Terrain Development Guide
Chapter 1: Targetware Terrain Basics
Overview of Mandatory Terrain Components
At a minimum, the following files are required in order to create a basic terrain.
| 1. | Terrain Descriptor File: | terrain_name.ter | (text) |
| 2. | Terrain Elevation Map: | terrain_name_elv.tga | (8-bit targa) |
| 3. | Terrain Ecology Map: | terrain_name_ecology.tga | (8-bit targa) |
| 4. | Ecology Texture Files: | filename.tga | (targa, no alpha layer) |
An illustration of the file structure and brief description of each file's purpose is given below:
The top-level terrain file is the Terrain Descriptor. This file sets the size and scope of the terrain, it controls what components are to be included in the terrain, and how all those components will be presented when the terrain is rendered.
The Elevation Map controls the ground height at every point in the terrain. Through this file the flatlands, mountains, and valleys of your terrain will be formed.
The Ecology Map sets the type of ground cover at every point in the terrain. The location of each forest, city, farm, etc are controlled by this file.
Ecology Texture Files are a set of many graphics files containing the images you want placed on the terrain. For example, if you want farm land in your terrain, you will need to provide an image of farm land for the graphics engine to draw onto the terrain. The number of texture files that are needed depends on the number of distinct land types you have specified in the Terrain Descriptor File and the Ecology Map. These images are typically referred to as Textures.
NOTE: Any unique file name can be used for the files above. However, it is highly recommended that the names you use provide a description of each file's contents. This will make managing and locating files much easier. Examples: europe.ter; europe_elevation.tga; europe_ecology; pine_forest.tga.
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