Region Height

Overview

Creates a height map (grayscale image) from a RegionMap. Treating each region as a stepped surface, it generates region-based relief for rocky ground, terrain elevation, and lighting. It bridges the Region workflow to height and lighting workflows.

It derives the grayscale height image from RegionMap IDs, areas, positions, and random values. Use it for rocky steps, terrain elevation, and preparing height maps for isometric rendering.

Usage tips

• The go-to rocky-surface chain is region_voronoi → region_height (random steps + slight slope) → lighting, such as Quick Shade or a Surface height input. Per-face steps create the depth.
• Create both color with region_fill and height from the same RegionMap. Matching color and relief makes the surfaces more convincing.
• Use levels to quantize the height into pixel-art steps.

Related nodes

• region_fill / region_pattern_assign — create color from the same regions
• quick_shade / height_from_image — height consumer and alternative route
• surface_set_map — inserts the height into a Surface
• region_distance — shades by boundary distance instead of per region

Key parameters

Use no slope when each region should have one uniform height. Add a slope to give direction to the faces of rock or terrain.

How to use

height is a regular grayscale Image. Pass it downstream as an isometric height map, shading input, stepped-relief map, or terrain-tone map. When a process must preserve region IDs, branch directly from the upstream RegionMap rather than using this image.

Use random-step mode for varied rocks and terrain, ID order for progressively changing height by ID, and area for distinguishing large and small faces. Set levels for stair-stepped pixel-art height.

The mask output is an auxiliary mask for applying downstream effects only inside regions.