Week 3 Assignment

Concept

The “2D Simulation of 3D Object with Attractors and Movers” is a P5.js project that explores the behavior of a simulated 3D object within a 2D plane. The core concept involves creating an illusion of three-dimensionality through the interaction of attractors and movers in a confined space. Here’s how the concept breaks down:

• Attractors: The project begins by introducing invisible attractors, positioned at the four vertices of a square. These attractors act as gravitational centers, exerting forces on nearby objects.
• Movers: Movers are dynamic entities with mass and radius. They are introduced into the scene and interact with the attractors and each other. The movers are attracted to the invisible attractors, simulating gravitational forces. Additionally, movers attract each other, contributing to the complex dynamics of the simulation.
• Initial Direction: To establish an organized start, the movers’ initial velocity vectors are set to be perpendicular to their position vectors. This arrangement ensures that all movers begin moving in the same direction.
• Visual Illusion: The project employs lines connecting each pair of movers, creating a visual effect resembling a rotating 3D object. This illusion is achieved in a 2D plane, as P5.js primarily supports 2D graphics.
• Boundary Constraints: To introduce chaos and turbulence into the simulation, movers are constrained by the boundaries of the canvas. When a mover reaches the boundary, it reverses its velocity, contributing to the overall dynamics and eventual chaos of the system.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this project likely draws from the desire to replicate the complex and chaotic movements of objects in a 3D space using the capabilities of P5.js, a 2D graphics library. The concept of simulating gravity and interactions between objects is a common theme in physics simulations and computational art.

Demo

Link to code

Reflection

The project successfully achieves its goal of creating a visually intriguing simulation of a 3D object’s behavior within a 2D plane. It demonstrates the dynamic interplay between attractors and movers and how this interaction can lead to chaotic and unpredictable motion.

Ideas for Future Work or Improvements

1. Enhanced Visualization: Exploring ways to improve the visual representation of the rotating 3D object. This could involve using different shapes or rendering techniques to make the illusion more convincing.
2. User Interaction: Adding user controls to manipulate the attractors or introduce new movers during runtime, allowing users to interact with and influence the simulation.
3. Realistic Physics: Experimenting with more advanced physics simulations, such as introducing damping, or elastic collisions between movers.
4. Performance Optimization: Optimizing the code to handle a larger number of movers and attractors without sacrificing performance. Techniques like quad trees for collision detection can be beneficial.