README.md

Flocking-Simulation

Description

This project serves to illustrate how the natural phenomenon of flocking can be simulated with a 2D Environment, and utlizes C++ and OpenGL to aid in achieving this.

Screenshots

Table of Contents

1. Dependencies
   • C++
   • OpenGL
2. What is Flocking?
   • Implemented Features
   • Visual Representation
   • Simulation Dynamics
3. Classes
   • Agent
   • Cell
   • Environment
   • MyColor
   • Point
   • Simulator
   • Vector3d

Dependencies

C++

C++ is a powerful programming language widely used for developing system software, application software, and high-performance software components. It provides features such as object-oriented programming, generic programming, and low-level memory manipulation.

Role in the Project

C++ serves as the primary programming language for this project. It is used to implement the core functionality, algorithms, and data structures required for the project's objectives. C++ offers performance benefits and flexibility, making it suitable for tasks ranging from low-level memory management to high-level abstraction.

Dependencies

To use C++ for this project, you need a C++ compiler and standard library support. The specific compiler and library versions may vary depending on your development environment and project requirements.

Setup Instructions

Ensure that you have a C++ compiler installed on your system. Popular C++ compilers include:

• GNU Compiler Collection (GCC): Available on Unix-based systems like Linux and macOS.
• Clang: Another popular compiler available on Unix-based systems.
• Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler: For Windows users, Microsoft Visual Studio provides a C++ compiler and development environment.

Additionally, ensure that your development environment is properly configured to compile and link C++ source files. This may involve setting up build scripts, Makefiles, or using integrated development environments (IDEs) like Visual Studio, CLion, or Xcode.

Additional Notes

• Familiarize yourself with C++ language features, best practices, and coding standards to ensure efficient and maintainable code.
• Take advantage of C++ libraries and frameworks to streamline development and leverage existing solutions for common tasks.

OpenGL

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-platform API for rendering 2D and 3D graphics. It provides a set of functions for interacting with graphics hardware to produce high-quality graphical output. In this project, OpenGL is utilized for tasks such as rendering graphics, managing colors, and possibly handling user input related to graphics.

Purpose

The purpose of integrating OpenGL into this project is to leverage its capabilities for visualizing data, creating interactive user interfaces, or implementing graphical simulations. OpenGL allows for efficient rendering of complex scenes and provides a flexible framework for developing interactive applications with rich graphical interfaces.

Dependencies

To use OpenGL in this project, ensure that you have the necessary OpenGL libraries and headers installed on your system. Additionally, depending on your development environment, you may need to configure your build system to link against the OpenGL libraries and include the appropriate headers in your source files.

SetUp Instructions

If you're using a package manager, such as apt (for Linux) or Homebrew (for macOS), you can install OpenGL libraries using the respective package manager commands. For example:

• Linux (apt):

sudo apt-get install libglu1-mesa-dev freeglut3-dev mesa-common-dev

• macOS (Homebrew):

brew install glfw3

For Windows users, OpenGL libraries might be provided by the graphics card drivers or available as part of development toolkits like the OpenGL Extension Wrangler Library (GLEW) or the GLFW library.

Ensure that your development environment is properly configured to include OpenGL headers and link against the OpenGL libraries during the compilation process.

Flocking

This project implements a Flocking Simulation using boids, with specific focus on animating individual flock members as fish or birds, implementing adversarial agents, and incorporating a life span for each agent.

Implemented Features

1. Animating Individual Flock Members Flock members are animated to move as either fish or birds. For fish animation, each fish consists of a body, tail, and fins. The body is represented by an ellipse translated and rotated based on the agent's position and orientation. The tail and fins are rendered separately, offset from the body to create a realistic appearance.

2. Implementing Adversarial Agents Adversarial agents are introduced to disrupt flocking behavior. They avoid flocking rules and target the closest non-adversarial agent, simulating a predator-prey dynamic. Adversarial agents are visually distinguished by a distinct color, such as red, while non-adversarial agents are represented in a different color, such as blue.

3. Implementing Life Span for Each Agent Each agent, whether adversarial or non-adversarial, has a limited life span within the simulation. As agents exist in the environment, their color gradually darkens over time. Once an agent's color reaches black, indicating the end of its life span, it is removed from the simulation. This feature adds a dynamic element to the simulation, simulating life and death within the flock.

Visual Representation

• Fish: Represented by ellipses for the body, with separate polygons for the tail and fins. Color of the fish indicates its status as adversarial or non-adversarial.
• Adversarial Agents: Distinguished by a distinct color, such as red, to indicate their disruptive behavior.
• Non-Adversarial Agents: Represented in a different color, such as blue, to signify their peaceful flocking behavior.
• Life Span Visualization: Agents gradually darken in color over time until reaching black, representing the end of their life span and removal from the simulation.

Simulation Dynamics

• Flocking Behavior: Agents exhibit flocking behavior, while adversarial agents disrupt this behavior by targeting non-adversarial agents.
• Life and Death: Agents have a finite life span, gradually darkening in color over time until they die and are removed from the simulation.

Classes

Agent

The Agent class represents an entity in a simulation environment with properties such as position, velocity, and behavior. This document outlines the functionalities and usage of the Agent class.

Features

• Initialization with specified parameters.
• Update of agent state based on the environment and other agents.
• Drawing the agent's graphical representation.
• Control methods for agent behavior.
• Collision resolution with other agents.
• Calculation of environmental forces.
• Access to adversary and base life values.

Usage

• Includes necessary header files such as <windows.h>, <GL/glut.h>, and custom headers "Agent.h" and "Environment.h".
• Declares global variables like agDebug, theta, rotOtherWay, and gEnv.
• Defines an Agent class with member variables and functions to represent and manipulate agents. The class includes constructors, initialization functions, methods for updating agent state, drawing agents, handling controls, calculating forces, resolving collisions, and more.
• Defines functions to draw various shapes like circles, triangles, fish bodies, tails, and fins using OpenGL commands.
• Implements a method ResolveCollisionWithOtherAgents to handle collisions between agents.

Cell

The Cell is designed to represent cells in an environment grid. The Cell class provides functionality for initializing cell properties, drawing cells, checking for collisions with points, and handling collisions with cell edges.

Features

• Constructor for initializing cell properties such as indices, dimensions, center point, and blocking status.
• Method to draw the cell visually in a graphical simulation environment.
• Method to retrieve the center of the cell as a Vector3d object.
• Method to check for collisions between a point and the cell.
• Method to handle collisions with the edges of the cell, including flipping coordinates and determining collision conditions.

Usage

• Integrate the Cell class into your project structure.
• Include the necessary dependencies, including the Point and Vector3d classes.
• Customize the Cell class behavior according to your project requirements, adjusting methods and properties as needed.
• Implement functionality to interact with cells, such as checking collisions and updating cell properties based on the environment.

Environment

The Environment class provided in this repository represents an environment grid. It offers functionality for creating, visualizing, and interacting with the grid. This class includes methods for drawing the environment, obtaining cell indices for given points, finding the closest blocked cell, managing wrapped positions, ensuring valid positions considering collisions and wrapping, making the environment empty, and adding attraction points.

Features

• Default constructor for creating an environment.
• Parameterized constructor allowing customization of environment properties such as input file, minimum and maximum coordinates, and grid dimensions.
• Method to draw the environment graphically.
• Methods for retrieving cell indices, finding the closest blocked cell, and managing wrapped positions.
• Functionality for obtaining valid positions for points, considering collisions and wrapping.
• Ability to create an empty environment or add attraction points.
• Accessor method for retrieving attraction points stored in the environment.
• Utilizes a 2D array to represent the grid of cells.
• Stores information about the environment's dimensions, grid cell dimensions, and input file.

Usage

• Integrate the Environment class into your project structure.
• Include the necessary dependencies, such as the Point and Vector3d classes.
• Customize the Environment class behavior according to your project requirements, adjusting methods and properties as needed.
• Utilize the provided methods to interact with the environment, including drawing, obtaining cell indices, managing positions, and adding attraction points.

MyColor

The MyColor class provided in this repository represents a color using RGB (Red, Green, Blue) components. It offers functionality for initializing color objects with RGB values and an optional name, printing color information, and storing RGB components along with a name.

Features

• Constructor to initialize MyColor objects with RGB values and an optional name.
• Method to print the color components along with the name.
• Member variables to store RGB components and the name of the color.
• Utilizes a header guard to prevent multiple inclusions of the same header file.

Usage

• Integrate the MyColor class header file into your project structure.
• Use the MyColor class to represent colors in your application, initializing objects with RGB values and optional names.
• Utilize the provided methods, such as printing color information, to interact with MyColor objects as needed.

Point

The Point class provided in this repository represents a point in three-dimensional space. It offers functionality for initializing point objects with optional x, y, and z coordinates, as well as methods for retrieving the individual coordinates.

Features

• Constructor to initialize Point objects with optional x, y, and z coordinates.
• Methods to retrieve the x, y, and z coordinates of the point.
• Member variables to store the x, y, and z coordinates of the point.
• Utilizes a header guard to prevent multiple inclusions of the same header file.

Usage

• Integrate the Point class header file into your project structure.
• Use the Point class to represent points in three-dimensional space, initializing objects with optional x, y, and z coordinates.
• Utilize the provided methods, such as retrieving individual coordinates, to interact with Point objects as needed.

Simulator

The Simulator class provided in this repository manages a simulation environment, including the addition and manipulation of agents, drawing the simulation, updating the simulation state, and controlling agents' behaviors.

Features

• Constructor to initialize a Simulator object.
• Methods to add agents to the simulation, draw the simulation environment, and update the simulation state.
• Functionality to increment the controlling agent, send control signals to agents, and toggle control between adversaries and agents.
• Ability to retrieve the point to follow in the simulation.
• Utilizes header guards to prevent multiple inclusions of the same header file.

Usage

• Include the necessary dependencies, such as Vector3d for vector manipulation and Agent.h for the Agent class.
• Instantiate a Simulatorobject to manage the simulation environment.
• Add agents to the simulation using the AddMember method, specifying their attributes.
• Draw the simulation environment using the Draw method to visualize agent positions and interactions.
• Update the simulation state using the Update method to reflect changes over time.
• Control agents' behaviors by incrementing the controlling agent, sending control signals, or toggling control between adversaries and agents.
• Retrieve relevant information, such as the point to follow, using appropriate methods.

Vector3d

The Vector3d class provided in this repository represents a 3-dimensional vector and offers various operations for vector manipulation, including arithmetic operations, comparison operators, and utility methods.

Features

• Constructors to initialize a vector with optional x, y, and z components, or from another vector or an array.
• Assignment operators to set new values for the vector's components.
• Comparison operators for equality and inequality checks between vectors.
• Compound assignment operators for addition, subtraction, scalar multiplication, and scalar division.
• Unary operators for negation.
• Binary arithmetic operators for addition, subtraction, scalar multiplication, and scalar division.
• Utility methods for dot product, magnitude, normalization, scaling, and component access.
• Additional utility functions for scalar multiplication with vectors and output operator for vectors.
• Utilizes header guards to prevent multiple inclusions of the same header file.

Usage

• Include the Vector.h header file in your project to access the Vector3d class.
• Instantiate Vector3d objects to represent 3-dimensional vectors, optionally specifying their x, y, and z components.
• Utilize the provided methods and operators to perform various vector operations, such as addition, subtraction, scalar multiplication, normalization, and scaling.
• Integrate the Vector3d class into your codebase to handle 3-dimensional vector manipulations efficiently and accurately.