Terrain

What is terrain

Terrain is the description of the composition of the ground, both near the surface as well as deeper below.

How is Terrain implemented in the Tygron Platform

The Terrain in the Project is defined through polygons indicating the type of Terrain present in any location. The Terrain data consists of two layers, a surface layer (above-ground) and a sub-surface layer (underground). For any given location on either layer, only one Terrain Type can be present. In other words every location has exactly one surface layer Terrain Type and one subsurface layer Terrain Type.

Terrain Type

Main article: Terrain Type

The Terrain polygons each have an associated Terrain Type, which holds the actual data of what the Terrain polygon represents. Only the Terrain Type holds any Attributes to define the Terrain's behavior.

Terrain elevation

Main article: Elevation model

Although conceptually related, the height of the Terrain is explicitly not part of the Terrain itself or of the Terrain Types. Instead, based on the presence or selection of specific Terrain Types, modifications to the elevation model are made. For example, replacing a terrain with a type of water will cause a change for the elevation model, but that change can be supressed.

Terrains define what Terrain Type is present for any given location, and thus how the ground behaves. The elevation model defines the height of the ground for any given location.