well i have defined a terrain using fixed dimensions for simplicity to test out some game ideas i have. basically i would like to know what is the simpliest algorithm to determine what to draw and what not to draw? like octree or a roam?

i was thinking of quadtrees but are octrees easier to implement?

For a terrainmap, quadtrees make the most sense. Octtrees are the three-dimensional version of quadtrees, and a terrain-heightmap really isn''t three-dimensional. It''s two dimensional. For a given x, y, coordinate, there will only be one vertex. So use quadtrees. They should be a little easier to code, too. But both are pretty simple, and they''re amost identical. One just works in two dimensions, and the other works in three.

As for roam, that would be used in combination with quadtrees or octrees (and it would work very well!). All roam is is a method of making geometry farther away have fewer polygons then geometry closer to the camera. In a nutshell, roam is the recursive subdivision of 45, 45, 90 right triangles into two smaller 45, 45, right triangles, and the division of adjacent triangles so as to avoid t-junctions. It''s entirely different from quadtrees.

is there another tutorial that is easy to understand other then the one i found on this site?

is there another tutorial that is easy to understand other then the one i found on this site?