r/cellular_automata

Sorry if this is technically not a pure cellular automaton where the cells evolve based on direct neighbors with no additional memory. The main idea behind this is that cells spend energy to reproduce and find the nearest opening to do so, when a new cells is created it back-propagates some new energy to the cells that created it. Additionally, the reproducing cell is picked proportionally to its energy. Here is the github: https://github.com/Gabinson200/GrowthSim with many more settings to play around with. Overall the code and rules are pretty simple but you can get pretty cool emergent behavior such as branching, splitting, bursting, etc.

Generated using cellcosmos

This view mode allows me to explore my automata in a raycaster before I open it up in the editor. It works similar to Wolfenstein 3D's raycaster, texturing only the walls on a single floor, except new textures are constantly streamed in and replaced as the automata progresses. It already works better than I imagined, and just love being in the space as I see the automata develop and change around me.

An iteration from a modulo 5 CA used as the initial condition for a modulo 13 CA. Pretty tight geometric structure.

I have it running way better now. Before, the raycaster was an intermediate CPU step, but now it's almost completely offloaded to the GPU, which allows for much larger grids. This is such a fun way to explore CA I saved. Whatever automata my crosshair is over, I can hit the spacebar, and it opens up in the editor. I eventually want to make this completely seamless.