… is a process that generates self-similar structures when a fixed seed is placed in a medium in which particles are moving via Brownian motion, as described in The Computational Beauty of Nature by Gary William Flake. When a moving particle touches a fixed particle, it becomes fixed itself, in a process that is similar to that of crystal or coral reef growth and other natural systems.
I’ve just started reading this book, and while it has an attractive title, it is written by a computer researcher in a somewhat academic tone, probably best suited for other students of computer science rather than the casual reader or the aspiring digital media artist who is just learning to program. Case in point- many examples are described using command-line UNIX utilities. While the dedicated student of programming would do well to go through the exercise of implementing many of these utilities and examples by his- or herself, others may simply be interested in playing with and exploring the properties of these simulated systems.
I’ve gone ahead and written a Processing sketch that replicates the diffuse utility described in chapter 5 of the book. Click anywhere in the Java applet below to start the process. If you’re patient enough to wait until all the particles become fixed, a small camera icon will appear in the lower-right corner which you can click to send the final image back to a gallery of user submissions.
Built with Processing