[PLUGIN] - Import GIS Data into UE4

Development Pipeline & Plugins Plugins
1

Hi all,

A friend and I have been working on creating a tool to import GIS data into UE4. We’ve called it TerraForm.

Initially we’ve created a GIS framework for UE4 that gives landscapes a geographical reference, and developed functionality to import GIS line vector data to drive the creation of spline features.

You can easily import splines to create railway lines, roads, powerlines, walls etc…

TFP_UE4Forums_1.jpg
TFP_UE4Forums_1.jpg1920×1040 235 KB

Features Include:

  • Import any format (ESRI Shapefile, OpenStreetMap, etc)
  • Import any projection/datum - vectors converted to UE4 coordinate system.
  • Assign meshes to spline segments and control points
  • Set spline import parameters (size, scale etc)
  • Automatically smooth imported splines.
  • Automatically fit spline control points to landscape and blend landscape heightmap, materials and vegetation.

There are two versions available now with a third to be released shortly:

TerraForm Free - a free version to help you import GIS data into UE4 and use it with the UE4 landscape splines tools.
TerraForm Lite - a cheap version to help you create content in UE4 driven by GIS data.
TerraForm Pro - (available Q1, 2018) - a professional version that provides more management and editing features to use with splines.

We’ve got loads of ideas about new features and would be really interested to hear your feedback too.

You can get the tools here: www.terraformpro.com

Plenty more information, screenshots and a full tutorial from downloading source data to creating a landscape also available.

Hope it’s helpful!

Paul

2 Likes
2

Hey dude
I’m a geographer and I must say, THANK YOU!

That’s just incredible!

3

Wow nice.downloading…

4

Hope you find it useful. I’d be interested to hear any feedback.

5

This project Rocks. I have been using qGIS and UE4 to do pretty much the same thing, but your method is faster, easier, and well documented! Thanks for the tutorial and samples.

6

Excellent!! Great work, and Thank You :slight_smile: !

7

I’ve made a video tutorial for the tutorial sections covering:

Creating the UE4 Project
Importing height map
Importing layer masks
Generating vegetation
Creating rail
Creating roads

Hope it’s useful. Certainly saves a little reading!

8

Thank you Bear :slight_smile: !

9

hi,
thanks for this great tutorial ,

now how to get real world coordinates between objects like distance between objects in meters for example,
altitude for aircraft and so on …

for the airplane of course we can line trace the ground but how to convert the result from ue4 units to world units ?

thanks again .

10

Hey [USER=“792574”]Bear .[/USER] - Got a question about this tool. Does this support World Composition? Just curious :slight_smile:

11

Hello [USER=“792574”]Bear .[/USER] ,

Awesome plugin! Are you using OGR/GDAL under the hood?

12

Hi! So sorry for not having replied - I hadn’t received any notifications to tell me there were new posts on here!

We are using GDAL, yes.

I need to do a few more tests regarding world composition, but I can’t see any reason why it shouldn’t work. You should simply need to select to which landscape you’d like to import the vectors.

As a quick update, we got a little sidetracked working to import heightmaps direct directly from the GIS data. That functionality now works well and we’re updating to V4.19 as well as working on the enhanced functionality for TerraForm Pro.

13

Pro version was schedule for Q1 2018… and still no news… Will we be able to upgrade if we get the lite version first?

14

Hi there,

Apologies for the slight delay responding.

The Pro version has been taking slightly longer as the result of a few other additions:

  1. We’ve added the capability to import height maps directly from DTM data. (I.e. No need to convert to 16-bit pngs with GIS software.)
  2. We’ve added the ability to drive blueprints from landscape splines. (I.e. Import GIS data as Landscape Splines and copy the control points/segments into Spline Blueprints. This means you can now use data imported through TerraForm to create things like power lines, rivers, roads (with intersections), hedge-rows etc.)
  3. We’re just finalising an integration with World Composition, meaning you can use TerraForm (and GIS data) to create tiled landscapes.

We’re back to working on Pro now and have decided to add spatial database functionality. This means all data you import into UE4 using TerraFormPro will available for you to manage/select/edit etc…

You will be able to upgrade to Pro if you buy the Lite version. We’ll credit the full purchase amount for Lite towards Pro.

All the best.

15

can we spherify imported landscapes?

16

Thanks

Thanks for your reply sir.

What about 4.20 ? All version compatible with UE4 4.20

Any ETA for Pro and Light version for 4.20?

17

Hi there, i am interested in your plugin but i need more precise information since on your site i found it to be a bit confusing, first i only need to get terrain extracted from various world locations(i am aware that global coverage is often low res)and i have no need of any spline tools like road or anything else since the game is in an era where only horses ruled the world.(Should have stayed this way also).

You have a free and a lite version so i just want to know which one i need to only get terrain from various world locations and if it is legal to use commercially?

Thank for any clarifications.

18

Hey there,

first of all awesome project and thanks for that tutorial.

I have a question to you all.

I study International forestry and ecosystem Management and my semester task is too make a virtual plot out of existing data using UE4.
Now the problem is I have never worked with a something like this before and I am up the creek without a paddle …
Have u got any tipps, tutorials for me how to manage this with no experience what so ever ?
We have access to a lot of GIS data that we are allowed to use but I seriously don know how…

I am happy about any help…

I can do sound-design or background music for any of u as thank you due to me being a studied sound- and mixing-engineer.

19

Great plugin with huge potential, but slow development and response to user questions. Still awaiting pro version and 4.20. Datasmith might even provide same feature soon…

20

Terraform pro Team what is going on? All quiet for a very long period.

It would be nice to give customers of your product or website visitors frequently updates of the development. At least the quality of services should be to keep your marketed products compatible with the latest Unreal Engine versions.

Its obvious that your roadmap is to ambitious. Providing a new roadmap would be recommended. We all know development takes time. Keeping customers or even future customers in the dark for such a long time is not very user friendly and will degrade trust as partner in future products. .

I still hope your TEAM will produce a great pipeline for GIS in UNREAL.