Groovy Lava

Groovy Lava is a screensaver creator and Winamp plugin that uses a unique computational method for displaying cellular automation (artificial cellular life forms).  Using the latest hardware and software technology, it is now possible to create new and exciting animations using this curious branch of mathematics on your computer!

life

Rendering at over 20 frames per second and performing hundreds of thousands to millions of calculations per second - Groovy Lava will create animations that will astound you!

Groovy Lava comes complete with over 100 predefined life forms and the ability to randomly generate an almost infinite variety of new and possibly never before seen animations.

Cellular Automation and Chaos

What is it ?

Cellular automation is a new way of looking at complex systems in nature by breaking down these systems into discrete cells which all obey the same simple rules.  Each cell and it's associated rules is known as an automata.  By seeding a mathematical grid with these cells we can observe how the automata interact with each other - creating an automation.  

In Groovy Lava this grid is your computer display and the movement and state of each cell is represented as a single point of colour somewhere on your screen.  The result of selecting each cell randomly and applying these rules in a random order creates an unpredictable and truly chaotic animation.

So what are these rules ?

It could be something as simple as moving a cell one space to the left.  This would result in an automation with all cells travelling off the left hand side of your display.  Or it could be for the cell to clone a copy of itself resulting in your display quickly becoming full of life.  Or it could be for a cell to destroy itself when completely surrounded by other cells.  Or it could be a combination of all these rules - in which case it is already hard to imagine what the results might be !

Can cellular automata explain life, the universe and everything?

Groovy Lava has over 50 documented rules along with a whole suite of special graphical effects and environmental settings - allowing for unlimited possibilities in life form creations.  You can even use your own digital pictures as a background to your lava animations!

Buy Groovy Lava Now!

Groovy Lava