The Nature of Code
Simulating Natural Systems with Processing



Book Details
Author | Daniel Shiffman |
Publisher | No Starch Press |
Published | 2012 |
Edition | 1st |
Paperback | 519 pages |
Language | English |
ISBN-13 | 9780985930806 |
ISBN-10 | 0985930802 |
License | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial |
Book Description
How can we capture the unpredictable evolutionary and emergent properties of nature in software? How can understanding the mathematical principles behind our physical world help us to create digital worlds? This book focuses on a range of programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems, from elementary concepts in mathematics and physics to more advanced algorithms that enable sophisticated visual results. Readers will progress from building a basic physics engine to creating intelligent moving objects and complex systems, setting the foundation for further experiments in generative design. Subjects covered include forces, trigonometry, fractals, cellular automata, self-organization, and genetic algorithms. The book's examples are written in Processing, an open-source language and development environment built on top of the Java programming language.
This book is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license (CC BY-NC), which means that you are free to copy, distribute, and modify it, as long as you attribute the source and don't use it for commercial purposes.
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