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 Evolving Artwork Generated by Distributed SystemThe Electric sheep open-source screensaver utilizes a network of 60,000 computers to render frames of an ever changing collection of fractal-based animations. A genetic algorithm is employed to ensure that no two animations are the same and that desirable visuals ... Read more |
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| Evolving Artwork Generated by Distributed System |
| Cool Tech - General | |||||
| Wednesday, 03 June 2009 13:26 | |||||
The Electric sheep open-source screensaver utilizes a network of 60,000 computers to render frames of an ever changing collection of fractal-based animations. A genetic algorithm is employed to ensure that no two animations are the same and that desirable visuals are consistently created. The project is headed by an individual who has been successfully melding the technical and artistic for years – Googler / VJ / software artist Scott Draves.A Brief HistoryThe Electric Sheep project has been around for ten years and utilizes the fractal flame graphical algorithm invented by Draves in the early ‘90s. The flame visuals have become very popular over the years and have even seeped into popular culture, appearing not only in computer programs such as Adobe Photoshop, but museum exhibits and popular advertising campaigns as well.
Wikipedia explains how the term “Electric Sheep” became associated with this project:
The name "Electric Sheep" is taken from the title of Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The title mirrors the nature of the project: computers (androids) who have started running the screensaver begin rendering (dreaming) the fractal movies (sheep). OperationThe system is composed of four second long individual animations referred to as ‘sheep’ whose rendering specifications and completed animations are maintained by a server.
When a new sheep is to be rendered, the server distributes individual frame work orders to its clients. Upon receiving an order, the client renders the individual frame as a JPEG image which is then transferred back to the server. When all frames have been rendered, they are combined into an MPEG and made available for display on the client machines.
In addition to its frame distribution and combination responsibilities, the server creates new generations of sheep by combining the ‘genetic codes’ of different pairs of sheep in the flock (the current generation of animations). As in biological evolution, mutations are introduced which results in the flock changing in new and surprising ways.
Involving the UserUsers can also get directly involved in the sheep-creation process. The project website explains:
If a user sees a sheep they like, they may press the up arrow key to vote for it. Sheep that receive more votes live longer and are more likely to reproduce. These votes form a fitness function for the aesthetic evolution of the flock. Users can also download software to manually design genomes and post them to the server where they join the flock. Project LinksExample Animation SequenceThis isn’t nearly as smooth or detailed as the actual screensaver, but it gives you an idea of what a typical set of sheep looks like:
The ArtistAn overview of Scott Draves’ projects:
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