According　to　the　Vertex　Texture　Fetch　technology　in　Shader　Model　3.0,　we　designed　a　terrain　rendering　algorithm　based　on　vertex　texture.　The　algorithm　storages　the　data　of　terrain　as　vertex　texture,　and　get　elevation　value　through　the　vertex　shaders.　During　rendering　phase　a　group　of　nested　grids　are　built　centeredly　around　current　viewpoint.　Elevation　values　are　sampled　from　the　vertex　texture　according　to　two-dimensional　coordinates　of　the　grids.　Then　the　whole　data　are　sent　to　GPU　for　rendering.　The　algorithm　can　reduce　the　CPU　load　and　make　full　use　of　the　powerful　float　computing　and　programmability　feature.　©2010　IEEE.