Real-time hyper-amplification of planets

International audience; We propose an original method for generating planets with a high level of detail in real-time. Our approach relies on a procedural hyper-amplification algorithm: a controlled subdivision process that faithfully reproduces landforms and hydrosphere features at different scales. Starting from low-resolution user-defined control maps that provide information about the elevation , presence of large-scale water bodies and landforms types, we apply subdivision rules to obtain a high resolution hydrologically consistent planet model. We first generate a large-scale river network connected to inner seas and oceans, then synthesize the detailed hy-drographic landscapes, including river tributaries and lakes, mountain ranges, valleys, plateaus, deserts and hills systems. Our GPU implementation allows to interactively explore planets that are produced by tec-tonic simulations, generated procedurally or authored by artists. Basic subdivision Our subdivision Fig. 1 Compared to standard subdivision techniques, our method exhibits natural landform features such as valleys, rivers and varying landscape types.