Creating a terrain with Perlin noise

In this recipe, we will learn how to construct a surface in 3D using Perlin noise to create organic deformations that resemble a piece of terrain.

Getting ready

Include the necessary files to draw using OpenGL, Perlin noise, a Maya camera for navigation, and Cinder's math utilities. Add the following code to the top of the source file:

#include "cinder/gl/gl.h"
#include "cinder/Perlin.h"
#include "cinder/MayaCamUI.h"
#include "cinder/CinderMath.h"

Also, add the following using statements:

using namespace ci;
using namespace ci::app;
using namespace std;

How to do it…

We will create a grid of 3D points and use Perlin noise to calculate a smooth surface.

1. Declare struct to store the vertices of the terrain by adding the following code before the applications class declaration:

   struct Vertice{
       Vec3f position;
       Color color;
   };

2. Add the following members to the applications class declaration:

   vector< vector<Vertice> > mTerrain;
   int mNumRows, mNumLines...