Demo - Animated Terrain

library(rgl)
library(devout)
library(devoutrgl)
library(ggrgl)
library(ggplot2)
library(dplyr)
library(ambient)

Chunky Terrain with geom_tile_z() and {ambient} noise

{ambient} is a package for generating matrices of noise values.

These noise can be used as terrain.

#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# Create some perlin noise on a grid
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
set.seed(6)

colfunc <- colorRamp(topo.colors(20))

dat <- long_grid(x = seq(0, 60, 0.25), y = seq(0, 2, 0.25)) %>% 
  mutate(
    noise = 
      gen_perlin(x, y, frequency = 0.3) + 
      gen_perlin(x, y, frequency = 2) / 10,
    noise       = normalise(noise),
    top_col     = rgb(colfunc(noise), maxColorValue = 255),
    extrude_col = darken_colour(top_col),
    height      = noise * 100
  )

Terrain in 2D

#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# Plot each location as a coloured tile
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ggplot(dat) + 
  geom_tile(aes(x, y, fill = I(top_col))) + 
  # scale_fill_gradientn(colours = topo.colors(10)) + 
  theme_bw() + 
  coord_equal() + 
  labs(title = "Terrain via {ambient}")

Terrain in 3D

#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# 3d plot with geom_tile_z
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
p <- ggplot(dat[dat$x < 6,], aes(x, y, z = I(height))) +
  geom_tile_z(aes(fill = I(top_col), extrude_face_fill = I(extrude_col)), colour = NA,
              extrude = TRUE)  +
  labs(
    title    = "Animated Terrain",
    subtitle = "ggrgl::geom_tile_z() with {devoutrgl}"
  ) + 
  theme_ggrgl() + 
  coord_equal() + 
  theme(legend.position = 'none')


#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# The following user matrix was found by manipulating the view into an 
# exisint RGL window, and then using `par3d('userMatrix')` to extract it
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M <- structure(c(0.926770210266113, 0.119720481336117, -0.356039375066757, 
                 0, -0.328921854496002, 0.716400623321533, -0.615288972854614, 
                 0, 0.181404113769531, 0.687340617179871, 0.70331734418869, 0, 
                 0, 0, 0, 1), .Dim = c(4L, 4L))

#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# Render Plot in 3d with {devoutrgl}
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
devoutrgl::rgldev(fov = 30, view3d_args = list(userMatrix = M))
print(p)
invisible(dev.off())

Use your mouse, mouse buttons and scrollwheel to manipulate the 3d plot

Animated view

100 frames are rendered one-at-a-time and then externally stitched into an animated GIF.

#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# Plot each location as a coloured tile and z extrusion
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
start <- 1
idx <- 0
step <- 0.25
for (start in seq(1, max(dat$x)-5, step)) {
# for (start in 1:5) {
  print(start)
  
  sub_dat <- dat %>%
    as_tibble() %>% 
    filter(between(x, start, start+5))
  
  p <- ggplot(sub_dat, aes(x, y, z = I(height))) +
    geom_tile_z(aes(fill = I(top_col), extrude_face_fill = I(extrude_col)), colour = NA,
                extrude = TRUE)  +
    labs(
      title    = "Animated Terrain",
      subtitle = "ggrgl::geom_tile_z() with {devoutrgl}"
    ) + 
    theme_ggrgl() + 
    coord_equal() + 
    theme(legend.position = 'none')
  
  #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  # Render Plot in 3d with {devoutrgl}
  #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  idx <- idx + 1
  filename <- sprintf("working/terrain/%03i.png", idx)
  devoutrgl::rgldev(filename = filename, fov = 30, view3d_args = list(userMatrix = M), close_window = TRUE)
  print(p)
  invisible(dev.off())
}