Simple River System(s)

[j meyer]

Since none of the math-heads came up with an elaborate scientific approach so far,
I thought,well,let me take the first step then and get it rolling,hopefully.
So here's my simplistic approach(excuse the low quality,it was done quick'n'dirty)
[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

Done with SimpleShapeShaders,add colours and transform shaders as a mask,then warped.
I can think of some other,similar approaches,too.
If there is interest I gladly provide more info.

Feel free to add your ideas to this thread.

[TheBadger]

what does it look like cut into a terrain?

[mhaze]

Excellent idea how are the connection kept together when warping??

[Tangled-Universe]

Excellent idea how are the connection kept together when warping??

That's simple, just make sure you warp the whole lot at once, so merge/stack the simple shape shaders and then warp them.

[j meyer]

TheBadger - in it's present state pretty ugly,but it should be refinable.
                  I just wanted to start a discussion,so it was not meant as ready to use
                  preset or so.

mhaze - thanks and like T-U said.


Come on guys,speak up.
                 

[Dune]

Good idea to start this thread. Hopefully the math guys pop up after all, but this is a nice idea to start with. I'll follow this thread with interest and hopefully get a bright idea one day.

[Hetzen]

Looks like you've got the start of a good method already. What are you expecting maths to solve here?

[Dune]

Well, maybe I'm under the (eduguessed) impression that all natural phenomena can be reduced to a series of mathematical equations, and that e.g. there is a way to add side branches at 'if... then' intervals, and a way to taper all branches into zero, perhaps randomized by a fractal. Main problem would also be to soften the whole equation, so I 'have a hard head in this' (is that an English expression as well?).
A TG river method as there once was, where you could pick some high point(s) and that a node (or series of nodes) would calculate the fastest descent and carve out a widening (and keeping level) gully, which could then be additionally eroded, would of course be the ultimate....   

[mhaze]

We need to be able to perform conditional loops in nodes......

[Hetzen]

Well, maybe I'm under the (eduguessed) impression that all natural phenomena can be reduced to a series of mathematical equations, and that e.g. there is a way to add side branches at 'if... then' intervals, and a way to taper all branches into zero, perhaps randomized by a fractal. Main problem would also be to soften the whole equation, so I 'have a hard head in this' (is that an English expression as well?).
A TG river method as there once was, where you could pick some high point(s) and that a node (or series of nodes) would calculate the fastest descent and carve out a widening (and keeping level) gully, which could then be additionally eroded, would of course be the ultimate....   

To follow the least resistant course down a landscape will need some sort of particle generator that produces points at the highest peaks, then look at the normals around that point to choose the least resistant path to the next point, then start again. The problem with this, is that there is no way to record previous decisions, without creating a an equation per point. Programs like Geocontrol, ask you to place 'springs' on the terrain as stating points for rivers and record that path as a bitmap.

The next problem is that you then have to check to see if the path of one point crosses another river  particle to make a rule that the smallest volume joins the larger.

A possible solution is to reverse engineer the problem. ie I want the river system to look like this, so therefore I have to build the terrain around the feature.

With your ssss, I would make them wider with a bevel edge half the width of the shape, so I can use the ramp to influence the general shape of the land, then use a colour adjust to raise the black point to make the ssss narrower to carve the actual river.

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck.

Cheers

[Dune]

A possible solution is to reverse engineer the problem. ie I want the river system to look like this, so therefore I have to build the terrain around the feature.

That's the way I do my roads, and in fact I thought the same way for a river system, hence my idea of making it a soft system, as you also pointed out.
I agree it would be very hard the other way around.

[j meyer]

Dune - It sure would be nice if Matt could do something like that some day.
          But for now you could help yourself producing some preset elements like the above
          example - and variations thereof - and add these elements to a main river.Thus
          having a versatile system (of river elements) to fit your needs at least to a certain
          extent,methinks.

[N810]

I wonder is Terragen will ever incorperate any L-system nodes...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-systems
These would be quite usefull for all sorts of procedural generation,
Rivers, trees, populations, textures, ect...

[Dune]

Well, the site Inky found ( http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,16103.0.html) is quite handy to make some maps, with a little effort. Just blur the outcome for a nice mask.
Though some streams are a bit unlogical.

[j meyer]

Maybe that could be of some use for map generating,too.
http://www.algodoo.com/