Modeling Terrain Geometry
- Critical scene component
- Typically modeled as a height map (Y coordinate determines height)
- Leads to "regular" meshes, making it easier to do things such as collision detection, path planning, or to project shadows onto
- Cannot represent caves, overhangs, or vertical surfaces (those can be "added" as separate geometry)
- Generate polygonal mesh algorithmically
- Expensive: typically done at start of program to avoid calculations during interaction
- Expressive: simple algorithms can produce wide variety of interesting results
- Fidelity: should appear to be continuous (no holes)
- Often largest 3D object in scene, so optimizations help
- May be too complex to render at interactive rates
- Can simplify polygonal geometry of small or distant objects
- Can cull mesh where possible to avoid calculating occluded geometry
- Watch out for creating holes or visual "popping" as details come into focus
Examples
Algorithms
Review
Level of Detail
- Level of Detail Overview by D. Luebke
Your algorithm does not need to be this general, take advantage of regular grid
- Common robust algorithms used:
References
