Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 10

Chapter 16

Terrain Rendering

The idea of terrain rendering is to start off with a flat grid (top of Figure 16.1). Then we adjust the heights (i.e., the y-coordinates) of the vertices in such a way that the mesh models smooth transitions from mountain to valley, thereby simulating a terrain (middle of Figure 16.1). And, of course, we apply a nice texture to render sandy beaches, grassy hills, rocky cliffs, and snowy mountains (bottom of Figure 16.1).

Figure 16.1: (Top) A triangle grid. (Middle) A triangle grid with smooth height transitions used to create hills and valleys. (Bottom) A lit and textured terrain.

Objectives:

    To learn how to generate ...