Landscape Generator

Procedural terrain generation with multiple biomes and seasonal variations.

GitHub: gddickinson/landscape-generator

Overview

A sophisticated procedural landscape generator that creates realistic terrains with multiple biomes, seasonal variations, geographic features, and natural transitions. Uses advanced noise algorithms and feature placement techniques to generate natural-looking landscapes for visualization, game development, or geographic simulation.

Features

Terrain Generation

Multi-Octave Noise: Perlin-like noise for natural height maps
Height Map Generation: Realistic elevation profiles
Smooth Transitions: Gaussian smoothing for natural blending
Customizable Parameters: Full control over terrain characteristics
Seed-Based Generation: Reproducible terrains

Biome System

Multiple Biomes: Ocean, beach, plains, forest, hills, mountains, snow
Biome Transitions: Smooth gradients between regions
Elevation-Based: Automatic biome assignment by height
Climate Zones: Temperature and moisture influence
Voronoi Regions: Organic biome boundaries

Geographic Features

Mountains: Realistic mountain ranges and peaks
Water Bodies: Oceans, lakes, rivers
Forests: Clustered vegetation systems
Settlements: Procedural village/town placement
Road Networks: Path-finding based road generation
Rivers: Flow simulation from mountains to sea

Seasonal Variations

Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Color Palettes: Season-specific biome colors
Snow Coverage: Dynamic winter snow levels
Vegetation Changes: Seasonal plant life variations
Temperature Maps: Seasonal climate simulation

Installation

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/gddickinson/landscape-generator.git
cd landscape-generator

# Install dependencies
pip install numpy matplotlib scipy opencv-python

# Generate a landscape
python landscape_generator.py

Usage

Basic Generation

from landscape_generator import EnhancedTerrainParams, EnhancedLandscapeGenerator, Season

# Create default parameters
params = EnhancedTerrainParams(
    size=512,
    season=Season.SUMMER,
    feature_density=0.08
)

# Generate landscape
generator = EnhancedLandscapeGenerator(params, seed=42)
generator.generate_enhanced_landscape()

Custom Configuration

# Detailed parameter control
params = EnhancedTerrainParams(
    size=512,                # Landscape size (pixels)
    octaves=6,              # Noise detail level
    persistence=0.5,        # Amplitude falloff
    lacunarity=2.0,         # Frequency increase
    base_frequency=4.0,     # Initial frequency
    sea_level=0.35,         # Water threshold
    mountain_level=0.7,     # Mountain threshold
    snow_level=0.85,        # Snow line elevation
    season=Season.AUTUMN,   # Current season
    feature_density=0.08    # Geographic feature density
)

generator = EnhancedLandscapeGenerator(params, seed=12345)
landscape = generator.generate_enhanced_landscape()

Seasonal Comparison

# Generate all four seasons
for season in [Season.SPRING, Season.SUMMER, Season.AUTUMN, Season.WINTER]:
    params.season = season
    generator = EnhancedLandscapeGenerator(params, seed=42)
    generator.generate_enhanced_landscape()

Parameters

Terrain Parameters

Parameter	Range	Description	Default
`size`	128-2048	Output resolution	512
`octaves`	1-12	Noise layer count	6
`persistence`	0.1-0.9	Detail preservation	0.5
`lacunarity`	1.5-4.0	Frequency scaling	2.0
`base_frequency`	1.0-10.0	Initial noise frequency	4.0

Elevation Thresholds

Threshold	Range	Description	Default
`sea_level`	0.0-0.5	Water cutoff	0.35
`mountain_level`	0.6-0.9	Mountain start	0.7
`snow_level`	0.7-0.95	Snow line	0.85

Feature Parameters

Parameter	Range	Description	Default
`feature_density`	0.0-0.2	Feature placement	0.08
`settlement_count`	0-50	Number of settlements	Auto
`road_density`	0.0-1.0	Road network complexity	Auto

Biomes

Biome Types

Deep Ocean: < sea_level - 0.05
Shallow Ocean: < sea_level
Beach: sea_level to sea_level + 0.05
Plains: Low elevation
Forest: Medium elevation
Hills: Medium-high elevation
Mountains: > mountain_level
Snow-Capped: > snow_level

Seasonal Colors

Each biome has season-specific color schemes: - Spring: Light greens, pastels - Summer: Rich greens, vibrant colors - Autumn: Oranges, browns, yellows - Winter: White snow, muted colors

Algorithms

Noise Generation

Multi-Octave Perlin Noise: Layered noise for detail
Random Phase Shifting: Variation in patterns
Gaussian Smoothing: Natural transitions
Rotation & Scaling: Pattern diversity

Feature Placement

Voronoi Diagrams: Organic region generation
Noise Masks: Natural feature clustering
Path Finding: Realistic road networks
Clustering: Settlement grouping
Flow Simulation: River generation

Visualization

Output Views

Height Map: Raw elevation data (2D/3D)
Biome Map: Colored regions
Seasonal View: Season-specific colors
Feature Map: Geographic features overlay
Analysis Views: Technical debugging visuals

3D Rendering

# Enable 3D visualization
generator.show_3d = True
generator.generate_enhanced_landscape()

Technical Stack

Core Libraries

NumPy: Array operations and noise generation
Matplotlib: 2D/3D plotting and visualization
SciPy: Mathematical operations (smoothing, filtering)
OpenCV: Feature mask generation
Pillow (optional): Image export

Custom Implementations

Multi-octave noise algorithm
Voronoi-based region generation
Path-finding for roads
Settlement clustering

Applications

Game Development: Procedural world generation
Geographic Simulation: Terrain modeling
Art & Visualization: Generative landscape art
Education: Teaching geographic principles
Virtual Environments: 3D world creation
Map Generation: Fantasy/sci-fi cartography

Examples

Desert Landscape

params = EnhancedTerrainParams(
    sea_level=0.2,          # Less water
    mountain_level=0.75,    # More dramatic peaks
    feature_density=0.02,   # Sparse features
    season=Season.SUMMER
)

Alpine Region

params = EnhancedTerrainParams(
    mountain_level=0.6,     # More mountains
    snow_level=0.75,        # Lower snow line
    feature_density=0.12,   # More features
    season=Season.WINTER
)

Island Chain

params = EnhancedTerrainParams(
    sea_level=0.4,          # More ocean
    base_frequency=6.0,     # Smaller landmasses
    octaves=8,              # More detail
    season=Season.SUMMER
)

Export Options

# Save as image
generator.save_image("landscape.png")

# Export height map
generator.export_heightmap("heightmap.npy")

# Export biome data
generator.export_biomes("biomes.json")

# Generate animation (seasonal cycle)
generator.create_season_animation("seasons.gif")

Future Enhancements

Erosion simulation
Weather system integration
Dynamic day/night cycles
Flora/fauna placement
Geological layer simulation
Real-time generation
Unity/Unreal Engine export

Generate infinite unique terrains with procedural algorithms