Simplex noise 3d map generation [duplicate]

Question

I've just started learning 3d stuff and want to make minecraft clone, cause cubes are easy ( I hope ) :) Arleady wrote chunk creation, menagement and displaying and want to generate nice terrain, but I dont know how. I found simplex noise and perlin noise c++ ports, but I dont know how to use these functions to generate heightmap. I tried it but terrain is mostly "jumpy". I want it more smooth/real.

Should I use 2d or 3d version and what octaves, persistance, and scale settings should I use? Should x y z be my array index values or time or what? I just need explaination how to use these noise fuction to generate map. I know there's a lot of stuff about this, but I really run through tons of it and still don't get it, so any explaination or links are welcome. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Start here: Really nice noise library because using noise in a meaningful way takes a little work.

Most of your "what octaves, persistence... etc..." questions are answered by trying values and sticking with what works for you, there is no universal truth otherwise all maps in all games would look the same. In fact, the best way to get up to speed is to build a quick tool that lets you change these values and generate new data dynamically so you can see what these different numbers do to real data.

The basic concept is that you have a variety of noise types at your disposal and the art of creating usable maps comes from layering these noises much like a photoshop artist layers graphics to get the final picture.