- Technology -

VWorldTerrain is a software technology based an original concept of fractal calculations which is tailor-made for real-time 3D terrain rendering.

That technology is the fruit of a ten-year-long development work, and it has already been used in various fields, such as video games, edutainment or advanced technologies research.

VWorldTerrain technology is based on a principle of dynamic creation of data in real-time, which is quite challenging compared to traditional techniques, which display 3D universes while integrating already modeled items.

Thanks to that device, we can display infinite worlds in a seamless way, e.g.: Earth viewed from space:

landscapes which stretch away endlessly into the distance, but inside which it is possible to define any element with precision down to the centimeter when you zoom in:

To obtain such results, VWorldTerrain technology resorts to various satellite databases:

- DEMs (Digital Elevation Models), so as to achieve a realistic topography ( to define altitude).
- Satellite imagery, so as to display the right colors.
- Information on the type of ground and vegetation cover, so as to reproduce the related typical atmosphere (desert, rain forest...) in 3D.

We thus achieve a fairly realistic rendering of landscape, however real or imaginary.

On top of that, there are other sets of data (already existing or, if need be, created for the occasion), such as information on cloud cover, rainfall, temperatures, force and direction of winds…that we use to give an even greater realism to the landscape and reproduce meteorological phenomena in a completely dynamic way ( wind, snow, rain, mist, sandstorms…).

The engine therefore reads and interprets all these databases in real-time and simultaneously creates a three-dimensional universe.
In order to do so, VWorldTerrain resorts to procedural calculations, according to the type landscape wanted. Thus, there are specific functions for mountains, others for plains, lakes, etc…

The selfsame functions are used to generate landscapes with an extremely high definition, since not only does the engine make use of all the information contained in the databases but it also extrapolates missing data, so as to reach an impressive level of detail; in addition to that, the rendering varies according to the distance of the observer (depth of field), so as to comply with the calculations capabilities of each personal computer.

The implementation of architectural elements in the environment generated by the engine follows the same rules, so as to adjust the level of detail according to the (more or less remote) position of the observer.

Therefore, we can just as well display a whole town, from afar:

as the architectural particularities of a building in the foreground:

Finally, there is one function which aims at including all types of specific models, whether architectural or not, to the terrain relief, so that it can be perfectly integrated.