Progress Report #2: Getting the ocean trenches and seabed shaders just right took some time, but adding the continents on top of that took even longer. Getting them all to work together to the proper effect was a bit of an excersize, but I eventually got it working. I've got basically realistic shaped continents, though they are very simplistic at this stage. I've also begun implementing the biome system. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any easy way to determine latitude, or if there is I haven't found it yet. Therefore, the current biome system is very simplified. Beaches are generated at coastlines, with forests being randomly scattered around the planet up to a treeline altitude. Deserts and plains appear in randomized patches for the most part, and mountains occupy the higher altitudes with glaciers at the highest. Therefore, the "poles" right now are at the center of the continents. Not quite realistic, but it's still very much a work in progress. I've just recently added a basic mountain generator, which creates denser, higher mountains in ares with higher base altitudes (hills with occasional outcroppings on coastlines, and craggy cliffs in the glaciers).
I'll get some pics from the render machine and post them here soon.