Drift-Diffusion Based Real-Time Dynamic Terrain Deformation

Abstract

In the natural world, terrains are dynamic entities which change their morphology due to their interaction with other agents in the environment. However, in real-time applications terrains are often represented as static meshes, which present no interaction capabilities. This paper presents a novel real-time 2D method for dynamic terrain simulations, aimed for applications in the entertainment industry. This method is based on a Dynamically-Displaced Height-map and on the numerical solutions, obtained using an Euler method, of a modified drift-diffusion equation. The method allows objects to interact with the terrain and to deform it in real time, it is easy to implement and generates different kinds of realistic tracks depending on the soil composition.