Plan for Vincent BILLET
by Vincent BILLET · 09/09/2005 (12:30 pm) · 13 comments
Huge Terrain Creator (HTC) for TSE
Huge Terrain Creator (HTC) is a terrain generator for TSE. It allows to quickly and easily build very huge terrain. Here are its main features:
Map It!
HTC is a hexmap based map editor. Maps can be of various sizes: Tiny (2x2), Small (4x4), Medium(8x8), Large (16x16), Huge (32x32) and Gigantic(64x64).
Each Hex may be 256, 512 or 1024 square large and can contain either mountains, hills, seas, plains or whatever else ...
Combined with scale factor supported by Atlas, HTC can create from 512x512 to 524288x524288 meters large terrains.
HeightField properties
HTC is also a powerful fractal based terrain generator.
Terrains generated by HTC are a combination of five base fractals (Basic, Multfractal, Hetero_terrain, Hybrid Multifractal, Ridged Multi Fractal) which can be combined (added, substracted, multiplied, divided) within 5 different channels.
HTC's GUI allows you, for each fractal, to adjust various parameters such lacunarity, feature sizes (in X and Y), altitude adjustement and factor, and many others. HTC allows you to preview HeightFields before generating your terrain and its bypass facility is a valuable help when adjusting fractal independently ones from the others.That way, you really have an accurate control of your terrain's shape.
Texture properties
As with heightfield properties, HTC allows you to create texture for your terrain.
Each terrain type is a combination of up to 8 colors controled by fractals. Just as height field properties, you can access lots of parameters such as altitude, slope, feature size, and so on..
Generation
HTC is a very fast generator (~15 to 20 seconds to generate a 1024x1024 RAW file and a JPG shadowed texture).
It generates RAW16 files for HeightFields and JPG files for textures.
HTC can also generate JPG Files for HeightFields. With HTC, you can create mission file and specify Player's starting position right on HexMap. HTC can create .chu and .tqt files.
In Torque Build
HTC is written in C++ and fully integrated into Torque Shader Engine. All GUI are .cs and .gui files.
HTC's numerous functions are all made available from the console.
Moreover, HTC provides some missing functions like htc_getHeight(x,y) and htc_getColor(x,y).
At last, HTC source code updates Torque Core Engine, allowing Torque to handle 64bits (4GB+) files...
An easy to use and powerfull Generator
You are not fond of fractal? forget about it! Use only hexmap editor to create your terrain, skip heightfields and texture properties, click "Generate" and it's done!!
You want to make a world with strange terrain? No problem, Adjust HeightFields and Textures Properties.
HTC is the ultimate tool for map and terrain generation.
A brand new world comes to you .. HTC helps you to map it ..
Huge Terrain Creator (HTC) is a terrain generator for TSE. It allows to quickly and easily build very huge terrain. Here are its main features:Map It!
HTC is a hexmap based map editor. Maps can be of various sizes: Tiny (2x2), Small (4x4), Medium(8x8), Large (16x16), Huge (32x32) and Gigantic(64x64).
Each Hex may be 256, 512 or 1024 square large and can contain either mountains, hills, seas, plains or whatever else ...
Combined with scale factor supported by Atlas, HTC can create from 512x512 to 524288x524288 meters large terrains.
HeightField properties
HTC is also a powerful fractal based terrain generator.
Terrains generated by HTC are a combination of five base fractals (Basic, Multfractal, Hetero_terrain, Hybrid Multifractal, Ridged Multi Fractal) which can be combined (added, substracted, multiplied, divided) within 5 different channels.
HTC's GUI allows you, for each fractal, to adjust various parameters such lacunarity, feature sizes (in X and Y), altitude adjustement and factor, and many others. HTC allows you to preview HeightFields before generating your terrain and its bypass facility is a valuable help when adjusting fractal independently ones from the others.That way, you really have an accurate control of your terrain's shape.
Texture properties
As with heightfield properties, HTC allows you to create texture for your terrain.
Each terrain type is a combination of up to 8 colors controled by fractals. Just as height field properties, you can access lots of parameters such as altitude, slope, feature size, and so on..
Generation
HTC is a very fast generator (~15 to 20 seconds to generate a 1024x1024 RAW file and a JPG shadowed texture).
It generates RAW16 files for HeightFields and JPG files for textures.
HTC can also generate JPG Files for HeightFields. With HTC, you can create mission file and specify Player's starting position right on HexMap. HTC can create .chu and .tqt files.
In Torque Build
HTC is written in C++ and fully integrated into Torque Shader Engine. All GUI are .cs and .gui files.
HTC's numerous functions are all made available from the console.
Moreover, HTC provides some missing functions like htc_getHeight(x,y) and htc_getColor(x,y).
At last, HTC source code updates Torque Core Engine, allowing Torque to handle 64bits (4GB+) files...
An easy to use and powerfull Generator
You are not fond of fractal? forget about it! Use only hexmap editor to create your terrain, skip heightfields and texture properties, click "Generate" and it's done!!
You want to make a world with strange terrain? No problem, Adjust HeightFields and Textures Properties.
HTC is the ultimate tool for map and terrain generation.
A brand new world comes to you .. HTC helps you to map it ..
About the author
#2
Were you planning to release it to the community through the torque store? If yeah, any idea when?
To quote tony: "Wow"
09/09/2005 (1:06 pm)
Holy hell that's cool. I haven't tried making terrains with terragen yet (as far as I know that was the only way) but I've heard it's a pain (which is why I haven't tried yet lol). Were you planning to release it to the community through the torque store? If yeah, any idea when?
To quote tony: "Wow"
#3
09/09/2005 (1:30 pm)
Great to see that you got everything working! Looking pretty stunning! 
#4
Things like erosion, and eviroments at different height levels are accurately generated. Snow cap peaks, swampy areas, etc.,
09/09/2005 (2:21 pm)
This is really cool for TSE, the only thing I can think of that gets close is the engine for Dark and Light. Its completely procedural and you can generate a huge terrains. Things like erosion, and eviroments at different height levels are accurately generated. Snow cap peaks, swampy areas, etc.,
#5
09/09/2005 (3:25 pm)
I don't even have TSE and this makes me giddy like a schoolgirl. Possibilities are endless. 
#6
09/09/2005 (5:43 pm)
I really need to get TSE :)
#7
09/09/2005 (6:14 pm)
Now I really need to get TSE.. 
#9
09/09/2005 (10:33 pm)
I've heard of using a higher level description language to define terrain or portions of it, but never a hex map found in most pen and paper games. This is a very cool idea... good job Vincent! 
#12
If there is any way to work THC with TGE, I would definitely like some advice on how to do that.
10/10/2005 (4:45 pm)
Hmm.... will this program work with TGE by itself or would I need to get TSE to make it work? We don't want to get TSE at the moment because we're halfway in production of our new Commercial title, The Paradise Project (tm), and we don't want to use a potentially buggy program to run our game (I'm talking about TSE here, not HTC.If there is any way to work THC with TGE, I would definitely like some advice on how to do that.
Torque 3D Owner Tony Richards