USER GUIDE

Exploring Cellular Automata

by Rudy Rucker and John Walker

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Getting Started
  • What Are Cellular Automata?
  • Overview
  • Demonstration of WebCA
  • Why Cellular Automata? Rudy's Answer
  • Why Cellular Automata? John's Answer
  • A Sampler of CA Applications
    • Image Processing and Image Generation
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Physics
    • Computer Science
• WebCA
  • How It Works
    • Cast: Rule Selection.
    • Scenery: Pattern Selection.
    • Lighting: Color Palette Selection.
  • The Map Display
  • Simulator Controls
  • Rule Selection
  • Pattern Selection
  • Color Palette Selection
  • Rule Program Loading
  • User Evaluator Loading
  • Loading and Running Shows
  • Dialogues
    • Algorithmic Rule Specification
    • Rule Modes
    • Bit Plane Editor
    • Population Census
  • Defining Shows
  • URL Query Commands
• The Sample Rules
  • AURORA
  • AXONS
  • BALLOONS
  • BANKS
  • BBM
  • BOB
  • BOOTPERC
  • BORDER
  • BRAILIFE
  • BRAIN
  • BYL and CHOUREG
  • CRITTERS
  • DENDRITE and DENTIM
  • EARTHGAS
  • ECOLIBRA
  • ENDWORLD
  • EVOLOOPS and EVOLOOPSAB
  • FADERS
  • FLICK
  • FOREST
  • FRACTAL
  • FREDMEM
  • GASFLOW
  • GLOOPER
  • GRIFF
  • GYRE
  • HEAT and HEATWAVE
  • HGLASS
  • HODGE
  • LANT
  • LANGTON
  • LIFE
  • LOGIC
  • MELTDOWN
  • MITE
  • PARKS
  • PERFUMET, PERFUMEX, PERFUMEM, and PERFUMER
  • POND
  • RAINZHA
  • RANCH
  • REVECOLI
  • RUG, RUGF, and RUGLAP
  • RUNNY
  • SAND
  • SEXYLOOP
  • SHORTPI
  • SOOT
  • SOUNDCA
  • SPINS
  • SUBLIME
  • TIMETUN
  • TURMITE
  • VENUS
  • VOTE
  • VOTEDNA
  • WATOR
  • WIND
  • XTC
  • ZHABO, ZHABOF, and ZHABOFF
• Defining Rules
  • Defining Rules in JavaScript
    • Rule Modes
      • StartUp
      • Background
      • Topology
  • Defining User Evaluators
    • Standard Evaluators
  • Defining Rules in Java
    • Rule Modes
      • StartUp
      • Background
      • Topology
• Cellular Automata Theory
  • Neighbors
  • Vote and Other Totalistic Rules
  • Life
  • Brain
  • Semitotalistic Rules
  • Ranch
  • Rug
  • Lattice Gas
• Origins of CelLab
  • Classical Era: Von Neumann to Gosper
  • Cellular Automata, 1985
  • CelLab
  • WebCA
• Bibliography
• File Formats
• About this Edition
• WebCA Development Log