Heightfield vs. mesh was RE: AC2 was RE: [MUD-Dev] Total Annilation of Downtime

[Ling Lo]

Raph Koster wrote:
>> Brian Hook:

>>> Even a pseudo-compromise solution where you have a heightfield
>>> with 3D objects placed on it to give a feel of "real 3D" doesn't
>>> feel right.  It looks like, well, a heightfield with a bunch of
>>> 3D objects shoved into it.

I thought this would be mainly due to texturing than an inherent
problem with a heightfields.  The way the terrain and any objects
sitting on the terrain are textured are simply different, especially
if texel density changes abruptly which is rather likely.  I suppose
a test would be to try running the app in no texturing mode and see
if it still subjectively holds true.

> We use Perlin noise and a custom tool to generate terrain. The
> terrain is built from multiple prioritized layers, each layer with
> a boundary that can be a polygon, object primitive, or another
> Perlin noise function, and with a variety of softening functions
> (ease in, ease out, ease in and out, linear, etc, with
> configurable distances).

Layers with boundaries.  That's truely annoying to find that
something I've been trying to figure out has been solved so simply
(I was thinking of modifying the base lattice to incorporate craters
and stuff but impacts on the higher frequencies).  Still, thanks,
I'm rather grateful for the insight. :)

Cheers,
Ling

--
  |   Ling Lo
_O_O_


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