Outerra forum

Outerra Engine => Ideas & Suggestions & Questions => Topic started by: Salmo on March 29, 2011, 08:34:17 pm

Title: map making
Post by: Salmo on March 29, 2011, 08:34:17 pm

I'm wondering whether consideration has been given to incorporating map making functionality? What I mean is, allowing users to author terrain, textures & populate with objects such as trees, houses etc. For example, I fly IL2-1946 (modded) combat flight simulator & WW2 maps for specific theatres (subsets of the whole world view) are built from satelite DEM data (terrain heights) & overlaid with terrain textures & objects.

Title: map making
Post by: cameni on March 30, 2011, 03:08:30 am

With Outerra the situation is a bit different, as will be the results.
OT already comes with the whole planet modeled using global Earth elevation data (90m resolution). Climate support is being added, that will lead to having Earth without the effect of civilization. Trees will be placed automatically using coverage maps and probability models.

Atop of it will come a civilization layer that will be predominantly vector based, and will allow to overlay nature with man made structures. Fields, pastures, orchards, as well as roads, city blocks (handled by generators or manually populated) and so on.
These vector data allow for continuous fractal refinement and continuous detail down to the ground level, which is what we are after.

Custom DEMs can be imported too, for example to refine a local area.

Title: map making
Post by: Salmo on March 30, 2011, 04:05:25 am

Thankyou Cameni. I'll watch this project with great interest

Title: map making
Post by: Seth on April 06, 2011, 04:23:57 pm

I had a little giggle when I read the title of this thread.  ;)

Title: map making
Post by: Lawrs on April 06, 2011, 04:30:01 pm

What more than the whole planet would you want anyway?

Title: map making
Post by: Seth on April 06, 2011, 06:07:33 pm

Quote from: Lawrs

What more than the whole planet would you want anyway?

;)

Title: map making
Post by: ZeosPantera on April 06, 2011, 10:45:22 pm

I understand it more or less. The whole planet is fine but when your ready to work. Sit there and carve roads and cities out of the fields and into mountains. Manhattan for example.

Title: map making
Post by: Seth on April 11, 2011, 07:53:02 am

Quote from: ZeosPantera

I understand it more or less. The whole planet is fine but when your ready to work. Sit there and carve roads and cities out of the fields and into mountains. Manhattan for example.

We have maps, don't we?  :D

Title: map making
Post by: Edding3000 on April 11, 2011, 10:18:01 am

well it would be nice to have the ability to plug in your own hiehgtmaps but beacause it uses a cube-to-sphere projection i guess a 2d map is not really easy to implement. Everything is based on the spherical idea...

Title: map making
Post by: ZeosPantera on April 11, 2011, 04:02:07 pm

Quote from: cia_kid

Quote from: ZeosPantera

I understand it more or less. The whole planet is fine but when your ready to work. Sit there and carve roads and cities out of the fields and into mountains. Manhattan for example.

We have maps, don't we?  :D

We do but things like this....

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/F12Bwth2/Forums/ShowImageAsp.jpg)

Certainly will not work with just a road layout and automation. Even simple overpass's will just collide with no height difference defined.

Title: map making
Post by: Seth on April 21, 2011, 07:31:54 am

I stand corrected...  :o