Cellular automata workbench

Simulation

Conway’s Game of Life

Echo garden

HighLife

Langton’s ant

Predator-prey pond

Starting pattern

Random field

Glider

Blinker

Empty canvas

Play

Step

Reset

Speed 12 ticks/s

Paused · Tick 096 × 64 · Edges wrap

Brush

Alive

Erase

Clear grid

Grid lines

Draw with a mouse or touch. Drawing pauses the simulation. On the grid, use arrow keys to move and Space to paint.

Keyboard cursor at column 49, row 33.

Population historyLast 160 ticks · Each line scales to its own peak

Cellular automaton

Conway’s Game of Life

Small local rules. Gliders, oscillators and surprising little machines.

The opposite edges join up. Anything leaving one side returns on the other.

Load a glider and step four times. Its shape returns, one cell further along the diagonal. Then try a random field and watch it settle.

Changes restart the experiment, paused.

Seed 42

New seed

Reset replays the starting pattern and seed. A new seed reshuffles random starts and the pond’s decisions.

The link includes settings and seed. Painted cells and progress are not included.

This is a starting point for making and comparing our own simulations.

Give ants food, a nest and fading scent trails. Can a colony discover the shortest route?

Let plants compete for light and water. Add fire and watch a different forest grow back.

Mix two chemicals that react and spread. Look for spots, stripes and patterns that repair themselves.