: The user defines an uplift map specifying a simulation domain and the speed at which mountains grow. The combined effect of uplift and hydraulic erosion is simulated on a vector representation of this map. The latter is finally converted into a digital terrain model that conforms to global geomorphologic processes. At large scale, landscapes result from the combination of two major processes: tectonics which generate the main relief through crust uplift, and weather which accounts for erosion. This paper presents the first method in computer graphics that combines uplift and hydraulic erosion to generate visually plausible terrains. Given a user-painted uplift map, we generate a stream graph over the entire domain embedding elevation information and stream flow. Our approach relies on the stream power equation introduced in geology for hydraulic erosion. By combining crust uplift and stream power erosion we generate large realistic terrains at a low computational cost. Finally, we convert this graph into a digital elevation model by blending landform feature kernels whose parameters are derived from the information in the graph. Our method gives high-level control over the large scale dendritic structures of the resulting river networks, watersheds, and mountains ridges.
Cordonnier et al. REF presented a method that combines tectonic uplift and hydraulic erosion to achieve realistic-looking terrains.
Large Scale Terrain Generation from Tectonic Uplift and Fluvial Erosion
Comput. Graph. Forum
Comput. Graph. Forum
Computer Science