Height Field — Smooth Continuous Surface Mesh
Shape naturalistic berms, mounds, and grass banks with a smooth per-vertex surface.
Height Field — Smooth Continuous Surface MeshHeight Fields are created using the Height Field preset option, available in the Extrude flyout. When the preset is selected:
- The 2D shape's footprint is subdivided into a regular grid of vertices
- The mesh is initially flat (all vertices at the default extrusion height)
- The surface renders with smooth shading — adjacent faces blend seamlessly, producing continuous curvature without visible polygon edges
- The mesh is edited using Sculpt mode or Height Points mode
When to use Height Field vs. standard Sculpt:
- Height Field — best for large, standalone landforms where the whole shape is a continuous organic surface (berms, mounds, amphitheatre grass banks)
- Standard Sculpt preset — best for modifying the top face of an architectural shape that already has a defined structural form (walls, patios, planters)
Both use the same sculpt brush and height point controls; the distinction is in the underlying mesh type and how it renders at the base.
Creating a Height Field entity
Draw a 2D shape in the plan view to define the footprint of the Height Field — the area the mound or berm will cover. The shape can be any closed polygon: rectangle, ellipse, or freehand polyline.
With the shape selected in the 3D view, press X to extrude it, then open the Surface Preset flyout and select Height Field (or press the key shown in the flyout for Height Field).
Alternatively, select the shape and choose Height Field directly from the Shape Type dropdown in the Inspector without going through the standard Extrude presets.
The shape immediately becomes a subdivided mesh with smooth shading. It starts at a uniform height equal to the default extrusion height.
Set the initial extrusion height to the approximate maximum height of your mound before entering edit mode — this gives you a useful starting elevation from which to sculpt downward as well as upward.
Editing with Sculpt mode
With the Height Field entity selected, press 9 or click Sculpt in the Surface Preset flyout to enter the sculpt brush workspace.
The sculpt brush controls work identically to the Sculpt workspace for standard shapes:
- Radius slider or scroll wheel — adjusts brush size
- Strength slider — adjusts elevation change per stroke
- Falloff — Soft, Medium, or Hard taper
- Modes — Push Up, Push Down, Smooth
- Ctrl+drag — inverts the active mode
For a natural mound: 1. Use a large soft brush with Push Up to establish the broad mound form 2. Switch to a medium brush to shape the flanks and transition zones 3. Use Push Down to lower any areas that were raised too high 4. Finish with a Smooth pass using a large soft brush to unify the surface
Each stroke is one undo step. Press Esc to exit the sculpt workspace.
For a berm (an elongated ridge mound), use the Push Up brush in a series of overlapping strokes along the ridge axis. The accumulated strokes build a consistent ridge line. Use Smooth on the flanks to taper cleanly into the surrounding ground level.
Editing with Height Points mode
For structured control over the Height Field's key vertices, press 8 or select Height Points in the Surface Preset flyout.
Height Points mode on a Height Field works the same as on a standard extruded shape:
- Handles appear at corner and midpoint vertices
- Drag any handle to set that vertex's height independently
- Hold Shift for fine adjustment
- Set exact values in the Inspector's Height Points section
- The Reset button in the Inspector returns all vertices to the uniform initial height
Height Points mode is particularly useful for Height Fields that represent a designed graded surface — for example, a grass bank that needs to match specific elevation levels at defined points to satisfy a drainage or gradient requirement.
Use Height Points to set the structural control elevations (ridge height, low-point elevation, surrounding ground level), then switch to Sculpt mode to add the organic surface variation and naturalistic shaping.
Subdivision resolution and rendering
Height Field mesh resolution is set in the Inspector under Mesh Settings:
- Subdivision Level — controls the density of the vertex grid. Higher levels produce smoother curves but increase render time. The default level is suitable for most garden-scale mounds.
- Smooth Shading — always enabled for Height Fields. The mesh renders with interpolated normals, producing smooth shading without visible polygon facets.
Performance notes:
- A Height Field with a large footprint and high subdivision level may slow the 3D view on older hardware. If the view becomes sluggish, reduce the subdivision level during editing and increase it only for final export.
- Height Fields render smoothly in both real-time 3D view and in exported presentation images.
Base treatment: The base of a Height Field (the underside and vertical perimeter band) is treated as a simple flat-sided extrusion. If the mound shape needs to taper cleanly into the ground, ensure the surrounding ground plane is at or above the Height Field's base height so the junction is not visible.
For presentation exports, increase the subdivision level to the highest available setting before rendering. Then reduce it again for day-to-day editing. The subdivision level does not affect the saved height data — only the mesh resolution used to display it.
Choose the top surface preset for the starting shape
The surface preset you select determines the initial distribution of heights across the mesh before manual editing. Flat starts every vertex at the same height — useful if you want full manual control from scratch. Dome distributes heights as a smooth hemisphere peaking at the center. Pyramid creates a linear slope from every edge toward a center peak. Ridge creates a gable-like form with a central spine — ideal for a berm that drains to either side. Slope tilts the entire surface in one direction at a configurable angle and compass bearing, useful for graded surfaces along a path or bank. All presets can be further adjusted in the Surface Parameters section of the Inspector after selection.
Apply materials and place plants on the surface
Once the landform shape is final, apply a surface material using the Style tab in the Inspector. For a grass mound, choose a lawn or meadow surface class; for a gravel mound or a mulched bed, choose the corresponding material. Plants placed anywhere inside the footprint automatically snap to the Height Field's surface — they will sit at the correct elevation on the undulating surface without any manual height adjustment. This makes Height Fields the natural companion to the Plant Area tool when filling a mound with naturalistic planting.
If a plant appears to float or sink slightly, it may be positioned over a steep slope between two vertices. Increase the mesh subdivision level in Mesh Settings to add more vertices in that area, giving the surface sampler a more accurate local height.
Height Fields and the Terrain module serve different purposes. A Height Field is a placed object — a designed mound or berm sitting in the scene like any other entity. The Terrain module controls the site-wide ground level across the whole project. Use Height Fields for intentional landform objects; use the Terrain module to set the overall site topography.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Scroll wheel | Change brush radius (sculpt active) |
| Ctrl+drag | Invert active brush mode (sculpt active) |
| Shift+drag | Fine height adjustment (height points) |
| Esc | Exit sculpt workspace |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo last sculpt stroke |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Height Field and a standard extruded shape?
A standard extruded shape has a flat top (or a fixed profile such as a dome or chamfer applied uniformly to the whole top face). Every point on the top reads the same height equation. A Height Field, by contrast, stores an independent height value per vertex across a subdivided mesh — so individual areas of the surface can be at completely different elevations, producing natural-looking curvature, ridges, depressions, and transitions that no single profile formula can express.
Can I switch between Sculpt mode and Height Points mode without losing my edits?
Yes. Sculpt strokes and height point adjustments are stored in a layered modifier stack. Switching between the two edit modes does not discard your work — each mode reads and writes to the same underlying vertex height data. You can freely alternate between modes during the same editing session.
My sculpt brush is affecting a much larger area than expected. How do I tighten it?
Scroll down (or drag the Radius slider in the brush panel to the left) to reduce the brush radius. You can also switch the Falloff setting from Soft to Hard for a sharper-edged brush that concentrates the effect in a smaller central zone. The brush radius is displayed as a circle on the surface as you hover, so you can size it visually before stroking.
Is a Height Field the same as the Terrain module?
No. A Height Field is a discrete placed entity — a mound, berm, or graded object that exists in the scene alongside walls, paths, and plants. The Terrain module is a separate workspace that sets the underlying site-wide ground elevation across the entire project. Height Fields are for designed landform objects; use Terrain editing for site topography.
Can I place plants and hardscape on top of a Height Field?
Yes. Plants placed within the Height Field footprint snap to the surface automatically and display at the correct elevation in 3D. Other entities placed on top follow the same surface-placement logic. For a planting design on a mound, use the Plant Area tool with the Height Field as the base surface to populate the slope with plants that all sit correctly on the curved ground.