http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/ 2026-05-01T07:17:47+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/ http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/lib/images/favicon.ico text/html 2017-08-31T05:15:41+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:cli&rev=1504156541&do=diff This page describes the algorithm used to assign land types in L3DT. If you're interested in making your own climates, it is recommended you read this page before proceeding to the climate user-guide or the making a new climate tutorial. * Introduction to climates and land types * What is a 'climate'? * What is a 'land type'? * What is a 'material'? * Assigning land types ('the algorithm') text/html 2017-08-31T05:05:31+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:dm&rev=1504155931&do=diff * What is a design map? * How is the design map turned into a heightmap? * Design map parameters and their effects text/html 2017-08-31T05:00:04+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:hf&rev=1504155604&do=diff * Heightfield-generation algorithms * Design/Inflate * Perlin * Fractal * Effects and overlays * Peak-roughening * Erosion * Mountains * Cliffs and terraces * Volcanos * Plateaux * Fractal inflation * File overlays text/html 2017-08-31T05:17:50+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:lm&rev=1504156670&do=diff Overview The L3DT lighting routine includes the following features: * Different RGB spectra for direct and ambient lighting, allowing afternoon sun or full moon effects. * Anisotropic ambient lighting (discussed below). * Physically realistic light absorption by water. * Light refraction in water (shadows, lighting directions, etc). * Fast shadow casting. * Bump mapping. text/html 2017-08-31T05:13:35+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:masks&rev=1504156415&do=diff Mask maps Mask maps are greyscale images, such as that shown below, that are used in game engines to mask user-defined quantities such as grass coverage, vehicle accessibility, tiberium density, etc. A mask map is typically an 8-bit greyscale image. text/html 2017-08-31T05:56:19+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:mosaics&rev=1504158979&do=diff L3DT allows the creation and manipulation of very large maps (up to a theoretical 4 billion gigapixels) using mosaic maps. A mosaic map is essentially an array of sub-map tiles that are wrapped-up to behave like one coherent map. These tiles may be loaded and saved independently, allowing the mosaic map to minimise RAM-load by saving unused parts of the map to the hard-disk. This 'paging' is managed automatically using a schedule based on the pixel-access histories of the map tiles. The net resu… text/html 2017-08-31T06:33:34+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:splatting&rev=1504161214&do=diff Texture splatting is a technique by which the texture of an object is calculated at run-time from a set of base textures and a set of alpha maps or a suitable mathematical function. For a good discussion of how texture splatting works, please refer to this GameDev article by Nate Glasser. text/html 2017-08-31T06:17:17+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:tx&rev=1504160237&do=diff Overview of textures in L3DT L3DT generates ground texture images, such as that shown below, by blending together a light map and a set of texture materials for each land type (e.g. grass, rock, snow). The distributions of land types are defined in the attributes map, which is in-turn calculated from the terrain slope, curvature, altitude, water-table depth, etc (see calculation details). The final texture for each land type is calculated from a 'material', which is a set of texture and bump-m… text/html 2017-08-31T05:35:26+00:00 http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:algorithms:wm&rev=1504157726&do=diff Flooding sea and lakes I still haven't written a description of water flooding here, but nobody has asked. The basic concept is relatively easy, but the optimised implementation in L3DT is fairly scary. Water table and salinity mapping The water table modelling algorithm in L3DT calculates a water 'heightfield' that roughly follows the rise and fall of the terrain whilst smoothly connecting all of the water bodies (sea, lakes, etc). The purpose of calculating the water table is to allow the…