you can load a prebuilt Terrain Generator. Select Load Component from the titlebar to open the Component Gallery.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01601.jpg)
17. Load the Groovy Component.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01701.jpg)
18. You don’t see any terrain because the Component has the preview disabled. Go to the General page and check the Preview Enabled box.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01801.jpg)
19. Create DEM, save your project, and close out the Terrain Generator.
![](https://3dnature.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/303d-01901.jpg)