Terraffectors and the Art of Consensus Building

Abstract

We are an earth-moving species. The surface of the earth the world over is testament to that fact. From the irrigation canals and funerary mounds of ancient cultures to modern day dams, mines, quarries, road cuts, basements and golf courses the evidence is plain: We are obsessed with reshaping the world beneath our feet. Earth sculpting has always been and remains an expensive endeavor. The carpenter’s adage,“Measure twice, cut once,” applies here as well. In today’s competitive markets, thorough planning and accurate volume assessment are more important than ever. Digital technologies are emerging as critical components of the planning process. Not only do they expedite the tedious drafting chores involved with any significant construction project but, coupled with high-resolution terrain models and aerial imagery, they allow the engineer far greater insight and computational accuracy than was previously possible. Financial and social concerns frequently converge upon the design engineer encouraging the evaluation of multiple design alternatives and creative solutions. The final design must satisfy a wide range of stakeholders’ objectives including maximum aesthetic appeal, minimal environmental damage, and of course financial viability. Again digital technologies have much to offer when it comes to optimizing design among such disparate constraints. Communication of ideas between designer and stakeholders is the key to resolving differences and visualization is the key to communication. Software especially enabled for visualizing the natural and engineered landscape is a valuable asset to designers who need to communicate. Software with these capabilities is commercially available and has been helping stakeholders reach consensus for nearly a decade. In particular one software package, World Construction Setâ, embodies a unique and powerful approach to modeling engineered elements of the landscape. It is a procedural landform geometry engine built into a photorealistic renderer. Using terrain models, lines, polygons, cross-section profiles, material descriptions, foliage images and 3D objects, the esoteric plans of the designer are transformed into understandable, believable representations - pictures which accurately and artistically communicate the designer’s ideas to the technical and non-technical audience alike. These digitial tools have been dubbed Terraffectorsä and have evolved to fill the visualization needs of transportation, mining, reservoir and site planning engineers, golf course and ski resort designers, landscape architects and even the film and game development industries, all of whom have a common need to portray their unique view of the earth. As Terraffector technology is adapted by this wide spectrum of users new needs are exposed. The technology continues to evolve in an ongoing effort to fulfill these needs. The future of this technology is as much in the hands and minds of its users as it is of its developers. Recent and imminent Terraffector advances are illustrated in this presentation along with a discussion of trends that guide this Terraffected path we travel.

Terraffector is a trademark and World Construction Set is a registered trademark of 3D Nature, LLC.