v0.5.2

Links: Homepage - Discord - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux) - Youtube

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

What's new

New Terrain & Erosion Nodes

• HydraulicSaleve (new erosion variant with improved smoothing/interpolation)
• Improved HydraulicParticle simulation (better ridge forcing, stability, defaults)
• StrataCells & StrataTerrace (advanced stratification tools)
• Thermal node (merged + refactored system)
• ThermalScree (duration-based model, fixed talus constraints)
• Curvatures (unified curvature analysis with extended metrics)
• LocalMetrics (merged local terrain analysis tools)
• MorphologicalOperators (consolidated morphology base operators)
• FindCutPath & PathInflate (enhanced terrain path generation tools)
• Mudslide (WIP)

Improvements & Refactoring

• Node consolidation (multiple legacy nodes merged and deprecated)
• Added generic post-process and percentile-based tools for better control
• Expanded interpolation and smoothing options for Path nodes

UI / UX Improvements

• Safer project loading with JSON deserialization failsafes
• Clearer node organization (new categories, WIP separation, deprecation messaging)

Fixes

• Numerous crash fixes (node attributes, port routing, remap, warp, blend, etc.)
• Fixed issues in erosion and terrain algorithms (peaks, discontinuities, overflow)
• General stability and consistency improvements across nodes and UI

⚠️ Known Issues

• The application remains somewhat unstable 💣 but improving with each release.
• Possible memory limit issue when using large graphs or high resolution => enable the option to cache node data on disk in the graph configuration menu
• Flow simulations are work-in-progress

Full Changelog: v0.5.1...v0.5.2

v0.5.1

Links: Homepage - Discord - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux) - Youtube

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

What's new

HighMap Core Refactor & Performance

Migration to VirtualArray and VirtualTexture architectures: Virtual Arrays optimize memory usage for large graphs and high resolutions by loading data on demand instead of keeping everything in RAM. They support optional disk caching, enabling scalable workflows for complex graphs and fine-resolution terrains without memory bottlenecks.

New Terrain & Erosion Nodes

• ValleyFill
• WatershedRidge (work in progress)
• Thermal node (merged + refactored system)
• ThermalScree (duration-based model, fixed talus constraints)
• Plates node (tectonic-style terrain generation)
• KernelCupola node
• ProjectTalus node
• ExportTiled node
• Texture ColorAdjust node
• Equalize node
• FlatbedCarve node (from v0.5.0 base)

UI / UX Improvements

• New UI option allowing to reduce memory footprint by caching node data on disk
• GraphToolbar with quick resolution selector
• Reset settings feature

⚠️ Known Issues

• The application remains somewhat unstable 💣 — but improving with each release.
• Possible memory limit issue when using large graphs or high resolution => enable the option to cache node data on disk in the graph configuration menu

Full Changelog: v0.5.0...v0.5.1

v0.5.0: Carving the Landscape - Islands, Shores, Strata and Flatbeds

Links: Homepage - Discord - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux) - Youtube

output_compressed2.mp4

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

What's new

New Nodes

Several new terrain, utility, and export nodes were added, expanding carving, filtering, noise generation, and data export workflows:

• FlatbedCarve
• PathDecimate
• Multisteps
• ClampOblique
• SelectSoilRocks
• SelectSoilFlow
• CoastalErosionProfile
• LevelSetCurvature (added, not yet exposed)
• Island
• IslandLandMask
• WaveletNoise
• Bulkify
• ConeComplex
• Blend3
• ExportPointsToPly
• ExportCloudToPly
• CloudToVectors
• Thru
• Toggle

UI / UX

• HTML support in node tooltips
• Online help link available for each node
• Improved node settings layout and icons
• Embedded viewer and refined viewer controls

Rendering

• Multiple renderer updates and visual refinements
• Improved water and ambient occlusion rendering
• Fixed OpenGL inconsistencies between Linux and Windows

Stability & Architecture

• Safer node and graph lifetime management
• Improved memory handling and cleanup
• More robust node/link deletion and graph updates

⚠️ Known Issues

• The application remains somewhat unstable 💣 — but improving with each release.
• Possible memory limit issue when working with multiple 4K textures (#364).

Full Changelog: v0.4.1...v0.5.0

v0.4.1: New renderer / new UI features / new geological nodes

Links: Homepage - Discord - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux)

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

cut2.2.mp4

What's new

Renderer

• Introduces a new rendering engine with enhanced visual capabilities:
  • Shadow mapping for improved depth and lighting realism.
  • New water shaders for more natural reflections and surface effects.

GUI Improvements

• Quick Start guide now available in the Help menu.
• Added optional static node panning for easier navigation in the node settings panel.
• Added a texture downloader integrated with PolyHaven (more sources coming soon).

New Nodes

• Geological Primitives:
  MountainStump, MountainTibesti, MountainInselberg, ShatteredPeak, Badlands, BasaltField
• Basic Hydrology:
  FloodingLakeSystem, FloodingFromPoint, FloodingFromBoundaries, FloodingUniformLevel, WaterDepthDryOut, MergeWaterDepths, WaterDepthFromMask
• Erosion:
  Strata, Rifts
• Added point generation tools for object placement, supporting:
  • Poisson disk distribution
  • Radius constraints
  • “Natural” clustering using power-law and Weibull distributions
• ...and more.

⚠️ Known Issues

• The application remains somewhat unstable 💣 — but improving with each release.
• Possible memory limit issue when working with multiple 4K textures (#364).

What's Changed

• Json improving Serialization WIP by @PatchByte in #353

Full Changelog: v0.4.0...v0.4.1

v0.4.0: World editor / multiple graphs

Links: Homepage - Discord - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux)

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

What's new

• Graph Manager: The GUI now features a Graph Manager, enabling the editing of multiple graphs simultaneously. Two new node types — Broadcast and Receive — have been added to support data communication between graphs. Each graph operates within its own coordinate system (origin, size, and rotation angle), and graphs can be overlaid like layers — similar to tools like GIMP. A new flattening/export feature lets you merge all active layers into a single heightmap. The export currently supports heightmaps only (textures are planned in a future update). This process also smooths transitions between overlapping layers.

• Minor GUI improvments:

  • Node documentation is now accessible directly from within the application.
  • Node settings can be saved and loaded as .json presets.
  • Comments can be added directly to the graph (use Ctrl+B in the editor to insert a comment).

• Internal Refactor: Behind the scenes, most core classes have been restructured to enforce a clean separation between the data model and GUI logic.

Known issues

• The overall application still unstable 💣 but an autosave feature has been added to help reduce frustration and minimize data loss.
• The "world preview" in the Graph Manager shows heightmaps with absolute amplitude values, which may differ from the actual amplitudes used in the exported result (#262).

Full Changelog: v0.3.0...v0.4.0

v0.3.0: GPU acceleration

Links: Homepage - Discord - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux)

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

What's new

• new OpenCL backend, much faster erosion and convolution-based filters (up to x100)
• some new primitives: GaborWaveFbm and Gavoronoise (with procedural erosion)

Known issues

• new GUI is still unstable 💣
• OpenCL compiler error make occur for some GPU #250. Workaround: see patch version hesiod.AppImage.v0.3.0-gitec295da.zip

Full Changelog: v0.2.0...v0.3.0

v0.2.0: New GUI

Links: Homepage - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux)

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

New GUI - Third time's a charm (hopefully)

• to address graph node update that could be very slow for large graphs due to the former Qt node editor (#160)
• switch back to GNode for the underlying node data structure
• redevelop a Qt node editor greatly inspired by the former editor paceholder/nodeeditor

Known issues

• new GUI is still a bit unstable 💣
• #225 : HydraulicParticle node settings crashes the app

Full Changelog: v0.1.2...v0.2.0

v0.1.2

Links: Homepage - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux)

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

New nodes

• Clouds: CloudRandom, CloudRemapValues, CloudLattice, CLoudMerge
• Paths: PathDecasteljau
• Kernels: KernelPrim, HeightmapToKernel, KernelGabor
• Authoring: Stamping
• Primitive: Paraboloid, Rift, Crater, DiffusionLimitedAggregation
• Math: ConvolveSVD, RadialDisplacementToXy, FallOff
• Filters: RecastSag, Detrend, ShiftElevation, HydraulicBlur, Warp, WarpDownslope, FillTalus, Translate, Zoom
• Features: KmeansClustering2, KmeansClustering3
• Routing: Unpack

Python bindings

pyHighMap allows you to use (just a few) functionalities (for now) of HighMap directly in your Python projects. HighMap is the core solver of the Hesiod GUI.

pip3 install pyhighmap

Known issues

• graph node update can be very slow for large graphs due to the new Qt node editor (#160)

Full Changelog: v0.1.1...v0.1.2

v0.1.1: More nodes and a few fixes

Links: Homepage - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux)

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

New nodes

• Paths: Path, PathFractalize, PathBezier, PathBezierRound, PathBspline, PathToHeightmap, PathSDF, PathToCloud, PathMeanderize, ExportPath, PathResample, ReverseMidpoint, Ridgelines
• Clouds: CloudSDF, CloudToPath, ExportCloud
• Primitives: WhiteDensityMap, WhiteSparse, NoiseParberry, Caldera
• Selectors: SelectBlobLog, SelectInwardOutward, SelectElevationSlope, SelectTransitions, SelectRivers, SelectAngle
• Features: ShapeIndex, Unsphericity, AccumulationCurvature
• Erosion: Thermal, ThermalRib
• Misc.: Mixer, DataAnalysis, DistanceTransform, GaussianDecay

Known issues

• graph node update can be slower than previous versions (#160)

Full Changelog: v0.1-alpha...v0.1.1

v0.1-alpha: The first!

Links: Homepage - Issues - Documentation - Binaries (Windows and Linux)

Geometry and texture generated with Hesiod, render made in Blender.

Warning

Hesiod, currently in its developmental phase, is being released as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). The application is currently unstable and subject to frequent changes. Feel free to explore its capabilities, contribute to its development, and provide feedback to help shape its future iterations.

Known issues

• graph node update can be slower than previous versions (#160)
• GUI on Linux is nicer and more user-friendly than the Windows one (#152)
• there might be a few other ones waiting for you...

Gallery

Youtube videos (rendered with Blender):

New Contributors

• @PatchByte made their first contribution in #106
• @malpas made their first contribution in #120

Full Changelog: https://github.com/otto-link/Hesiod/commits/v0.1-alpha