Abstract: Technologies are disclosed herein for providing a pathfinding service for distributed processing of path data for a grid. The pathfinding service is configured to initiate computing instances to process the path data, and to determine if an acceptable path exists through the grid. Upon determination of the acceptable path, the pathfinding service may terminate any remaining computing instances.

Abstract: Technologies are disclosed herein for providing a vision-obstruction service for distributed processing of visibility data for a virtual environment. The vision-obstruction service is configured to initiate processing unit instances to process ray-trace data, and to determine if visibility exists between a source of a ray-trace and a destination of the ray-trace.

Abstract: Techniques for simulating destruction in a simulated space, for example, terrain, are disclosed herein. In some cases, one or more textures may be associated with an area of a simulated space, which may include a three dimensional space. A destructibility value, which may indicate the area's resilience to destruction or strength, may be associated with the area of simulated space. One or more textures of the simulated space may be changed or updated based on the occurrence of a destruction causing event. The change in one or more textures of the simulated space may be determined based at least in part on an intensity associated with the destruction causing event and the destructibility value of the affected simulated area.

Abstract: Techniques for simulating three dimensional spaces, such as terrain, are disclosed herein. In some cases, a three dimensional volume may be identified and a two dimensional area corresponding to the three dimensional volume may be determined. A plurality of layers may be associated with the two dimensional area, with each of the plurality of layers including at least one third dimension value and at least one layer characteristic. A subset of the plurality of layers, having at least one similar layer characteristic, may be combined into a combined layer associated with the two dimensional area. The association between the two dimensional area and the associated combined layer may then be stored and/or rendered into image data to be presented to a user.

Abstract: Techniques for simulating destruction in a simulated space, for example, terrain, are disclosed herein. In some cases, one or more textures may be associated with an area of a simulated space, which may include a three dimensional space. A destructibility value, which may indicate the area's resilience to destruction or strength, may be associated with the area of simulated space. One or more textures of the simulated space may be changed or updated based on the occurrence of a destruction causing event. The change in one or more textures of the simulated space may be determined based at least in part on an intensity associated with the destruction causing event and the destructibility value of the affected simulated area.