Slime mold simulation in Rust using WASM and WebGPU

https://github.com/plul/slime-mold-simulation

by sshine • 2 years ago

27 3 2 years ago

survirtual• 2 years ago

I was curious to see this simulation running but there does not seem to be a running demo.

I don't know if this is your creation or not, but I would really recommend having a running demo before publicizing work. It is a sad reality in software that, no matter how much time and artistry is placed into a work, it needs to be rapidly consumable for it to be properly shared.

Speaking for myself, I have a backlog of at least 50 projects, with at least 5 I jump around actively, while learning foreign languages, hiking, and living life. As much as I want to see a slime mold simulation, if it doesn't run when I check the repo with a demo link that functions on my phone, my curiosity will have to end there.

5 minute later: alright so my curiosity didn't end. It looks like the project is using 'just' for command running (for those unfamiliar, https://github.com/casey/just). It isn't my preferred way to do things but you probably have it already like I do.

20 minutes later: alright so after cloning the repo and running "just demo 512x512" (it needs a resolution), it doesn't run. It uses assert statements so the application crashes when it fails assertions. We are in trouble because it doesn't gracefully select a texture format. I printed what my gpu supports and tried to find a best match.

After that, it doesn't support the requested blend mode, so I switched it to one that my gpu supports.

When making a gpu app, make sure to adapt based upon the capabilities a GPU supports. It isn't much harder to do this, while making it significantly more accessible for anyone using it -- even for fun or experimenting.

While it runs, it doesn't do anything -- likely because it isn't running with the expected texture format and blend modes.

Unfortunately, while I really want to see a slime mold simulation, I have to stop now before I refactor this entire project and make it consumable for anyone curious. Then I will have a working "slime mold simulation" at the end of the day, and I am not sure how helpful that would be to anyone, including myself.

dwattttt• 2 years ago

It's not clear that the author of the project is the one who posted, it may never have intended to get this attention. Given it only has the one commit & mentions having been presented, I imagine this project is "done".

ravenstine• 2 years ago

Would be great to see a running demo.

That said, I've recently become very fascinated with slime molds, particularly Physarum polycephalum. I bought a kit to grow one on agar plates, and it's fascinating to witness its behavior in contrast to growing a fungus or a plant. It's surprising the kind of decisions it makes. Sometimes it focuses entirely on one piece of food, then gets "bored" and starts exploring its surroundings. It forms networks between pieces of food, but not to the extent that I was expecting. It's rather single-minded at times. Perhaps that will change the older and bigger it gets. Nevertheless, I can see why creating a simulation of one would be an engaging project.

Slime mold simulation in Rust using WASM and WebGPU

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