Procedural Heightmap-based Terrain with Overhangs

[TheSHEEEP]

In the last weeks, I made some research for a future project of mine, which will feature procedurally generated terrain.

And one of the tests has reached a state in which I could write an article about it on my blog.
So I did!
Please note that this is not about the project, but really about the terrain research itself

The next step for me is to research another approach, fully relying on 3D noise instead of heightmaps.

After that, I will actually implement both tests using the Volume Component.
In the end, I will have to make a decision for the project, it will either use PolyVox or the Volume Component. We shall see

Also, have a picture

[drwbns]

Use Volume component! We need an example anyway. PolyVox is ok but limited...

[TheSHEEEP]

I would prefer to, but it wouldn't make sense without paging.

But the project itself won't start before June, so I hope Philip has enough time to include paging until then

[drwbns]

I'm sure he will

[PhilipLB]

In the blog posting, you are talking about smoothing the terrain. You actually use a block-kernel for this (same weight for every neighbor). Maybe a Gauss-Kernel could provide better results (gauss weights).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrete_G ... ian_kernel

Here is a neat tool to generate the 2D-case:
http://www.embege.com/gauss/

[TheSHEEEP]

In the blog posting, you are talking about smoothing the terrain. You actually use a block-kernel for this (same weight for every neighbor). Maybe a Gauss-Kernel could provide better results (gauss weights).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrete_G ... ian_kernel

Here is a neat tool to generate the 2D-case:
http://www.embege.com/gauss/

Of course, nothing in that test is production ready. I didn't do any threading (the topic practically begs for it), the smoothing is stupid, the triplanar texturing is still called SimpleFragment.frag , etc.
It is just a proof of concept

But thanks for the links! I'll probably implement that as soon as I work on the project itself.