How do the Genesis Data Maps work?asked by Al-Hey
TL;DRPlanet art teams generate data maps with Houdini and Substance Designer, which needs no custom tech yet; machine-learning elevation research looks promising but won't be part of the current work, and elevation is likely a future initiative.
Hi,
Our planet art team generate the data maps, and use tools such as Houdini and Substance Designer which both have powerful customisable systems to process data and allow you to create simulations of complex processes such as erosion, with relatively simple input maps.
While there is a large element of skill in setting up the tools to generate the data maps, this area is not a bottleneck in our pipeline so hasn't warranted any bespoke tech from the programming teams as yet.
As for machine learning generating planet data, that research has been on-going (alongside other work), and is focussed on generating primarily elevation data and is showing promising results, however it will not be part of the current Genesis/V5 work as the current focus is generating unique content on the planet surface rather than adjusting the underlying elevation. It's likely that the elevation maps will be our next long term initiative, but it's competing with several other topics like roads and rivers, so we'll see what the game directors prioritise when that time comes.
Cheers,
Ali Brown
Senior Director of Pixels and Large Lumps of Rock