Map generation algorithms

Question

Hi,

I am currently working on a game in C# Xna, which works with (X,Y,Z) coordinates. Each unit, contains some information about what is placed at that position, etc dirt, rock or nothing. But I am pretty new into 3D game development, and I need some ideas for 3D map generation algorithms. I thought of interpolation or perlin noise, but I would appreciate if someone would have some examples or ideas for which patterns to follow. By that I mean that first you would do perlin noise, then after you would do interpolation, and so on. Source codes would also be mostly appreciated :) -Thanks

Answer 1

You might want to look at existing projects such as artificial terrain genererator

Answer 2

Use the real world! The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has a wonderful dataset of elevations worldwide. You can obtain it directly from the USGS at http://ned.usgs.gov/.