If I were to take someone else''s code (specifically the original perlin noise functions), what do I have to worry about legal wise? Or maybe he released it under a free license?

It all depends on how the original auhor licensed his code...do you have his permission to modify his code?

[ CodeDread ]

You have to worry about the fact that it is illegal to alter or use it without the author (or copyright holder's) express permission. That means it is up to you to ask them or to check the license that it is released under. Hopefully someone here will know what the situation is with the particular code you are asking about or can point to to a useful resource.

Dan Marchant
Obscure Productions (www.obscure.co.uk)
Game Development & Design consultant

[edited by - obscure on April 10, 2004 10:13:00 PM]

In the United States, basically everything created after 1989 is copyrighted regardless of whether you have a notice on it. So if there''s no notice, or you''re unsure of whether the license lets you use the code, I''d advise you to send an e-mail to him, checking whether you could do so.

I''d imagine that your use something as widely used as perlin noise (don''t know if the modifier original has any bearing) wouldn''t be prosecuted, but better safe than sorry.