1. 3D Game Programming All in One By Kenneth C. Finney

2. Chapter 12 Terrains

3. Terrains For outdoor game environments Terrain is a topography model combined with ground cover textures

4. Terrains Terrains Explained –Tiles are the basic terrain unit –Terrain tiles are a collection of polygons, like any other 3D model

5. Terrains Terrains Explained –Fidelity : accuracy of terrain –Spread : uniqueness of terrain areas, related to tile repetition –Freedom : ability of player characters to move within the terrain

6. Terrains Terrains Explained Terrain Data can be obtained from U.S. Geological Survey Formats: –Digital Elevation Model (DEM) –Digital Terrain Model (DTM) –Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS)

7. Terrains Terrain Modeling External modeling method: terrain as another object in the game world Internal method: game engine contains specialized terrain rendering code

8. Terrains Height Maps Grayscale images (8 bits per pixel) that represent terrain Similar to topographical maps Resolution is an issue (leads to either small tiles, or poor fidelity)

9. Terrains Terrain Cover Textures used to represent soil types, flora, debris, and litter –Grass, Flowers, Dirt, Pebbles –Rocks, Trash, Litter, Pavement –Concrete, Moss, Sand, Stone

10. Terrains Tiling Issues similar to those found in structure textures –seamless transitions –appropriate lighting

11. Terrains Lab 1: Terrain Use paint program to create height map from a contour map Mathematically determine required image sizes Use the Terraform Editor to add height map game world

12. Terrains Applying Terrain Cover Cover textures look best when created for tiling Use grid textures to assist with sizing and sight lines Paint terrain using the built-in Torque Terrain Texture Painter

13. Terrains Lab 2: Terrain Cover Use images to create terrain cover Use the Terrain Texture Painter to apply terrain cover Add terrain cover (materials) to available selection Use guide images to apply cover

14. Summary Terrain = topography + cover Terrain characteristics: fidelity, spread, freedom Source data: USGS (real world), maps, onsite measurement Height-maps are like topographical maps Adjust height-maps to match game world size