Hi cg, in theory it doesn't really matter how many dimensions you use for a cellular automata, but there are physical constraints that you should ponder. The amount of memory and processing time needed for an extra dimension is not insignificant and may well prove too much. Typically, algorithms that deal with CA store data in exceptionally efficient ways, but data in Grasshopper has a larger memory footprint than data inside pure DotNET or C++ environments and it also requires a lot of type-testing. There's no way for the user to optimise the memory usage of a Grasshopper network.
Initial conditions can be set up through a number of ways. You could create geometry in Rhino which set initial conditions (for example, put point objects inside each cell that you want to enable), or you generate a list of numbers that identify the 'on' and 'off' state of cells. You can then easily import this text using the 'Manage Collection' feature on the Integer parameter. -- David Rutten [email protected] Robert McNeel & Associates On Feb 6, 9:50 pm, cgkahler <[email protected]> wrote: > hi, i am an architecture student and I am very interested in exploring > cellular automata with grasshopper. I had alot of luck with the > definition posted above but was wondering if it is possible to... > > (1) create a three dimensional cellular automata > > (2) specify the initial generation (which cells are on/off) > > unfortunately i am just beginning to become familiar with these topics > and any help would be greatly appreciated
