export_with_blender_script.md

To use a heightmap from Heightmapper as a displacement map in Blender on MacOS, using the export_with_blender_script.py:

1. Note the "z:x scale factor" in the Heightmapper.

2. Export the current image from heightmapper, and save it in the same location as export_to_blender.py.

For the next command, you will need the paths of three things:

• your blender install
• the export_to_blender.py script
• your exported heightmap

If you navigate in a terminal window to the location of any of these things, you can just use the filename in the command.

3. Enter the blender command: BLENDER_PATH --python SCRIPT_PATH -- HEIGHTMAP_PATH Z:X_SCALE_FACTOR

Some examples:

Assuming:

• Blender path is /Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/blender
• script path is ~/work/heightmapper/export_to_blender.py
• heightmap path is ~/downloads/heightmapper-1507306626578.png
• z:x scale factor is .000008993847

The full command would be:

/Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/blender --python ~/work/blender-tests/export_to_blender.py -- ~/downloads/heightmapper-1507306626578.png .000008993847

If you're already in the heightmapper directory and moved the exported image there as well:

/Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/blender --python export_to_blender.py -- heightmapper-1507306626578.png .000008993847

You can also add an alias to your terminal profile to make things even cleaner.

echo "alias blender=/Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/blender" >> ~/.bash_profile

Then your command would be:

blender --python export_to_blender.py -- heightmapper-1507306626578.png .000008993847

So tidy! 💅

Handy tips

You can drag a file directly from a finder window into a terminal window to insert the filepath at the current cursor position.

If after importing your plane appears flat, click the tools menu (wrench icon)
and increase "Strength"

This also works with Bforartists, the Blender fork for humans.