Cellular Automaton Water Simulation

A simple interactive water simulation game built with Python and Pygame, featuring cellular automaton physics.

Features

• Interactive Water Spawning: Left-click and drag to spray water particles
• Gravity Physics: Water falls down realistically with momentum
• Lateral Flow: Water spreads sideways when it hits obstacles
• Obstacle Drawing: Right-click to draw solid walls and platforms
• Clear Function: Reset the simulation with a keypress

Installation

1. Make sure you have Python 3.7+ installed
2. The virtual environment and dependencies are already set up in the venv folder

If you need to reinstall dependencies:

python3 -m venv venv
./venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Run the simulation using the provided script:

./run.sh

Or run directly:

./venv/bin/python main.py

Controls

• Left Mouse Button: Spawn water (hold and drag for continuous spray)
• Right Mouse Button: Draw solid obstacles/walls
• SPACE or C: Clear all water and obstacles
• ESC: Quit the application

How It Works

This simulation uses a cellular automaton approach where the screen is divided into a grid of cells. Each cell can be:

• Empty (air)
• Water (blue liquid particles)
• Solid (gray obstacles)

The water physics includes:

• Gravity: water falls downward
• Momentum: falling water maintains horizontal velocity
• Lateral spreading: water flows sideways when blocked
• Natural flow dynamics

Technical Details

• Grid Size: 100x80 cells
• Cell Size: 10 pixels
• Window Size: 1000x800 pixels
• Target FPS: 60
• Physics Updates: Every frame

Enjoy experimenting with fluid dynamics!