Software wishes

[Midgardsormr]

I'd like a plugin for photoshop that could simulate the pibebrush-function from GIMP

YES. I've been kicking around the idea of learning how to code a PS plug-in expressly for the purpose of making that tool. Too much stuff to learn and do, though, so I doubt I'll ever get around to it unless I wind up turning into a professional matte painter.

[tilt]

unless I wind up turning into a professional matte painter.

*crossing fingers*...please turn into a professional matte painter, please turn into a professional matte painter ...

[Ascension]

Aside from projections the thing I struggle most with is hand-painting height map terrain. Getting the grays just the right shade so that when you import it into a 3d program, like Bryce or Terragen, it doesn't turn into big cliffs and other drop-offs. Something that would help me blend the grays better, done mathematically, would take the hand-painting and blend things smoother at various ranges. Sure I'd want the lighter and darker parts to be not blended so that it generates mountain ridges and canyons with all the crackliness but blend the middle grays to avoid cliffiness. Like the lightest 15% and darkest 15% do not get blended. Something like that could help folks put their mountains where they want them instead of randomly putting them wherever Photoshop generates them. I can get around the random thing with hand-painting the grays but I get a lot of cliffiness, even in Wilbur.

[Redrobes]

Does Z brush or its free clone do the painting on an object where object could be a sphere ?

Also for the height maps I think something where you can edit the height of a height map in 3D would be cool. I think Ravs was showing one a while back tho. You can use the sculpt tools in Blender to do that but that would be on a mesh not a DEM.

Something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM7Pz7CgTnc

but no need to do the full real time planet rendering, just the height map editing bit of it. If you could edit the height and color at the same time then you can do both requests above.

[ravells]

You can paint on a sphere in PS CS4 and 5 extended now. It allows you to import an .obj model (e.g. a sphere ) and paint on it directly.

[bartmoss]

Too bad PS is way beyond normal users' means

[tilt]

yep.. it is rather expensive - and the price is double over here even though its the exact same program (I use the english version), but damn good program though.