DOCUMENTATION · UPDATED 21 OCTOBER 2026

Data sources and connections

Choose a provider

• Global terrain / AWS: an elevation option for the geographic workflow; availability and source detail vary by region.
• OpenTopography: choose a dataset for which your account and key have access. A valid account does not automatically grant every dataset entitlement.
• Mapbox: requires an appropriate access token for requested services.
• Local heightmap: use a supported local input with correct dimensions and geographic bounds when alignment is required.
• Synthetic preview terrain: useful for testing settings; it is not measured geographic data.

Satellite imagery and elevation are separate sources. Higher satellite resolution does not increase terrain height accuracy. OpenStreetMap provides mapped feature evidence, not complete coverage of every road or building.

Save your connections

Open the connection controls from setup or Settings, enter your provider credentials and save them. On Windows, the current implementation uses Windows Credential Manager. Credentials do not automatically move to another computer with a copied project.

Never put API keys into public presets, documentation screenshots or bug reports. Remove secrets from any logs you share.

Account and download failures

For an API-key or dataset-access rejection, verify the chosen provider, key, dataset entitlement and quota in the provider account. Retry after correcting the connection. Changing terrain resolution does not repair authorization.

For network or provider-service failures, retry later or use another available source. Cached data may reduce repeated downloads but does not make every operation offline.

Provider terms

Your plugin purchase does not grant unlimited downloads or ownership of third-party data. Review source terms for your intended use and preserve required attribution. Relevant starting points: OpenTopography, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap attribution, Esri World Imagery.

Provider eligibility, pricing and quotas can change; consult their current terms rather than relying on a fixed allowance in this guide.