Terrain Generation Using Procedural Models Based on Hydrology

Jean-David Genevaux (1) , Eric Galin (1) , Eric Guérin (1) , Adrien Peytavie (1) , Bedrich Benes (2)

1 GeoMod - Modélisation Géométrique, Géométrie Algorithmique, Fractales
2 Purdue University [West Lafayette]

We present a framework that allows quick and intuitive modeling of terrains using concepts inspired by hydrology. The terrain is generated from a simple initial sketch, controlled by a few parameters, and can be considered hydrographically realistic and visually plausible. Our terrain representation is both analytic and continuous, and can be rendered using varying level of detail. The terrain data is stored in a novel data structure: a construction tree whose internal nodes define a combination of operations, and whose leaves represent terrain features. The framework uses rivers as modeling elements and it first creates a hierarchical drainage network that is represented as a geometric graph over a given input domain. The network is then analyzed to construct watersheds and to characterize the different types and trajectories of rivers. The terrain is finally generated by combining procedural terrain and river patches with blending and carving operators.

Mots clés: CR Categories: I35 [Computer Graphics]: Computational Ge- ometry and Object Modeling; I36 [Computer Graphics]: Method- ology and Techniques-Interaction Techniques I68 [Simulation and Modeling]: Types of Simulation-Visual Keywords: procedural modeling; terrain generation; hydrology Links: DL PDF WEB VIDEO

Domaines: Informatique [cs]

Jean-David Genevaux, Eric Galin, Eric Guérin, Adrien Peytavie, Bedrich Benes. Terrain Generation Using Procedural Models Based on Hydrology. ACM Transactions on Graphics, 2013, 4, 32, pp.143:1-143:13. ⟨10.1145/2461912.2461996⟩. ⟨hal-01339224⟩