Leveller tries to have an intuitive interface,
so if you want to just dive in with the basics, this section is for you.
Before going any further, you'll find it helpful to arrange this browser
window so that you can read this text and also see the Leveller window.
You've probably got Leveller already started, and you're looking at something like this:
This window is a view onto a Leveller
document. You can have as many views as you want, but the rest of
this manual will explain that. To get quickly started, do this:
Press the A key for a few seconds,
and then the Z key. The grid in the left part of the window
should slide back and forth underneath you.
With your NumLock key turned on, press
the 4 and 6 keys on the numeric keypad, which should make
the grid spin around. The 8 and 2 keys will make it pitch
up and down, as if you were nodding your head. If you've played 3D video
games, you'll immediately get the hang of this. The 1 and 3
keys slide you left and right, as if you were sidestepping, and the 7
and 9 keys roll your head around. Finally, the + and Enter
keys on the numeric keypad move you up and down.
That's basically it for flying around. In Leveller, the grid (also called the terrain or the heightfield)
stays put, and you fly around it to get the view you want.
You probably noticed that the funny line
and dot in the right part of the window changed position as you flew around.
This part of the window is an overview map that shows the heightfield looking
straight down at it.
Since the heightfield is perfectly flat by
default, the map is pitch black because there is no relative difference
in height values in the terrain. To create some bumpy terrain, choose the
Terrain, Plasma Fractal... command from the menu bar, and click
OK when the dialog appears. Your Leveller window should now look
something like this:
Now it's more obvious what the map is
for. As you fly around, you'll see that the square dot on the map indicates
your camera position, and the line indicates your line of sight.
The length of the line grows shorter if you look up or down, so it also
indicates your camera's pitch angle.
You can click and drag on the map to change
the camera position and the line of sight. The left mouse button changes
the position, and the right mouse button changes the line of sight.
This section is almost over, but let's
try some editing. From the toolbar on the right, choose the Raise tool.
It looks like this:
Now move the mouse over the map so that
the mouse pointer is near the line of sight. You should see a white dot
on the camera view showing which part of the heightfield the mouse is over.
Click and drag with the mouse over the
map. In the camera view, you should see the heightfield bending as you literally
'raise' it from the ground.
When you're satisifed with your changes
to the heightfield, press F3 or choose the Filter, Smooth command. Notice
how the heightfield is smoothed to make your changes look more natural.
That's it for this section. The rest of
Leveller is explained in the rest of this
manual.
Quick Start