They have the potential to generate compelling, immersive environments that we may explore at will, initially in non-real time applications such as movies, and soon in inexpensive interactive systems in your home. This can be done amazingly simply, the key being the artful use of fractals. Fractals map simplicity, in the model, to complexity, in the visual result. That is, a relatively simple program can create a universe of visual detail. This talk will outline how we can do this.
Simple fractals can create realistic terrains.
Greatly simplified models of the Earth's atmosphere can generate aerial perspective, the shift in color and contrast with distance that visually indicates truly large scale. Finally, a simple algorithm allows us render our scenes with the appropriate level of detail at all distances and at all resolutions. All of this can be implemented in about a thousand lines of C code. The result is a virtual world that can be imaged on a home computer in about a minute per frame. This talk will be profusely illustrated with the various beautiful landscape images Musgrave has rendered along his journey to this end.