DIY Paging terrain
by CoolGeek · in Torque Game Engine · 02/01/2006 (9:04 pm) · 8 replies
Hey. I want to make a paging terrain system, but I'm a total DIY-er, and I don't want anyone just to say do this, do that. All I want to know is, in the C++ code, what module is used for loading .TER files? Huge help if someone can answer. Thanks.
About the author
#2
02/02/2006 (8:48 pm)
Thanks. I didn't know it was that complex! I'll download the patch file, and check it out. I just thought it might be easy to develop a coordinate zone system where the engine could track which zone you're in and load adjacent zones. Thanks for the reaity check.
#4
Way back in my personal history (before I came on board with GG), I attempted this myself, and after roughly 2 months of work I had a very basic implementation mostly working, but it didn't even begin to handle things like cross-zone collisions, lighting, raycasts, etc.
Edit:
@Jonathan: if your project absolutely needs this, back port Atlas (fixed function or shader, your choice) from TSE to TGE. That back-port isn't something that GG is going to do for you, however.
02/02/2006 (9:17 pm)
It actually is a simple concept in theory, but it runs into all sorts of boundary conditions that violate the core design requirements of TGE terrain--TGE terrain simply wasn't designed with this concept in mind, and it's quite a lot like trying to fit that ill-famed square peg in a round hole.Way back in my personal history (before I came on board with GG), I attempted this myself, and after roughly 2 months of work I had a very basic implementation mostly working, but it didn't even begin to handle things like cross-zone collisions, lighting, raycasts, etc.
Edit:
@Jonathan: if your project absolutely needs this, back port Atlas (fixed function or shader, your choice) from TSE to TGE. That back-port isn't something that GG is going to do for you, however.
#6
02/05/2006 (11:03 pm)
It's not a patch. TSE is another purchase. ;)
#7
02/07/2006 (8:46 pm)
Oh yeah. Well, paging terrain is a feature I was interested in for a project that's probably over my head anyway. Maybe when I'm more experienced, I'll buy TSE. 
Torque 3D Owner Stephen Zepp
Roughly 2.5 years ago more than 20 developers worked on getting TGE to page terrain with full functionality. At the last decently working point (still lots of functionality needed), the patch file (and therefore the amount of changes necessary) was more than 5,500 lines of code spread around 20+ files. To this day there isn't a quick and easy adjustment to be made to implement this, although at least one project that I am aware of did actually get some form to a working stage.
Now, if it's something that is critical to your project, we do have in the TSE code base the Atlas terrain system, which is a completely redesigned system that allows for more terrain coverage than any PC will have hard drive space to support, all paged directly from the hard drive to your GPU.
My honest advice: if you need paging terrain, get TSE. Otherwise, you'll be quite a long time before you get a solution in TGE that will work for you--TGE was never designed for this type of functionality, and getting it to work is in some ways similar to driving a ford to the Moon...it can be done, but it is going to take a LOT of work!