Our member edcaze2k3 pointed out a new blog over on the official Cities Unlimited site that describes how terraforming will be done in CU. It looks like MC will include options for making maps both from height maps (as was possible in SC4) and from scratch. They are relying on tools that are already out on the market: a smart move if one aims to shorten development times. Florent from the CU development team ensures us they will keep on working to make CU run as smoothly as possible:

In closing, I’d like to specify that we are continuing to fine-tune our ideas, development efforts, algorithms and tools, all to ensure that our game’s graphics engine generates a realistic rendering with the least machine calculation time. We want Cities Unlimited to be able to run on older machines, all the while providing gamers with a realistic and enjoyable experience.

For our enjoyment a video is included with the blog that shows the current state of affairs. It looks awesome so check it out!