Simulation and visualisation of terrain erosion on GPU

Maške Luka (2013) Simulation and visualisation of terrain erosion on GPU. EngD thesis.

Preview

PDF Download (7Mb)

Abstract

The problem of realistic terrain geometry generation has been present in computer graphics since the very beginning. The most frequent use of realistic terrain can be seen in movies, games and various simulations. In our thesis, we present a procedure for real time generation of realistic terrain, which can only be achieved by parallel computing on the GPU. We start the process by generating a random terrain using fractals, which later serves as a base geometry for erosion simulation. Then we start the real time fluid simulation and observe how hydraulic erosion creates river beds on the terrain. Due to the changes in temperature, thermal erosion causes rocks to crack and therefore to crumble and cause the formation of scree at the bottom of hills and mountains. Finally we propose a model for procedural generation of the roads. First we calculate the most energy-efficient path from point A to point B by choosing the right heuristic function of the A* search algorithm. Then we smooth the resulting path and create the road and verge of arbitrary width. The final result of the thesis is a realistic geometry of the terrain and road that winds over the terrain and avoids natural obstacles.

Actions (login required)