A C89 standard compliant, single header, nostdlib (no C Standard Library) Noise Generation (NOISE).
Different noise functions sampled on 512x512 grid with frequency 0.010f.
For more information please look at the "noise.h" file or take a look at the "examples" or "tests" folder.
Warning
THIS PROJECT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS! ANYTHING CAN CHANGE AT ANY MOMENT WITHOUT ANY NOTICE! USE THIS PROJECT AT YOUR OWN RISK!
- C89 compliant — portable and legacy-friendly
- Single-header API — just include
noise.h - nostdlib — no dependency on the C Standard Library
- Minimal binary size — optimized for small executables
- Cross-platform — Windows, Linux, MacOs
- Strict compilation — built with aggressive warnings & safety checks
- Variouse Noise - Perlin/Simplex 2D/3D/FBM support
Download or clone noise.h and include it in your project.
#include "noise.h" /* Noise Generation */
int main() {
float noise_value;
float rotation_2x2[2][2] = {
{0.80f, -0.60f},
{0.60f, 0.80f}
};
/* Set a noise and pseudo random number generator seed */
noise_seed(42);
noise_lcg_state = 21;
/* #############################################################################
* # Perlin Noise functions
* #############################################################################
*/
/* 2D perlin noise (x, y, frequency) */
noise_value = noise_perlin_2(1.0f, 2.0f, 0.010f);
/* 2D fractal perlin noise octaves with no rotation (x, y, frequency, octaves, lacunarity, gain)*/
noise_value = noise_perlin_2_fbm(1.0f, 2.0f, 0.010f, 4, 2.0f, 0.5f);
/* 2D fractal perlin noise octaves with rotation */
noise_value = noise_perlin_2_fbm_rotation(1.0f, 2.0f, 0.010f, 4, 2.0f, 0.5f, rotation_2x2);
/* 3D perlin noise (x, y, z, frequency) */
noise_value = noise_perlin_3(1.0f, 2.0f, -5.0f, 0.010f);
/* All 2D / 3D functions follow the same naming scheme */
/* #############################################################################
* # Simplex Noise functions
* #############################################################################
*/
/* 2D simplex noise (x, y, frequency) */
noise_value = noise_simplex_2(1.0f, 2.0f, 0.010f);
/* 2D fractal simplex noise octaves with no rotation (x, y, frequency, octaves, lacunarity, gain)*/
noise_value = noise_simplex_2_fbm(1.0f, 2.0f, 0.010f, 4, 2.0f, 0.5f);
/* ... */
return 0;
}The noise_test.c measures cpu cycle counts and time in milliseconds for the various functions.
This is captured on a Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU @ 2.21 GHz with a single core.
noise_test.c:115 [perf]
noise_test.c:115 [perf] +-------------------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------+
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | cylces | time_ms |
noise_test.c:115 [perf] +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | min | max | avg | sum | min | max | avg | sum |
noise_test.c:115 [perf] +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | 11741035 | 11741035 | 11741035 | 11741035 | 4.1814 | 4.1814 | 4.1814 | 4.1814 | 1 x perlin_2.ppm
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | 53299680 | 53299680 | 53299680 | 53299680 | 18.9822 | 18.9822 | 18.9822 | 18.9822 | 1 x perlin_2_fbm.ppm
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | 117596402 | 117596402 | 117596402 | 117596402 | 41.8799 | 41.8799 | 41.8799 | 41.8799 | 1 x perlin_2_fbm_rotation.ppm
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | 230341326 | 230341326 | 230341326 | 230341326 | 82.0310 | 82.0310 | 82.0310 | 82.0310 | 1 x perlin_3_fbm_rotation.ppm
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | 17768606 | 17768606 | 17768606 | 17768606 | 6.3285 | 6.3285 | 6.3285 | 6.3285 | 1 x simplex_2.ppm
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | 89340119 | 89340119 | 89340119 | 89340119 | 31.8171 | 31.8171 | 31.8171 | 31.8171 | 1 x simplex_2_fbm.ppm
noise_test.c:115 [perf] | 257271266 | 257271266 | 257271266 | 257271266 | 91.6214 | 91.6214 | 91.6214 | 91.6214 | 1 x simplex_2_fbm_rotation.ppm
noise_test.c:190 [perf] | 128 | 135551 | 153 | 40227709 | 0.0000 | 0.0483 | 0.0000 | 22.1109 | 262144 x perlin_2_fbm_4_octaves
noise_test.c:191 [perf] | 255 | 308460 | 298 | 78214731 | 0.0000 | 0.1098 | 0.0001 | 35.5935 | 262144 x perlin_2_fbm_8_octaves
noise_test.c:192 [perf] | 149 | 280512 | 175 | 46076511 | 0.0000 | 0.0999 | 0.0000 | 24.3790 | 262144 x perlin_2_fbm_rotation_4_octaves
noise_test.c:193 [perf] | 305 | 127716 | 349 | 91679904 | 0.0000 | 0.0602 | 0.0001 | 40.5015 | 262144 x perlin_2_fbm_rotation_8_octaves
noise_test.c:196 [perf] | 181 | 76377 | 311 | 81657088 | 0.0000 | 0.0986 | 0.0001 | 35.5992 | 262144 x simplex_2_fbm_4_octaves
noise_test.c:197 [perf] | 433 | 83098 | 662 | 173590384 | 0.0001 | 0.0296 | 0.0002 | 67.2793 | 262144 x simplex_2_fbm_8_octaves
noise_test.c:198 [perf] | 224 | 267478 | 375 | 98429722 | 0.0000 | 0.0952 | 0.0001 | 41.5800 | 262144 x simplex_2_fbm_rotation_4_octaves
noise_test.c:199 [perf] | 512 | 328937 | 807 | 211555733 | 0.0001 | 0.1171 | 0.0003 | 81.4468 | 262144 x simplex_2_fbm_rotation_8_octaves
noise_test.c:199 [perf] +-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+In this repo you will find the "examples/noise_win32_nostdlib.c" with the corresponding "build.bat" file which creates an executable only linked to "kernel32" and is not using the C standard library and executes the program afterwards.
nostdlib is a lightweight, minimalistic approach to C development that removes dependencies on the standard library. The motivation behind this project is to provide developers with greater control over their code by eliminating unnecessary overhead, reducing binary size, and enabling deployment in resource-constrained environments.
Many modern development environments rely heavily on the standard library, which, while convenient, introduces unnecessary bloat, security risks, and unpredictable dependencies. nostdlib aims to give developers fine-grained control over memory management, execution flow, and system calls by working directly with the underlying platform.
By removing the standard library, nostdlib significantly reduces runtime overhead, allowing for faster execution and smaller binary sizes.
Standard libraries often include unnecessary functions that increase the attack surface of an application. nostdlib mitigates security risks by removing unused and potentially vulnerable components.
Without linking to the standard library, binaries are smaller, making them ideal for embedded systems, bootloaders, and operating systems where storage is limited.
Direct control over system calls and memory management leads to performance gains by eliminating abstraction layers imposed by standard libraries.
By relying only on fundamental system interfaces, nostdlib allows for easier porting across different platforms without worrying about standard library availability.