Basic Landshape Concepts

Landshape is 2½D

Is Landshape 3D? Yes and no. Landshape terrain exists in full 3D space. But its properties may also be fully described in only 2D plus a height dimension.

This approach is sometimes called 2½D.

This way of working is very useful, since it makes it much simpler to create, edit and review terrain.

Most Data is Useless

In practice, most data is useless. By narrowing down the problem space to essentials, you can focus on your design ideas, rather than the echnology in between.

Most interesting terrain properties can be expressed in 2D, plus a height dimension. As in architecture, the plan drives the results.

The Pinboard Analogy

You can think of Landshape terrain as an infinitely elastic rubber membrane, fastened on top of a pinboard. On this pinboard, you are free to add or remove pins anywhere, and free to push pins any amount up or down.

No Terrain Overhangs

In Landshape, terrain can never fold over itself. Landshape will not allow you to create terrain overhangs, caves, or vertical walls. Landshape supports any slope as long as it is under 90°.

Communicate with Terrain by Reusable Geometry Groups

Pick commands are one of the core ways way to communicate with terrain in Landshape.

In Landshape, pickers work by letting selecting reusable geometry groups, also known as control groups. These groups are made of edges and faces.

Use control groups to drive the terrain results. Impose your vision onto the terrain.

Read more about Pickers.

No Need to Select the Terrain

The terrain is always implicit in Landshape operations. You never need to select the terrain to affect it.

A few special commands, like Noise and Quake let you select the entire terrain as input.

But selecting terrain is never required. Instead, you use control groups to communicate with the terrain.

Best Practices

• Start low resolution. Raise resolution locally, only where needed.
• Start with a somewhat oversize plot. Finalize plot perimeter towards the end. Currently, it is easier to trim plots than to grow them.
• Use multiresolution. Use low resolution for context terrain. Use higher resolution only where required. Often, this is where you need to express detail, for example around key buildings, roads, or other important features.
• Keep your facebudget in check. It is easier to add resolution than to remove it.
• To add local terrain definition Embed edges. This enables you to create sharp transitions, like almost vertical walls. Remember that Landshape terrain may never go straight down in 90 degree angle.
• Keep every terrain plot continuous.

Avoid

• Avoid overlapping superimposing terrain plots.
• Avoid making holes in the terrain plot.
• Avoid stacking edges exactly on top of each other. This can lead to unpredictable results. Some commands are less sensitive to this. Others may give unexpected results.

Holygon aims to make Landshape automatically handle overlaps, plot growth, stacked edges, and holes in future updates.

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🌱 ...this Learn section is still incomplete. Expect more content in a future Landshape update. Keep Landshape updated and check back soon.