Discover Backhoe
Get your raw files
A raw file is a 13-channel graphic file that is a representation of the terrain and some of its features. It is the export format that Second Life uses for region terrain data.
While in world, in a region you own or manage, you can use the World > Region tools to get a raw file. On the Terrain tab, use Export Raw File button.
Or, you can start with one of the sample raw files shipped with Backhoe.
Load it up and let it spin
Opening a raw file in Backhoe immediately renders in full, glorious 3D.
It'll be spinning wildly, but see the View menu if it is making you dizzy. You can also find menu commands there to rotate the non-spinning view.
Poke around the flat image
The edit panel contains a flat, grey-scale image of the terrain. If you click on it, you select a location in the region. The 3D window will zoom in and focus on that spot. It'll stop spinning too.
To return to the zoomed out (and possibly spinning) view, use the menu item Tools > Deselect.
Dig. Roughen. Smooth.
The tools under the grey-scale image let you modify the terrain. Try the + tool first. Click on it to select it, then click and drag around the grey-scale image. Try it a few times. Now use Undo.
There are six terra-forming tools. Try 'em all:
- v - dig down to a fixed depth
- ^ - build up to a fixed height
- + - raise up
- - - lower down
- ~ - roughen up the surface
- = - smooth out the surface
There a set of sliders below the tools. Try 'em out.
Get fancy
The menu item View > Show Info Drawer will open a drawer on the main 3D window. (Note, if you have that window maximized, the drawer will open off-screen. Apple bug....) That drawer has two tabs. The first lets you edit the water level and height multiplier. The second lets you see and import/export each of the 13 layers in the file.
The menu item Window > Lighting Panel lets you play with the lighting parameters of the scene.