Noise modeler: An interactive editor and library for procedural terrains via continuous generation and compilation of GPU shaders

Abstract

In online procedural generation, content is generated as the game is running on the consumers computer. Our GPU-based Noise Modeler composites noise and other functions through a flow-graph editor similar to the ones used by procedural shader editors and offline terrain generators. Our framework enables non-programmers to edit models for procedural terrain while observing the effect of changes immediately in a real-time preview. Each time a change is made to the model, a corresponding GLSL shader function is automatically generated. The shader is then compiled, and used to render a real-time terrain preview.