LogInEphtracy has released Aerialod, a new free interactive path tracing renderer visualizing height maps for game development or visual effects.
The tool imports height maps in a range of standard formats and converts them into renderable 3D terrain, providing the ability to customize lighting, environment fog, and camera properties.
Aerialod was created by the developer of free 8-bit voxel art editor MagicaVoxel. Features include the ability to import maps in different standard formats, including PNG or ASC files, and Digital Terrain Models (DTM), automatically generating the corresponding 3D terrain.
You can also customize the result by adjusting the height scale or vertical offset for the terrain. What is more, you can set up a level of detail setting, which progressively voxelises the output.
It also gives the ability to play with the lighting in the scene by setting the sun position or assigning an HDR environment map, add environment fog, set a range of real-world camera properties.
Please note that the 3D terrain can then be rendered as a still image in 8-bit or 16-bit PNG format at a resolution of up to 16,384 x 16,384px (also as a turntable animation). What is more, you can render albedo and normal maps for the terrain.
You can learn more and get the tool here.