Math Functions Reference

Overview

The math/ directory contains reusable mathematical functions and noise samplers used throughout the Origen configuration pack. These provide the mathematical foundation for terrain generation, biome distribution, and feature placement.

Directory Structure

math/
├── README.md
├── functions/
│   ├── terrace.yml
│   ├── interpolation.yml
│   ├── maskSmooth.yml
│   └── clamp.yml
└── samplers/
    ├── terrain.yml
    ├── continents.yml
    ├── simplex.yml
    ├── precipitation.yml
    ├── temperature.yml
    ├── rivers.yml
    ├── spots.yml
    └── spawnIsland.yml

Functions vs Samplers

Functions

Mathematical operations that transform input values

Take arguments and return computed values
Used for calculations and transformations
Reusable across configs

Samplers

Noise generators that produce values for coordinates

Generate values based on X, Y, Z positions
Used for terrain, temperature, biomes, etc.
Can reference functions and other samplers

Functions

Functions are defined in math/functions/ and imported in pack.yml:

functions:
  "<<":
    - math/functions/terrace.yml:functions
    - math/functions/interpolation.yml:functions
    - math/functions/maskSmooth.yml:functions
    - math/functions/clamp.yml:functions

terrace.yml

Provides terracing functions for creating stepped terrain.

View Full Configuration

reference

/home/daytona/workspace/source/math/functions/terrace.yml

Complete terrace functions:

template: &template
  arguments:
    - i  # Input
    - sc # Scale
    - o  # Offset
    - g  # Gap
    - d  # Terrace depth
  expression: d * sc * profile(clamp(floorMod(i/sc-o, 1+g))) + i

childFunctions: &childFunctions
  clamp:
    arguments: [x]
    expression: if(0 <= x && x < 1, x, 0)
  floorMod:
    arguments: [x, i]
    expression: x - floor(x/i) * i

functions:
  terrace:
    <<: *template
    functions:
      <<: *childFunctions
      profile:
        arguments: [x]
        expression: "|x - 0.5| - 0.5"

  terraceStrata:
    <<: *template
    functions:
      <<: *childFunctions
      profile:
        arguments: [x]
        expression: -if(x>0.95,-(x-1)/0.05,x/0.95)

  terraceParabolic:
    <<: *template
    functions:
      <<: *childFunctions
      profile:
        arguments: [x]
        expression: (x - 0.5)^2 - 0.25

  terraceParalinear:
    <<: *template
    functions:
      <<: *childFunctions
      profile:
        arguments: [x]
        expression: |
          if(0.25 < x && x < 0.75,
            2*(x-0.5)^2-0.375,
            |x - 0.5| - 0.5
          )

Available terrace functions:

terrace(i, sc, o, g, d)

Basic terracing with sharp edges.Parameters:

i - Input value (usually elevation)
sc - Scale (terrace height)
o - Offset (shifts terraces vertically)
g - Gap (spacing between terraces)
d - Depth (terrace step height)

Use case: Mesa/badlands terrain, stepped mountains

terraceStrata(i, sc, o, g, d)

Terracing with layered strata appearance.Creates horizontal bands with smooth transitions, like sedimentary rock layers.Use case: Badlands strata, terracotta pillars

terraceParabolic(i, sc, o, g, d)

Terracing with parabolic (curved) steps.Smooth bowl-shaped terraces instead of sharp edges.Use case: Natural-looking stepped terrain

terraceParalinear(i, sc, o, g, d)

Hybrid between parabolic and linear terracing.Combines curved centers with flat edges.Use case: Mixed terrain styles

Example usage:

noise-equation: |
  terrace(
    elevation(x, z),
    20,    # 20-block high terraces
    0,     # No offset
    0.1,   # 10% gap between terraces
    0.8    # 80% depth (steep steps)
  )

interpolation.yml

Provides interpolation functions for smooth transitions.

lerp(t, a, b)

Linear interpolation between two values.

lerp(0.5, 0, 100) = 50
lerp(0.25, 10, 20) = 12.5

Parameters:

t - Interpolation factor (0-1)
a - Start value
b - End value

herp(t, t1, v1, t2, v2)

Hermite interpolation with control points.Smooth curve between two points with zero derivative at endpoints.Use case: Smooth continental transitions, biome blending

smoothstep(edge0, edge1, x)

Smooth step function with zero derivatives at edges.Returns 0 when x < edge0, 1 when x > edge1, smooth curve between.Use case: Smooth transitions, blending regions

maskSmooth.yml

Functions for masking and smoothing noise values.

mask(value, threshold)

Binary masking - returns 0 or 1.

mask(noise, 0.5)  # 1 if noise > 0.5, else 0

smoothMask(value, threshold, range)

Smooth masking with transition zone.

smoothMask(noise, 0.5, 0.1)  # Smooth transition around 0.5

clamp.yml

Value clamping and bounding functions.

clamp(value, min, max)

Constrains value to range.

clamp(elevation, 0, 255)  # Keep between 0-255

clamp01(value)

Clamps to 0-1 range.

clamp01(noise)  # Ensure 0 <= noise <= 1

Samplers

Samplers are defined in math/samplers/ and imported in pack.yml:

samplers:
  "<<":
    - math/samplers/terrain.yml:samplers
    - math/samplers/simplex.yml:samplers
    - math/samplers/continents.yml:samplers
    - math/samplers/precipitation.yml:samplers
    - math/samplers/temperature.yml:samplers
    - math/samplers/rivers.yml:samplers
    - math/samplers/spots.yml:samplers

terrain.yml

Core terrain elevation samplers.

View Full Configuration

reference

/home/daytona/workspace/source/math/samplers/terrain.yml

samplers:
  rawElevation:
    dimensions: 2
    type: EXPRESSION
    expression: noise(x / elevationScale / globalScale, z / elevationScale / globalScale)^3
    variables:
      globalScale: $customization.yml:global-scale
      elevationScale: $customization.yml:elevation-scale
    samplers:
      noise:
        dimensions: 2
        type: TRANSLATE
        x: 10000
        z: 10000
        sampler:
          type: PROBABILITY
          sampler:
            type: RIDGED
            octaves: 6
            gain: 0.4
            lacunarity: 2.2
            sampler:
              type: OPEN_SIMPLEX_2
              frequency: 0.0003

  elevation:
    dimensions: 2
    type: EXPRESSION
    expression: |
      herp(continents(x, z),
        continentZero, 0,
        continentFull, rawElevation(x, z) * herp(spawnIsland(x, z), 1, spawnIslandElevationScale, -1, 1))
      * (1-riverTerrainErosion(x, z))
    functions: $math/functions/interpolation.yml:functions
    variables:
      continentZero: -0.3
      continentFull: 0.2
      spawnIslandElevationScale: $customization.yml:spawn-island-elevation-scale
    samplers:
      rawElevation: $math/samplers/terrain.yml:samplers.rawElevation
      continents: $math/samplers/continents.yml:samplers.continents
      spawnIsland: $math/samplers/spawnIsland.yml:samplers.spawnIsland
      riverTerrainErosion: $math/samplers/rivers.yml:samplers.riverTerrainErosion

  oceanElevation:
    dimensions: 2
    type: EXPRESSION
    expression: |
      herp(continents(x, z),
        continentZero, 0,
        continentFull, -1+rawElevation(x, z)
      )
    functions: $math/functions/interpolation.yml:functions
    variables:
      continentZero: 0
      continentFull: -0.8
    samplers:
      rawElevation: $math/samplers/terrain.yml:samplers.rawElevation
      continents: $math/samplers/continents.yml:samplers.continents

Key samplers:

rawElevation(x, z)

Base terrain noise before continental shaping.

Uses ridged noise for mountainous terrain
Cubed for more dramatic peaks
Controlled by elevation-scale and global-scale in customization.yml

elevation(x, z)

Final surface elevation for land.

Combines rawElevation with continents sampler
Applies river erosion
Uses hermite interpolation for smooth transitions
Primary sampler for terrain height

oceanElevation(x, z)

Ocean floor elevation.

Separate from land elevation
Typically negative values (below sea level)
Allows for deep ocean trenches

continents.yml

Determines ocean vs land distribution.

continents(x, z)

Continental noise - positive = land, negative = ocean.

Uses low-frequency noise for large continents
Smooth transitions between ocean and land
Referenced by terrain samplers and biome distribution

temperature.yml

Temperature distribution for biome zones.

temperature(x, z)

Temperature value at position.

Higher values = warmer biomes (desert, jungle)
Lower values = colder biomes (tundra, ice)
Used in biome distribution stages
Latitude-based with noise variation

precipitation.yml

Rainfall/moisture distribution.

precipitation(x, z)

Moisture level at position.

Higher values = wet biomes (jungle, swamp)
Lower values = dry biomes (desert, savanna)
Combined with temperature for biome selection

rivers.yml

River generation and terrain erosion.

rivers(x, z)

River noise - low values indicate river presence.

Creates winding river patterns
Used for river biome placement
Can be threshold to create binary river mask

riverTerrainErosion(x, z)

Terrain height reduction near rivers.

Carves river valleys into terrain
Smooth falloff from river center
Applied in elevation sampler

simplex.yml

Generic simplex noise samplers for various uses.

simplex2D(x, z, frequency)

2D simplex noise.Parameters:

x, z - Position
frequency - Noise scale (higher = more detail)

simplex3D(x, y, z, frequency)

3D simplex noise.Used for caves, 3D structures, vertical variation.

spots.yml

Random spot/patch generation.

spots(x, z)

Creates random circular regions.

Used for oases, clearings, special features
Cellular-based for distinct spots
Configurable size and frequency

spawnIsland.yml

Flattens terrain near spawn for player spawn area.

spawnIsland(x, z)

Spawn area modifier.

Returns 1 near spawn, -1 far from spawn
Creates gentle terrain near world spawn
Controlled by spawn-island-elevation-scale

Using Functions and Samplers

In Biome Configs

# Use elevation sampler for terrain height
noise-equation: |
  elevation(x, z) * 100 + 64

# Apply terracing
noise-equation: |
  terrace(elevation(x, z) * 100, 15, 0, 0.2, 0.7) + 64

# Combine multiple samplers
noise-equation: |
  elevation(x, z) * 100 + 
  simplex(x, z) * 10 + 
  64

In Feature Distributors

distributor:
  type: SAMPLER
  sampler:
    type: EXPRESSION
    expression: temperature(x, z) > 0.5  # Only in warm areas

In Biome Distribution

sampler:
  type: CELLULAR
  return: NoiseLookup
  lookup:
    type: EXPRESSION
    expression: continents(x, z)  # Use continents for ocean/land

Customization Variables

Many samplers reference customization.yml for easy tuning:

# In customization.yml
global-scale: 1.0           # Overall terrain scale
elevation-scale: 1.0        # Vertical scale
spawn-island-elevation-scale: 0.3  # Spawn flattening

biomeSpread:
  cellDistance: 800
  cellJitter: 0.75

Expression Syntax

Expressions support standard mathematical operations: Operators:

+, -, *, / - Basic arithmetic
^ - Exponentiation
% - Modulo
|x| - Absolute value

Functions:

floor(x), ceil(x), round(x)
min(a, b), max(a, b)
sqrt(x), abs(x)
sin(x), cos(x), tan(x)
if(condition, true_value, false_value)

Example:

expression: |
  if(elevation(x, z) > 0,
    max(elevation(x, z) * 100, 0),
    min(oceanElevation(x, z) * 50, -10)
  ) + 64

Creating Custom Functions

Add new functions to existing YAML files or create new ones:

functions:
  myCustomFunction:
    arguments:
      - input
      - scale
    expression: input * scale + 10
    functions:
      # Can reference other functions
      helper:
        arguments: [x]
        expression: x^2

Then import in pack.yml:

functions:
  "<<":
    - math/functions/myCustomFunction.yml:functions

Creating Custom Samplers

samplers:
  myCustomSampler:
    dimensions: 2
    type: EXPRESSION
    expression: |
      elevation(x, z) * temperature(x, z)
    samplers:
      elevation: $math/samplers/terrain.yml:samplers.elevation
      temperature: $math/samplers/temperature.yml:samplers.temperature

Performance Tips

Cache Expensive Samplers

Reuse sampler results instead of recalculating

variables:
  elev: elevation(x, z)
expression: elev * 100 + elev^2

Reduce Octaves

Lower octaves = faster generation

octaves: 4  # Instead of 8

Use Lower Frequency

Higher frequency = more detail = slower

frequency: 0.001  # Smoother, faster

Simplify Expressions

Avoid deeply nested calculations

# Good
expression: a * b + c

# Slow
expression: sin(cos(tan(a^b^c)))

Configuration Overview

How math functions fit into the overall config structure

Biome Distribution

Using samplers in biome placement

Features

Using samplers in feature distribution

Get Started

Biomes

Customization

Configuration Reference

​Overview

​Directory Structure

​Functions vs Samplers

Functions

Samplers

​Functions

​terrace.yml

​interpolation.yml

​maskSmooth.yml

​clamp.yml

​Samplers

​terrain.yml

​continents.yml

​temperature.yml

​precipitation.yml

​rivers.yml

​simplex.yml

​spots.yml

​spawnIsland.yml

​Using Functions and Samplers

​In Biome Configs

​In Feature Distributors

​In Biome Distribution

​Customization Variables

​Expression Syntax

​Creating Custom Functions

​Creating Custom Samplers

​Performance Tips

Cache Expensive Samplers

Reduce Octaves

Use Lower Frequency

Simplify Expressions

​Related References

Configuration Overview

Biome Distribution

Features

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Directory Structure

Functions vs Samplers

Functions

terrace.yml

interpolation.yml

maskSmooth.yml

clamp.yml

Samplers

terrain.yml

continents.yml

temperature.yml

precipitation.yml

rivers.yml

simplex.yml

spots.yml

spawnIsland.yml

Using Functions and Samplers

In Biome Configs

In Feature Distributors

In Biome Distribution

Customization Variables

Expression Syntax

Creating Custom Functions

Creating Custom Samplers

Performance Tips

Related References