Lenia - Real-Time GPU-Accelerated Artificial Life Simulator
A high-performance, real-time implementation of Lenia, a continuous cellular automaton system that produces life-like emergent behaviors. This project leverages GPU compute shaders for massively parallel simulation, enabling smooth interactive exploration of complex artificial life patterns.
Features
Core Simulation
- Multiple Lenia Variants: Classic Lenia, Multi-channel Lenia, Game of Life, SmoothLife, Larger-Than-Life
- 548 Pre-loaded Species: Extensive library including Orbium, Scutium, Hydrogeminium, and multichannel creatures
- 11 Growth Functions: Lenia Gaussian, Step, SmoothLife, Polynomial, Exponential, Double Peak, Asymptotic, SoftClip, Quad4, and more
- 10 Kernel Types: Gaussian Shell, Bump4, Multi-ring variants, Mexican Hat, Cosine Shell, and custom ring configurations
Multichannel System
- Support for 1-3 independent channels (RGB visualization)
- Up to 16 simultaneous interaction rules
- Cross-channel growth dynamics
- Channel-specific kernel configurations
Visualization
- 12+ Colormaps: Viridis, Magma, Inferno, Plasma, Jet, Lenia, Rainbow, Grayscale, and custom colormaps
- Display Modes: Normal, Kernel overlay, Growth field, Neighbor sums, Delta view
- Real-time Colormap Controls: Range, power curve, offset, reverse
- Mouse Hover: Real-time cell value display with coordinates
Analysis & Monitoring
- Live Analysis: Mass, alive cell count, centroid tracking, speed, direction
- Pattern Detection: Periodic behavior detection, stability monitoring, auto-pause
- Graphs with Axes: Professional visualizations with labeled axes, ticks, and grid lines
- Performance Metrics: FPS, frame time statistics, throughput (Gcells/s), efficiency rating
User Interface
- Searchable preset browser with category filtering
- Species preview with current colormap
- Grid transformations (flip horizontal/vertical, rotate CW/CCW)
- Placement options: Center, corners, scatter, grid, random
- Real-time parameter adjustment with slider markers for default values
Accessibility
- Adjustable UI scale (0.75x to 3.0x) for high-DPI displays
- Configurable font size (10pt to 32pt)
- High contrast mode
- Reduce motion option
- Keyboard navigation with focus indicators
- Multi-language support: English, French (Francais)
Requirements
Build Requirements
- Compiler: MinGW-w64 (MSYS2 UCRT64) with GCC 13+ or GCC 15 recommended
- Graphics: OpenGL 4.5 compatible GPU (4.6 preferred)
- OS: Windows 10/11
Runtime Requirements
- OpenGL 4.5+ capable graphics card
- GPU with compute shader support
Building
Quick Build
.\build_windows.bat
Build Options
.\build_windows.bat --clean # Clean rebuild
.\build_windows.bat --no-pause # No pause at end (for scripts)
.\build_windows.bat --help # Show options
The build script automatically:
- Detects MSYS2/MinGW-w64 installation
- Downloads and sets up required libraries (GLFW, GLAD, GLM, Dear ImGui)
- Compiles with optimizations (-O3, LTO)
- Links statically for easy distribution
Manual Build
If you prefer using Make directly:
mingw32-make -j8
Usage
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|
| Space | Pause/Resume simulation |
| S | Single step (hold for continuous stepping) |
| Shift+S | Fast continuous stepping |
| R | Reset with current preset |
| C | Clear grid |
| Arrow Keys | Pan view |
| Scroll | Zoom in/out |
| Middle Mouse | Pan view (drag) |
| F | Fit view to grid |
Getting Started
- Launch
bin/lenia.exe
- Browse presets in the Presets section
- Select a category (e.g., "Multichannel") and choose a species
- Press Space to start the simulation
- Adjust parameters in real-time using the UI panels
Architecture
GPU-Accelerated Pipeline
Input → Kernel Generation → Convolution (Compute Shader) → Growth Function → State Update → Render
- Zero-Copy Simulation: Grid state lives entirely in VRAM
- Double-Buffered State: Ping-pong rendering for consistent updates
- Compute Shaders: Massively parallel simulation (millions of cells per frame)
Key Components
| Component | Description |
|---|
LeniaEngine | Core simulation controller |
SimulationState | Double-buffered texture management |
KernelManager | Kernel generation and caching |
Renderer | Display and colormap application |
AnalysisManager | Pattern tracking and statistics |
UIOverlay | Dear ImGui interface |
Performance
- Typical performance: 60+ FPS at 512×512 grid with R=13 kernel
- Throughput: 10+ Gcells/s on modern GPUs
- Minimal CPU overhead (GPU-bound simulation)
Project Structure
Lenia/
├── src/ # C++ source files
│ ├── Main.cpp # Entry point
│ ├── Application.* # Main loop and coordination
│ ├── LeniaEngine.* # Simulation engine
│ ├── KernelManager.* # Kernel texture generation
│ ├── Renderer.* # Display rendering
│ ├── UIOverlay.* # ImGui interface
│ ├── AnalysisManager.* # Pattern analysis
│ └── Presets.* # Species database
├── assets/
│ ├── shaders/ # GLSL compute and fragment shaders
│ └── init/ # Initialization patterns
├── colormap/ # Custom colormap files
└── libs/ # Pre-built libraries
Technical Details
Simulation Parameters
| Parameter | Range | Description |
|---|
| R (Radius) | 1-50 | Kernel radius in cells |
| μ (mu) | 0.0-1.0 | Growth function center |
| σ (sigma) | 0.001-0.3 | Growth function width |
| dt | 0.01-1.0 | Time step per update |
Supported Grid Sizes
- Minimum: 64×64
- Default: 350×350
- Maximum: 2048×2048 (GPU memory dependent)
Credits
Lenia Research
- Bert Wang-Chak Chan: Creator of Lenia (Original Paper)
- Lenia community for documenting species and parameter spaces
Libraries
- GLFW - Window and input handling
- GLAD - OpenGL loader
- GLM - Mathematics library
- Dear ImGui - Immediate mode GUI