So I see your interested in my fractal-wavelet landscapes, great!
The algorithm that I developed allows the user to generate a completely random terrain, using a height mapped array. In other words, it creates a regular grid, of any dimention, where the single data element in each vertex contains the altitude of the landscape at that particular (x,y) location. Other data, such as terrain color, wind vectors, average rainfall, or ANY other data can also be created with the algorithm. In every case, the lower resolution version of the data is the 'best approximation' of the higher resolution image.

Since the fractal is also a wavelet, it can be applied in reverse direction. In this way, you can model existing terrain to any level of detail. One nice application of this would allow a user to scan in a real-world terrain area, reduce the resolution down to a manageble size, store this on disk and use the random terrain generator function to fill in finer details whenever needed.

Also, I have devised a memory model that will allow the terrain to be modeled in very high resolution near the viewer, and in succesively lower resolutions farther away from the viewer. In this model, each level of resolution is contained in concentric, constant-sized memory blocks. The lower resolution blocks contain little detail, but cover large areas, the higher resolution blocks contain little area, but much detail. As the user moves around, the highest resolution block scrolls towards him. As this block pushes data off its far edge, it is reduced in resolution and stored in the next lower level of resolution. As more data is need on the approaching edge, it is generated (or read-in) from the the next lower level of resolution. In this way, The total memory size will remain exactly equal to the number of data points required, and will not increase as the user scrolls around inside the terrain. It is also very FAST.

I have created a demo for windows 3.1. The demo is a very simple model, designed only to generate small sections of terrain. It does not include any gadgets that would make things look even more realistic. Some of the gadgets are:

Use cubic or quadratic surface patches, instead of triangles.
Vary the terrain color, either fractally or as a pseudo function of altitude, or even better - as a mix of the two.
Place a 'water line' such that terrain below a certain threshold are under water.
Implement an 'errosion effects' fractalization, by removing local minima.
Use a non-linear fractal amplitude, so that the terrain would be rougher at different scales, much like the real world.
Serveral others too complex to list in this format.

I chose not to implement these gadgets, though maybe next version I will, in order to get a working version onto the web sooner.

If you download this program, I ask that you send me an email, telling me what you thought about it. Anyway, here it is waveland.exe . I'm sorry that I don't have any output pictures on this page yet, as soon as I get a screen grabber, I'll put some on here.

DISCLAMER:
This software is still very much in developemental stage, as such, I can't be responsible for any other problems that you may feel my program created on your system. The program is virus-free, at least according to one virus detection utility. It will crash if you ask it increase the resolution too far, just restart it if it does this. It does this because I only allow it 16K to build its terrain. I could have allowed it more memory, but the refresh rate is too slow to bother asking for more detail anyway. I hope you enjoy it.

Back to my home page

Send me e-mail if you have any comments, I'd really like to hear what you think.