Why its best way to load a terrain?
Im using a height map then i put it on a display list, its is correct?
Thanks
No point to the display list imo, its npot like your going ot draw the terrain multiple times anyway. If you were going ot do multipass multitexture you would use CVAs.
Dunno if this is what you are really asking but…
No, it’s not a good solution to use a display list to render terrain.
Using display lists can be usefull if you are planning to render SMALL terrains with fixed level of detail, no culling, no clipping and with fixed shape.
The best way is to use a rendering routine that computes and renders the terrain “on the fly”.
Read your height map in a data structure, then write a routine that “triangulates” small portions (patches) of it rendertime, better if you use a “precision” parameter (called LOD). (I’m using understandable but wrong words for that).
Now you are able to :
Choose wich patches are visible and render them or not.
Use a lower detail for farthest patches speeding up rendering.
Modify the terrain structure/shape (imagine water surfaces for example).
Hope it helps
Counter to what MrShoe says, putting the terrain into a display list relieves you from having to draw it vertex by vertex every frame. So it is a good idea, however…
… if the terrain changes from frame to frame or you want to speed up rendering with LOD and culling (as suggested by rIO), a display list is not appropriate.
[This message has been edited by Jambolo (edited 01-19-2002).]
What’s LOD and Culling? I am trying to render a terrain as well. Unfortunately I do not have an OGL Card and my frame rates are poor. I use a display list to render the terrain and only recompile when it has changed.
Any suggestions?