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Multiple Atlas terrains possible in one map

by Tim Holt · in Torque Game Engine Advanced · 06/09/2006 (8:37 am) · 9 replies

It's come to my attention that you can put more than one Atlas terrain in a single map, and I basically had no idea you could do this.

It's got some interesting potential to make terrain generation simpler...
* Multiple smaller terrains best optimized for the specific topography
* Multiple smaller terrain images meaning you're not trying to generate or deal with massive image files
* Dynamically loaded Atlas terrain tiles? Imagine being able to load and unload Atlas terrain dynamically as needed to help keep down the resource load on the client & server.
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Torque 3D Owner Mark Dynna
#1
06/09/2006 (9:10 am)
This is a very interesting idea. I wonder if having multiple AtlastInstances will cause problems with the terrain paging code that they have written, as it might be expecting a single instance. In that case the code/scripts would need to be written to dynamically load and unload the Atlas terrains.

Torque 3D Owner Stephen Zepp
#2
06/09/2006 (9:38 am)
It's designed specifically for multiple atlas terrain objects within one mission.

Torque Owner Tim Holt
#3
06/09/2006 (9:39 am)
Stephen, is the idea of paging in (and out) atlas terrain objects at all feasable?

Torque 3D Owner Mark Dynna
#4
06/09/2006 (10:17 am)
I don't think you'll need to Tim. From what Stephen says, if Atlas is designed to handle multiple terrain instances, it should do the paging for you.

Torque Owner Neo Binedell
#5
06/10/2006 (2:03 am)
@Tim:

I take it you missed the cave and multiple instance threads then

caverns

In this one check towards the middle (tons of images):

multiple instances

EDIT: damn post keeps extending url

~neo

Torque Owner Stefan Lundmark
#6
06/10/2006 (2:28 am)
@Tim Holt,

You should read Ben's posts/plans more, they are great stuff. Terrain paging is already in and has been for a while.

Torque 3D Owner James Bond
#7
06/10/2006 (3:32 am)
In a test that we ran, we used one Atlas instance, for the grass area (with grass detail map), and a duplicate with the areas of where the path, a little raises, with a stone detail map. It looked sweet, but when we wanted to add foilage replications to the terrain it bolted itself to the lower terrain block :S
-James

Torque Owner Tim Holt
#8
06/10/2006 (9:22 am)
Neo, etc. Interesting - no I haven't ever found those tidbits deep in the bowels of the forums.

BTW when I mentioned paging I meant paging of entire AtlastInstances and their contents, not how Atlas can page in sub-pieces. Trying to create and deal with massive height maps and ground textures is for lack of a better way to put it, a pain.

Associate Kyle Carter
#9
07/02/2006 (12:05 pm)
Atlas2 has a bunch of improvements in this area. You can easily add/delete instances from the scene though of course things may get a little chuggy when you do. I'd suggest just making it be one big paged instance - the paging is designed to solve this problem and it's already working in a tree, so why make it a forest if you don't have to? :)