Grey scale / height map / relief carving

[totts]

Hi i would like to make a grey scale image so i can carve it in a program like photo vcarve. The images i have been looking at are like these



I think its called a relief carving?

I would like to create a relief carving of this



But i dont know how to create a greyscale image of it so i can use it.

Any suggestion on how i could create a carving or is this not possible?

Thanks simon.

[EddyCurrent]

Use one of these free programs

http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/download.php
Inkscape. Draw Freely.
MyPaint
GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program
IrfanView - Official Homepage - one of the most popular viewers worldwide

I used photoscape

[totts]

I have tried it this way by just changing the picture to grey scale but the picture needs to be like a height map, so white being the high point down to black being the lowest, so anywhere in between will be varing shades of grey, i will give it a try when i get to my computer, thankyou.

[EddyCurrent]

Sorry I didn't realise that, the task is now more demanding.
After a quick search it seems the technique is widely used for geographic purposes, generating 3D terrain etc. and the software mentioned includes Wilbur and Terragen.
Other methods include hand editing the gray scale colours in software such as Photoshop or the free alternative GIMP as mentioned in my first post.
Then there's this
http://bobcad.com/products/art/

[totts]

Thats okay i thought it would be, my search shall continue.

[Swarfing]

Your using terms like height map which suggest you have looked at CamBam. You can do what you want straight out the box with that software without changing to grey scale.

[dazza]

edited......like eddy said.

[EddyCurrent]

totts, did you get any further with this ? I now have the same requirement, doing it on the cheap being one of them.

[totts]

No unfortunately not, either running out of program trials or trying to find how to use the software, it was very hard work, not helped by the low resolution of the image.

If you come across a way of converting an image please do share as i would still like to make this.

[george uk]

I think meshcam does this, meshcam art. Not sure but think so