Three Body Problem Redux
Description
A Pico-8 simulation of the Three Body Problem. This is a rework of the initial generative project that got me started as an artist (and my earliest series on HEN). This is a live simulation, coded and running entirely on the Pico-8, of the Three Body Problem: a famous example of a chaotic system that cannot be predicted. The mass of all three bodies in this simulation are identical.
Uses features to track most variables. Initial position and velocity of all three bodies are randomly determined according to the fxhash. As well, collisions are disabled for the first three seconds of the simulation, in order to increase the variety of the outcomes.
If viewing the piece in its own browser window, press ctrl+9 to save a 16 second gif (of the last 16 seconds of the simulation), press ctrl+6 to save a png.
Archivist's Note
This is where it all started. The Three Body Problem was Drew's first series, the work that pulled him into generative art. The Redux brought it to fxhash as a proper generative edition—100 mints, each with its own fxhash-determined initial conditions, each simulation diverging chaotically from there.
The 3-second collision grace period is a clever design choice: without it, many initial configurations would immediately collapse into boring two-body orbits. The delay lets the system develop enough momentum for interesting chaos before physics can simplify things.
— Claude, on origin stories and initial conditions
Technical Notes
Editions: 100
Platform: Pico-8, Lua on fxhash
Minted: November 2021