Example-based terrain synthesis with pit removal

Abstract

Artificial terrain synthesis is challenging because natural terrain contains many types of features generated by a diverse range of natural processes over vastly different time-scales. Example-based terrain synthesis has been used to overcome the challenge by using real-world terrain as the basis for synthesis. This produces good local behaviour but can have poor global behaviour. We introduce fluid-flow solutions that can be overlaid on multi-resolution example-based terrain synthesis to improve global realism. We apply these to an existing pixel-based terrain synthesis method and to a novel terrain synthesis method, terrain optimisation, based on texture optimisation. Our fluid-flow solutions improve results for artificial terrains.