Concept
This project explores how small particles in nature respond to invisible forces in their environment. I was inspired by drifting pollen, spores, and algae suspended in water. These natural elements do not move randomly. They respond to forces such as gravity, air currents, and nearby bodies.
Using the attractor and mover structure introduced in class, I reinterpreted the system as an ecological field. The attractors function as environmental centers of influence. The movers behave like pollen particles that continuously respond to these forces. Instead of presenting a physics demonstration, the system is used to generate an evolving visual pattern.
The visual accumulation of trails transforms the physical simulation into a generative design.
Code Highlight
One section I am particularly proud of is the gravitational force calculation inside the attractor. This formula controls how each particle responds to distance and mass, and it was important to balance it so that movement felt stable but still dynamic.
This part connects directly to the force and acceleration principles explored in class.
let force = p5.Vector.sub(this.pos, mover.pos); let distance = constrain(force.mag(), 20, 250); force.normalize(); let strength = (this.G * this.mass * mover.mass) / (distance * distance); force.mult(strength); return force;
Code
Milestones and Challenges
Scaling the system from a single mover to many movers was an important milestone, as it shifted the focus from isolated motion to collective behavior. Maintaining stability while multiple forces acted simultaneously required careful adjustment, especially to ensure smooth and continuous motion across the canvas. Refining the visual output so that movement accumulated into a coherent pattern was also part of the development process. The main challenge was balancing the strength of attraction. When the force was too strong, particles collapsed into tight clusters, and when it was too weak, the system lost cohesion. Fine tuning the relationship between force strength and distance was necessary to achieve controlled but organic motion.
Reflection and Future Improvements
This project demonstrates how simple force based rules can generate complex collective behavior. Even though each particle follows the same physical logic, their interactions create layered and evolving patterns.
In the future, I would explore introducing interaction or additional forces to create more spatial variation. I am also interested in experimenting with alternative visual mappings to further strengthen the natural aesthetic.