PlaTec is a 2D terrain generator that uses a simplified model of plate tectonics to produce realistic heightmaps in real time.



The simulator starts with a flat fractal map and splits it randomly into plates. Plates are moved around the map. If continents of two plates collide, they fold creating mountain belts. If oceanic crust of one plate collides with another plate, subduction occurs resulting in coastal mountain ranges or island chains.



This project is part of my Bachelor of Engineering thesis in Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki, Finland. The thesis is freely downloadable from http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201204023993 . A Youtube video showing the simulator in action is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi4b45tMEPE .