How to create a 3D landscape from heightmap and texture in Blender

Blender Tutorial

How to Create a 3D Landscape from Heightmap and Texture in Blender

Creating realistic 3D landscapes in Blender doesn’t have to be difficult. With a heightmap and a matching texture set, you can turn real-world terrain data into a detailed 3D landscape suitable for animations, visualizations, games, or map design.
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to create a 3D landscape in Blender using a heightmap and texture downloaded from 3D-Mapper.

What You Need

Before you begin, download these free or included tools:

• Heightmap & Texture Set (from 3D-Mapper)

• Blender 4.0+

• GIMP or another image editor (optional)

These assets allow you to build a highly detailed 3D landscape in minutes, even without advanced 3D knowledge.

What Is a Heightmap?

A heightmap is a grayscale image where the brightness values represent elevation.

• White = highest points
• Black = lowest points

Blender can interpret these grayscale values as displacement, allowing you to create a realistic 3D terrain mesh from a simple image. Combined with a matching texture set (satellite or topographic), this produces a visually accurate landscape.

Step 1: Download the Heightmap and Texture Set

Start by creating a 3D map of your desired real-world area using the 3D-Mapper Location Browser. Export the map as a heightmap + texture set, choosing 8-bit or 16-bit for best quality.

16-bit heightmaps are recommended for smoother elevation details and better shading.

Step 2: Import the Heightmap in Blender

1. Open Blender and enable the Images as Planes add-on if it’s not active.
2. Go to File → Import → Images as Planes.
3. Select your downloaded heightmap file.
4. Blender will place the heightmap on a plane object, ready for displacement.

This creates your terrain base mesh.

Step 3: Add Displacement to Create the 3D Landscape

1. Select the plane.
2. Open Modifier Properties.
3. Add a Displace Modifier.
4. In the Texture slot, choose the imported heightmap.
5. Adjust the Strength slider until the terrain looks accurate and natural.

Tip:

Switch to Adaptive Subdivision (Cycles) for smoother displacement and higher detail.

Step 4: Convert to Mesh and Refine Geometry

1. To gain full control over the terrain, convert the displaced plane into a mesh:
2. Go to Object → Convert To → Mesh
3. Apply Subdivision Surface Modifier for smoother topology
4. Adjust Shading → Smooth

This gives you a clean, editable terrain model.

Step 5: Apply the Texture to the Landscape

1. To create a realistic land surface:
2. Switch to the Shader Editor.
3. Add an Image Texture node.
4. Load the matching texture PNG from your download.
5. Connect it to the Base Color of your material.
6. Set mapping to UV for accurate alignment.

Now your 3D terrain has both elevation and surface detail.

Step 6: Final Adjustments (Lighting, Camera, Rendering)

Enhance your final landscape using Blender’s built-in tools:

Lighting

• Use HDRI environments

• Add soft sunlight for depth

• Avoid flat lighting for terrain renders

Camera

• Slightly tilt the camera (5–15°) for a natural topographic angle

• Use depth of field for dramatic effects

Rendering

• Switch to Cycles for the most realistic results

• Increase samples for clean, sharp terrain details

Why Use 3D-Mapper Heightmaps for Blender?

• With 3D-Mapper, you get:
• High-resolution real-world terrain
• Clean grayscale heightmaps
• Matching texture sets
• Export options for 3D printing, glTF, image exports, and more

This ensures perfect compatibility with Blender and dramatically reduces manual cleanup or alignment work.

Use Cases: What You Can Create

• Your Blender 3D landscape can be used for:
• Game environments
• Architectural visualizations
• Outdoor route previews
• Terrain-based animations
• Historical reconstruction
• Custom artistic landscape renders

Whether you’re a hobbyist or a professional artist, the workflow is efficient and produces high-quality results every time.

Summary

Creating a 3D landscape in Blender from a heightmap is a fast and powerful way to turn real terrain into a fully functional 3D model. With a displacement workflow, matching textures, and Blender’s rendering tools, you can transform any region into a stunning visual landscape.

If you want to explore more mapping tools, interactive maps, and downloadable map files, try the 3D-Mapper Studio.