Ramps

A ramp is a linear height gradient from one point to another. Use them for stairs, ramps, slopes that lead from one elevation to another, or the rim of a crater that gradually drops into a pit.

A ramp has a start point and an end point, each at its own height, plus a width that’s perpendicular to the line between them. The height interpolates linearly along the ramp’s direction.

Drawing a ramp

1. In the inspector, switch to the Ramp tab.
2. Set the defaults — From height, To height, Width (see below).
3. Click + Draw ramp. The cursor turns into the ramp-drawing reticle.
4. Click on the canvas to place the start point (this gets the From height).
5. Click again to place the end point (this gets the To height) and commit.
6. Right-click or Esc to cancel an in-progress ramp.

The new ramp is selected automatically — the panel switches to its edit form.

Defaults

Control	Range	What it does
From height	−1 to +1	The height at the start point (the first click).
To height	−1 to +1	The height at the end point (the second click).
Width	4 to 400 px	How wide the ramp is, perpendicular to its direction.

The gradient runs start → end, so a from: 0, to: 0.5 ramp climbs as you move from the start to the end point. Reverse the heights or click in the opposite order to flip the slope.

Tip

A ramp going from 0 to −0.5 is the natural way to draw a staircase descending into a basement, the entrance to a cellar, or the path down to a pier. Pair it with a depression region at the bottom for a complete “into the pit” effect.

Editing a ramp

Click any ramp on the canvas, or its row in the Ramps list at the bottom of the tab.

Control	What it does
From height / To height	Drags live. Watch the parallax change as you move them.
Width (px)	Perpendicular width of the strip.
Blend	max (default) or replace — same semantics as regions.
Deselect	Drop the selection.
Delete	Remove the ramp.

The list shows the ramp’s from→to heights and width — quick way to find the one you’re looking for.

Width and what to set it to

Ramps tend to look right when their width is roughly the physical width they’d be on the map. A staircase 5 ft wide in your fiction → 5 grid squares × the grid pixel size, give or take. Too narrow (10 px) and the parallax effect is barely visible; too wide and the ramp looks more like a region.

Most authors land at 60–120 px. Defaults to 80 px.

When to use a ramp vs. a region

• Ramp when the height changes across the area — slope, stair, gradient.
• Region when the height is constant across the area — plateau, platform, pit floor.

For a balcony at the top of a staircase: draw the staircase as a ramp (0 → 0.6), then draw the balcony as a region (height 0.6) at the top. Set the balcony’s blend to max so where they touch, the balcony wins seamlessly.

Limitations

• Ramps are linear only. Curved ramps (a spiral staircase) need to be approximated with several straight segments, or substituted with brush strokes.
• The ramp’s perpendicular sides are sharp by default — height drops from the ramp’s value to whatever’s outside (0, or another region) without a soft falloff. This usually looks fine because the ramp is visually narrow, but if you want feathered edges, drape a region with falloff over the same area or use the brush to paint the transition.

Tips

• Keep individual ramp lengths roughly to one logical “section” of slope. A long winding road is best done as a chain of short ramps so each one’s gradient feels natural.
• Use the heightmap overlay (Visualise → Heightmap overlay) while drawing to see exactly where the gradient lands. The legend underneath shows which grey corresponds to which height.

Related

• Drawing regions — for the constant-height plateau at the top of your ramp.
• Brush — for the irregular bits the ramp tool can’t reach.
• Parallax & preview — global controls and the 3D modal.