Orogeny

It’s a geophysically-based world generator. Geography is generated through a somewhat physically accurate plate tectonics simulation, followed by topographic refinement and biosphere definitions from more standard procedural map generation methods.

Building and running

$ mkdir build
$ cmake -B build [-G Ninja]
$ cd build
$ cmake --build . --parallel
$ bin/orogeny

Roadmap

• Generate initial plates and motions.
• Simulate basic boundary interactions:
  • Terrain increases on top-side of ocean-ocean and ocean-continental convergent boundaries.
  • Terrain increases (at a slower rate) close to transform faults and decreases at the faults.
  • Continental-continental convergent boundaries: Both sides increase?
  • Decreasing terrain at divergent boundaries.
• Hotspots and volcanic activity behind top-side at convergent boundaries.
• Plate dynamics: ridge push and slab pull mechanics.
• Basic asthenosphere interactions with moving hot spots and bulges which create new divergent boundaries.

Sources and inspiration

Similar implementations

• SH18 Humanity shader by davidar and other shaders by the same author
• Gleba by Calandiel
• Tectonic Explorer by the Concord Consortium
• Geographically accurate planet simulator by Devote

Numerical methods

• Notes on Discrete Exterior Calculus by Andrew Gilette and references therein.
• Simple and Fast Fluids by Martin Guay et. al. and references therein.
• Numerical Methods for Fluid Dynamics with Applications to Geophysics by Durran

Geophysics

• Plate Tectonics: Continental Drift and Mountain Building by Frish, Menschede and Blakey
• Qualitative Plate Tectonics: Physics of the Earth - Plate Kinematics - Geodynamics by Schettino
• Formation and evolution of continental crust: Hadean-Proterozoic by Rao and Nara
• The Evolution of the Continental Crust and the Onset of Plate Tectonics by Hawkesworth, Cawood and Dhuime
• Was There Land on the Early Earth? by Korenaga

Further inspiration

• Star system generator by FrunkQ
• Erosion shadertoy by Fewes