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Artificial Life Models in Software
This book presents software tools, environments and realities dealing with creation, imitation and analysis of artefactual, virtual, and living forms, written by those who personally design and produce software, hardware, and art installations in artificial life, simulated complex systems, and virtual worlds. This timely volume offers a nearly exhaustive overview and original analysis of major non-profit artificial life software packages. Topics simulation of real and imaginary life forms and their evolution self-organization emergent behaviours swarm intelligence evolutionary robotics agent-based simulations adaptive, complex and biologically inspired ecosystems creative computer art There has long been a need within the academic and research community for an informal introduction and guidance to modern software tools for modeling and simulation of life-like phenomena – this book fills this gap and offers detailed reviews of contemporary software for artificial life for both professionals and amateurs.
- GenresScience
344 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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August 14, 2007
I think my little artificial-life fascination is waning (it's all Maxis' SimLife program's fault I'm into this stuff), but this is a good book. It surveys 12 recent artificial life programs that are free and available for download (or at least were circa 2003 - a couple now seem to be unavailable).
Especially interesting was Avida, which simulates programs within a virtual machine that compete for space and resources, and attempt to replicate and evolve. It looks like some fascinating results have come from Avida runs, but they unfortunately require you to understand the assembly-like language the program-organisms write to really appreciate. Also intriguing is Framsticks, which allows you to construct 3-d organisms that likewise interact with a virtual environment and evolve.
Each article is written by a developer of the program under discussion, which allows the programs' processes to be discussed in great detail. This is great, but also means that possible flaws or limitations of each program's approach are not addressed, as they perhaps would be if reviews of the programs by people outside the development process were included. That's about the only flaw of the book (well, and that the last article, about the possible uses of artificial life in art, could've been fascinating but was short and slap-dash).
Especially interesting was Avida, which simulates programs within a virtual machine that compete for space and resources, and attempt to replicate and evolve. It looks like some fascinating results have come from Avida runs, but they unfortunately require you to understand the assembly-like language the program-organisms write to really appreciate. Also intriguing is Framsticks, which allows you to construct 3-d organisms that likewise interact with a virtual environment and evolve.
Each article is written by a developer of the program under discussion, which allows the programs' processes to be discussed in great detail. This is great, but also means that possible flaws or limitations of each program's approach are not addressed, as they perhaps would be if reviews of the programs by people outside the development process were included. That's about the only flaw of the book (well, and that the last article, about the possible uses of artificial life in art, could've been fascinating but was short and slap-dash).
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