Summary
Importing a heightmap into a World Partition level produces an incorrect landscape where a single tile is repeated 16×16 times instead of displaying the full terrain.
This bug affects versions 5.7.0, 5.7.4, and 5.8.0. Versions 5.5.4 and 5.6.1 work correctly with the exact same files and the exact same import settings.
What Type of Bug are you experiencing?
World Creation Tools
Steps to Reproduce
Create a new World Partition level in UE 5.7+
Open Landscape mode
Click Import from File
Select a 16-bit PNG heightmap with a resolution of 8129×8129
Use the following settings:
Location: 0, 0, 0
Scale: 36.88, 36.88, 234.375
Flip Y Axis: disabled
Click Import
Expected Result
The terrain should appear with the correct heightmap geometry, covering an area of 3 km × 3 km.
Observed Result
The terrain displays a single portion of the heightmap repeated 16 times in a mosaic pattern (4×4 or 16×16 depending on the case). In Wireframe view, the geometry appears correct, but the final rendering shows the repetition.
Affects Versions
5.8
5.7
Platform(s)
Windows
For crash reports, include your callstack
No crash
Additional Notes
Current Workaround
Create a Basic level (non World Partition)
Import the heightmap normally
Convert the level to World Partition after import
This method works but is not viable for projects requiring the progressive addition of many terrain blocks.
Technical Information
Element Detail
Heightmap source Houdini 21.0.440 (16-bit PNG export)
Resolution 8129 × 8129 pixels
Format 16-bit grayscale PNG
Scale 36.88, 36.88, 234.375
Affected versions 5.7.0, 5.7.4, 5.8.0
Working versions 5.5.4, 5.6.1
Level type World Partition only
Impact
This bug prevents direct heightmap import into World Partition levels in recent versions of Unreal Engine. It affects large-scale terrain creation workflows, particularly for projects using LIDAR data or external heightmaps.