Object Oriented Terrain Modelling: Lessons Learned from Java3D Development Issues

Creating believable relief by hand is inherently expensive, requiring both proprietary tools and trained designers, which hampers rapid scenario generation and limits reuse. Our approach constructs large-scale natural terrains at run-time, without the need for designers or proprietary tools. In this way developers can use the system to quickly and cheaply build large-scale natural environment in response to the needs of the specific usage scenario, such as geographic information system (GIS) data analysis, scientific visualization, or to improve mission as well as training effectiveness. We have provided prototype which can be easily linked to a GIS for data analysis and visualization. This paper describes experiences and outcomes of designing three-dimensional terrain environment using Java3D technology. It also briefly touches upon level-of-detail and navigation techniques.