Flocking

Challenge mini project developed during "Self Dev Days" at Laparo.

Currently, this is a brute-force flocking model implementation. Possible upgrades are planned to do during the next "Self Dev Days". The model is more or less based on these papers:¹,², and ³.

Demos

• See YouTube Preview.
• Download build (for Windows).
• Check WebGL demo in your browser! 🔴WARNING🔴 Currently Burst is not supported for WebGL builds, maximum boids count is reduced.

Acceleration with 2d tree

Ranges queries are accelerated using Native2dTree. Performance comparison between brutforce approach and k-d tree can be found below.

Animated k-d tree preview on gizmos can be found below.

Dependencies

• Unity.Burst
• Unity.Jobs
• andywiecko.BurstMathUtils
• andywiecko.BurstCollections

TODO

Things to consider:

• Try ECS.
• Try WebGL build.
• Optimization: spatial hashing/quad tree.
• Obstacle avoidance.
• Express forces in PBD framework.
• Additional force with respect to the defined path.
• Add random force (should prevent from boids gluing?)

Bibliography

Footnotes

1. H. Hildenbrandt, C. Carere, C.K. Hemelrijk, "Self-organized aerial displays of thousands of starlings: a model," Behavioral Ecology, 21, 6, (2010). ↩

2. C.K. Hemelrijk and H. Hildenbrandt. "Some causes of the variable shape of flocks of birds." PloS one 6.8 (2011): e22479. ↩

3. C. Hartman and B. Benes. "Autonomous boids," Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds 17.3‐4 (2006). ↩