# Terrain

## Overview

The Terrain Panel is used to set the boundaries and base terrain of the project, as well as to specify its size and level of detail. It also provides the option to activate and configure a High Detail Preview. This feature is particularly useful for large terrains, as it prevents real-time rendering performance from being compromised.

## Terrain

<table><thead><tr><th width="159.5999755859375">Property</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Seed</strong></td><td>The seed of the generated terrain.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Resolution</strong></td><td>The size of the generated terrain in width and length.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Precision</strong></td><td>The relation between pixels on the screen and the metric measurement system.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Noise World Scale</strong></td><td>Scales all base noises, noises in distributions and filters to allow you to zoom into the world and change the relative size of the terrain.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Scale Objects with World</strong></td><td>Also scales objects to keep them proportional in size to the rest of the terrain.</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Base Noise

World Creator uses the diamond-square algorithm to build its terrain. This means it starts at a low resolution and iteratively upscales the previous terrain until it reaches the desired final resolution. The **Base Noise** is applied at the start of each upscaling step, according to the parameters of its level step.

<table><thead><tr><th width="159.599853515625">Property</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Seed</strong></td><td>The seed of the base noise.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>General Strength</strong></td><td>The strength of the base noise.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Offset X/Z</strong></td><td>Allows you to shift the position of the base noise.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Level Steps</strong></td><td>Controls the strength of the base noise on each upscale <a href="../walkthrough/terrain-setup/level-step-system">level step</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Shape Settings

The Shape Settings control the base terrain on which [Filters](https://docs.world-creator.com/reference/terrain/biome/filters), [Shape Layers](https://docs.world-creator.com/reference/terrain/shape-layers), [Simulation Layers](https://docs.world-creator.com/reference/terrain/simulation-layers) and everything else operate. It is defined once for each terrain and can then be individually shaped and adjusted by Biomes.

<table><thead><tr><th width="159.599853515625">Property</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Shape Type</strong></td><td>This allows you to switch between several base shapes, such as Classic, Canyon and Dunes, among others.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Base

These settings are available for alls Shape Types and control how the shape is applied.

<table><thead><tr><th width="159.599853515625">Property</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Seed</strong></td><td>The seed of the terrain base shape.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Strength</strong></td><td>The height of the terrain base shape.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Start Level</strong></td><td>This controls the <a href="../walkthrough/terrain-setup/level-step-system">level step</a> at which the base shape is inserted into the generation process. This is a crucial setting as it significantly impacts the shape of the landscape and the amount of time that filters and other effects in World Creator have to operate on the terrain.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Noise Height</strong></td><td>Allows you do adjust the range of the generated base shape noise.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Placement

<table><thead><tr><th width="159.5999755859375">Property</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Offset X/Z</strong></td><td>Allows you shift your base shape in the scene.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Anchor X/Z</strong></td><td>Allows you to set the anchor of the rotation.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Rotation</strong></td><td>Allows you to rotate your base shape in the scene.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Shape

These settings are shape type specific and enable you to adjust the base shape to your liking. For an overview of the different shapes and there parameters have a look at the [Landscape Shape Laye](https://docs.world-creator.com/reference/terrain/shape-layers/landscape)r as most of the shape types are also available there and fully documented.

## High Detail Preview

The High Detail Preview is a designated preview area where highly detailed terrain is rendered. This feature comes to play in scenarios where the terrain size is too large to render in real-time. It ensures a smooth and efficient terrain creation process, even when working with expansive terrains.

<table><thead><tr><th width="159.60009765625">Property</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Mode</strong> </td><td><p>Determines the zone in which the high detail preview is rendered. there are 3 options:<br></p><ul><li>None<br>there is no area where a high detail preview will be rendered</li><li><strong>Zone</strong><br>the user can define a zone in which te high detail preview will be rendered</li><li><strong>Camera</strong><br>the high detail preview will be rendered underneath the camera</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Show Outline</strong></td><td>Renders a red outline around the area in which the high detail preview is rendered</td></tr></tbody></table>