Middle Earth DEM Project
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:47 pm
Just wanted to let people know about a big project I'm involved with which is currently steering in the direction of leaning heavily on L3DT - the Middle Earth DEM Project (ME-DEM for short).
ME-DEM is an extremely ambitious, large-scale project aimed at nothing less than the complete modeling of the world of Middle Earth, created by J.R.R. Tolkein and most famously known from his Lord of the Rings trilogy. The "DEM" - Digital Elevation Model" part is the current focus, in which existing hand-drawn maps of the world of Middle Earth will be translated into actual heightfields. After that we'll be focusing on plant life and realistic texturing/geological mapping, using information from the various Middle Earth literature as well as extrapolation from Earth-similar areas, since Middle Earth turns out to be sort of a reimagining of an Earth history. Eventually we also plan to incorporate cave maps and 3D models of all Middle Earth towns, castles, monuments, etc.
As you can see it is a gargantuan project, spanning at least several years, if not decades. It is as much for the challenge as the end product for most involved at present. The seriously active members are few at the moment, but we always welcome new interested parties, whether you are content just to observe, or actually wish to contribute in some way. There are all kinds of areas for people to give input and assistance! If you have any interest at all in the idea, even if you just want to use the end result down the line for projects of your own, I encourage you to come by and check it out.
The Middle Earth DEM Project
- Oshyan
ME-DEM is an extremely ambitious, large-scale project aimed at nothing less than the complete modeling of the world of Middle Earth, created by J.R.R. Tolkein and most famously known from his Lord of the Rings trilogy. The "DEM" - Digital Elevation Model" part is the current focus, in which existing hand-drawn maps of the world of Middle Earth will be translated into actual heightfields. After that we'll be focusing on plant life and realistic texturing/geological mapping, using information from the various Middle Earth literature as well as extrapolation from Earth-similar areas, since Middle Earth turns out to be sort of a reimagining of an Earth history. Eventually we also plan to incorporate cave maps and 3D models of all Middle Earth towns, castles, monuments, etc.
As you can see it is a gargantuan project, spanning at least several years, if not decades. It is as much for the challenge as the end product for most involved at present. The seriously active members are few at the moment, but we always welcome new interested parties, whether you are content just to observe, or actually wish to contribute in some way. There are all kinds of areas for people to give input and assistance! If you have any interest at all in the idea, even if you just want to use the end result down the line for projects of your own, I encourage you to come by and check it out.
The Middle Earth DEM Project
- Oshyan