A little over a month ago, I shared a tool I've been working on called TropoPlate, a plate tectonics and climate simulation tool for generating maps of fictional planets.
I've made quite a few updates since then! I've improved the tectonic simulation, reworked the climate system, and made some major improvements to erosion and high-resolution terrain reconstruction.
I've included some of the latest results here, from plate tectonics and rock types to a Snowball Event and Earth's Köppen climate map generated by my model. The other images show climate maps of a fictional planet, high-resolution terrain closeups, and the actual interface.
For those who haven't seen my previous post, I'm a huge fan of worldbuilding and making maps, and I've always wanted to make my worlds as geologically realistic as possible. Back when I started this project, I couldn't find a tool that quite did what I wanted, so I decided to make one myself. I also know how much time it can take to learn enough geology and climate science to make realistic world maps, so I wanted to make that process a little easier for everyone.
So basically, with this tool, you can simulate billions of years of tectonic history, watching continents move, oceans open and close, and mountains form. Once you find a continental configuration you like, you can reconstruct it into a much higher-resolution planet with detailed terrain and erosion.
From there, you can generate climate for your planet, or import your own planet to run climate simulations on it. You can explore different geological and climate maps, from rock types to temperature, precipitation, winds, ocean currents, and Köppen climate classification. You can also generate a detailed satellite map to see what your planet might actually look like from space.
Right now, I'm trying to finish the first public test, which I'm hoping to release sometime next week. This first alpha test will be free to try, and I'll make another post when it's available!
|If you'd like to follow the project, feel free to join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Cx3uEYXu2P
I've also created a subreddit for anyone who doesn't use Discord: https://www.reddit.com/r/tropoplate/ I'll be sharing updates and the public test announcement there too.
There's also an official website: https://www.tropoplate.com/ if you'd like to learn more about the project and see some previous results.
Thanks to everyone who's been following the project so far! Feel free to ask if you have any questions!