science

Outerra

Outerra is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Outerra rather than just read about it. In short: Outerra s.r.o is a Slovak computer software company best known for its middleware 3D planetary graphics engine, called Outerra engine, in development since 2008. The engine renders high-quality terrain, terrain texturing, flora and water flow normal maps using relatively sparse and highly compressed data through fractal processing and other types of procedural generation.

Key takeaways

Outerra belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Outerra to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Outerra from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Outerra s.r.o is a Slovak computer software company best known for its middleware 3D planetary graphics engine, called Outerra engine, in development since 2008. The engine renders high-quality terrain, terrain texturing, flora and water flow normal maps using relatively sparse and highly compressed data through fractal processing and other types of procedural generation. The game Anteworld uses real world data to create a virtual replica of planet Earth.

Features Features of the engine and its tech-demo Anteworld include:

Fractal refinement of preexisting terrain data Support of vector-based data, such as roads Seamless transitioning from outer space to planet surface Chromium browser integration Land vehicle physics and JSBSim flight dynamics model library for aircraft physics Unlimited visibility Dynamic and adjustable time flow FreeTrack support FBX importer and export of models in self-installing OTX format Oculus Rift support

Anteworld

The developers of Outerra in 2012 released an alpha tech-demo for the engine called Anteworld (the name comes from the Latin prefix Ante-, meaning prior-to in time - "A world that was") that consists of a digital replica of the whole planet Earth at a 1:1 scale. The virtual world can be explored in a free-camera mode as well as in vehicles such as planes, boats and cars. It also features a first person walking mode. For the mirror world real world data was used - ingame the user can blend in an embedded Google Maps of real Earth that is synchronized with the current camera position. Since June 2013 Anteworld provides support for Oculus Rift. Furthermore, user-made objects such as houses and vehicles can be spawned and used in the sandbox game. While the tech-demo is free some features require an upgrade to the $15 full version. An accompanying novella that is loosely tied to the game written by C. Shawn Smith is planned as well.

Returning aboard an interstellar colonizer ship built in the Golden Age of Mankind, players arrive on the planet earth to discover civilization and humanity vanished. They will have to rebuild the civilization - exploring, fighting, and competing for resources while searching for clues to the disappearance of humanity. The game will contain several modes, the basic one will be a single-player game but with player-built locations being synchronized and replicated between clients. That means player can settle in a free location of his choice where he can build and play, and when he goes exploring he'll be able to observe and visit other sites where other players are building their world.

Middle-Earth DEM Project In 2013 a separate non-profit motivated group of hobbyists released a first version of terrain data of Middle-Earth compiled for Outerra. The goal of this digital elevation model project, which was launched by Oshyan Greene and Carl Lingard in 2006, is what they summarize as a "living, breathing Middle Earth" - a highly detailed model which includes rivers, vegetation, buildings, roads and subterranean features. The sources for the maps include Tolkien's maps (such as the ones in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion), Strachey's Journeys of Frodo, Fonstad's The Atlas of Middle-earth, the locations used in Peter Jackson's movies as well as fan made maps.

Virtual Mars In February 2014 the developers announced ongoing development, which was planned since October 2009, to add another planet to the two already existing ones (Earth and the fictional Middle-Earth) – Mars. Additionally in 2014 they stated that "ultimately the whole solar system should be accessible" in a single game on Twitter.

TitanIM TitanIM (Titan Integrated Military) is an Outerra-based military simulation platform that was revealed in December 2014 at the world's largest modeling, simulation and training conference oriented at military use, I/ITSEC in Orlando. TitanIM was granted exclusive license to the Outerra engine for military use. The initial public release version of the software is known as Titan Vanguard.

Microprose In 2022, the Outerra game engine was acquired by Microprose, with the aim of finishing and publishing the game after more than 15 years of development, and publish the game both as a sandbox and as the game engine for microprose.

References

Further reading Maloof, Blake (Mar. 6, 2012) "Earth's Digital Doppelganger", Make. Rose, Mike (Jan. 31, 2014) "Outerra: A seamless planet rendering engine[link removed]", Gamasutra. Templeton, Graham (Feb. 6, 2014) "Outerra: The seamless planet rendering engine that could change open-world games Archived 2014-10-14 at the Wayback Machine", Geek.com.

External links Official website Outerra on Blogger /r/Outerra - Subreddit for the engine and Anteworld User submitted mods

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Outerra

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Outerra claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Outerra before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Outerra ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Outerra

In research: Outerra appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Outerra in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Outerra is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Video game companies of Slovakia, Video game development companies, Video game engines, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Outerra outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Outerra in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Outerra means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Outerra out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Outerra in simple terms?

Why does Outerra matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Outerra?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Outerra.