Heightmap to brick converter?

[Jaco van der Molen]

Does anyone know of any heightmap to LDraw brick converters? I know MLCad can create fractal terrain, but I could have sworn someone had written a converter at some point. Thanks.

Hello,

An old post, new reply.
I am currently looking for the same.

Digging LDraw history (http://www.ldraw.org/community/history/), I found Jacob Sparre Anderson made a Fractal Landscape Editor way back in 1997.
I even found some code on Github referencing to it: https://github.com/sparre/LEGO-tools

I wrote a basic Excel sheet that can generate a `landscape` on a 16x16 baseplate using 1x1 plates and bricks with a maximum height of one brick.
So that is either 1 plate, 2 plates or 1 brick.

Not nearly what I am looking for or what Michael meant.

Does anyone have an idea or tool that can do this?
Could MLCad's code be used?
I am no programmer, but it seems the basics have been made, but unfortunately never worked out further.

Another idea would be using a mosaic generator of which there are quite a few of that can make LDraw files.
But then you have no height, but somehow the color could determine this.
Just some thoughts...