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Grand Canyon Total Conversion | |
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Introduction to project |
News Files and Resources |
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I've always had a love for the outdoors. While living and working at the south rim of the Grand Canyon
I fell in love with the Canyon, hiking it's trails, photographing it's many moods, and painting it's
wonders. Now years later and miles away I can recapture that feeling of place by recreating the
Canyon in pixels.
Using the Terragen program and a series of DEM derived Canyon terrains one can "paint" the landscape using a digital palette mixed from red, green, and blue (allowing for 16 million colors). The sun and clouds and the very atmosphere are also under your control. Through my "total conversion" project I wish to construct a detailed set of surface maps (color and texture) that realistically portray the Canyon's appearance. Surface mapping in Terragen uses altitude and slope constraints along with bumpiness, coverage, and fractal noise settings to control where and how designated colors appear on the terrain. The program then renders the landscape taking into account the lighting, atmosphere, cloud, and water settings. The rendered panorama at the top of this page lacks a surface map -- the terrain is gray. Yet the lighting, atmosphere, and clouds bring this shadowy scene to life. Layers of the Grand Canyon from top to bottom: Kaibab Limestone = Wall forming top rim of canyon Toroweap Formation = slope Coconino Sandstone = vertical wall Hermit Shale = slope Supai Group = series of hard and soft red layers Redwall Limestone = distinctive vertical wall Temple Butte Limestone = softer wall Muav Limestone = softer wall Bright Angel Shale = long eroded slopes Tapeats Sandstone = underlies the Tonto Platform, rim of inner gorge Inner Granite Gorge = Vishnu, Brahma Schists intruded by granite dikes. |
 Phase 1a Using my "real-time" photos as a reference I have started to render the rock layers and vegetation starting at the top with the Kaibab Limestone. |
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© 2001 - 2003 Patrick R. Leacock |
