LifeViewer

LifeViewer
Homepage	Click here
Purpose	Life simulation
Created by	Chris Rowett
Platform	HTML5 / Javascript

LifeViewer is a scriptable pattern viewer and editor used to simulate Life and a wide range of other 1D and 2D cellular automata.

If you want to use LifeViewer on your own site then the latest release can be downloaded here.

x=59, y = 7, rule = B3/S23 o5b5ob5ob5obo3bob5ob5obobobob5ob4o$o7bo3bo5bo5bo3bo3bo3bo5bobobobo5bo 3bo$o7bo3bo5bo5bo3bo3bo3bo5bobobobo5bo3bo$o7bo3b3o3b3o3bo3bo3bo3b3o3bo bobob3o3b4o$o7bo3bo5bo5bo3bo3bo3bo5bobobobo5bo3bo$o7bo3bo5bo6bobo4bo3b o5bobobobo5bo3bo$5ob5obo5b5o3bo3b5ob5o2bobo2b5obo3bo! #C [[ COLOUR DEAD 0 0 0 COLOUR ALIVE 0 0 0 ]] #C [[ LOOP 1101 STARS NOSTEPBACK ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART X -90 Y 60 LAYERS 6 ZOOM 4 DEPTH 3 ]] #C [[ PAUSE 3 X 90 Y -60 ANGLE 20 THEME 0 ]] #C [[ PAUSE 1.5 X 90 Y 60 ANGLE 340 ZOOM 6 ]] #C [[ PAUSE 1.5 X 0 Y 0 ANGLE 0 THEME 3 ZOOM 4 ]] #C [[ PAUSE 1 X 0 DEPTH 0.2 ZOOM 6 THEME 4 ]] #C [[ T 1 THEME 7 ]] #C [[ T 400 ZOOM 5 X 5 Y -10 THEME 2 ]] #C [[ T 450 DEPTH 5 ]] #C [[ T 560 X -155 Y 127 DEPTH 0.5 ]] #C [[ T 950 X -242 Y 214 ANGLE 20 ]] #C [[ T 1050 DEPTH 0 ANGLE 0 AUTOFIT "#T" ]] #C [[ T 1100 X 0 Y 0 ZOOM 0.25 THEME CUSTOM ]]

LifeViewer supports:

• 2-state Margolus rules.
• 2-state Outer-totalistic Life-like cellular automata (from ranges 1 to 500, including Larger than Life).
• 2-state Isotropic non-totalistic Life-like cellular automata (for range-1 Moore and range-1 hexagonal).
• 2-state Non-isotropic Life-like cellular automata (for range-1 Moore, hexagonal and von Neumann).
• Generations rules (as an extension of the outer-totalistic, non-totalistic and non-isotropic rulespaces).
• Alternating rules.
• Partitioned cellular automata (PCA) rules.
• Elementary cellular automata (even numbers only).
• [R]History rules.
• RuleTable rules from a repository.

LifeViewer supports square, offset-square, hexagonal and triangular grids. Outer-totalistic rules support Moore, von Neumann, circular, cross, L2, saltire, star, checkerboard and hash neighbourhoods on a square grid, as well as a general hexagonal neighbourhood on a hexagonal grid, for all of the applicable ranges. For triangular grids, range-1 triangular Moore, triangular edges and triangular vertices neighbourhoods are also supported. Square grids also support the Margolus neighbourhood.

LifeViewer supports the following bounded grid types:

• Plane
• Cylinder (with optional shift)
• Torus (with optional shift)
• Klein-bottle (with optional shift)
• Cross-surface
• Sphere

For range 2+ neighbourhoods only Plane, and Torus (without shift) are supported.

Native support for BSFKL, Extended Generations and deficient rules is also planned. Support for 1D totalistic rules may also be planned.

LifeViewer features:

• Smooth non-integer zoom with anti-aliasing and rotation.
• Colour themes with cell history and longevity.
• Square, offset-square, hexagonal and triangular grid displays.
• Pseudo 3D layers and stars.
• Multiple ways to automatically track patterns with the camera as they evolve.
• Script language that allows many features to be customized including Waypoint animations.
• Support for multiple embedded LifeViewers and/or a single popup LifeViewer.
• Ability to step back to earlier generations for all patterns and reverse playback for reversible Margolus and PCA patterns.
• Random pattern and rule generation.
• Pattern annotation with Labels, Arrows, Lines and Polygons.
• Programatically pasting cells onto the grid at defined intervals (for example: glider injection).
• Identification of oscillator and spaceship periods.
• Automatic scaling for high DPI displays including smartphones and tablets.
• Editor with unlimitied undo/redo and multiple clipboards.

The keyboard shortcuts are shown below:

External links

• Release notes
• LifeViewer homepage
• LifeViewer files

• LifeViewer at the Life Lexicon

Forum threads

• LifeViewer - Life simulator in HTML5 (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums

• Pattern viewer for forum threads (discussion thread) at the ConwayLife.com forums