https://github.com/jo56/complex-systems-visualizer
Analyze complex system phenomena in a fullstack rust application
https://github.com/jo56/complex-systems-visualizer
complex-systems egui fractal mandlebrot rust trunk wasm webgl
Last synced: 1 day ago
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Analyze complex system phenomena in a fullstack rust application
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/jo56/complex-systems-visualizer
- Owner: jo56
- Created: 2025-10-02T21:03:40.000Z (8 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-04-29T18:55:37.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-04-29T20:32:20.040Z (about 1 month ago)
- Topics: complex-systems, egui, fractal, mandlebrot, rust, trunk, wasm, webgl
- Language: Rust
- Homepage: https://complex-systems-visualizer.pages.dev
- Size: 2.39 MB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Complex Systems Visualizer
Burning Ship fractal at an interesting landmark
A comprehensive Rust application for exploring complex systems, fractals, cellular automata, particle simulations, and emergent behavior through interactive visualizations.
Note: Some fractals may not perform well in web due to CPU-intensive WASM limitations. Check out Fractal Madness for a WebGPU-based alternative.
[](https://complex-systems-visualizer.pages.dev/)
## Features
**39 Unique Simulations** across 2D and 3D categories:
### 2D Simulations (22 total)
- **Fractals** (3): Mandelbrot Set, Julia Set, Burning Ship
- **Cellular Automata** (4): Game of Life, Elementary CA, Langton's Ant, Cyclic CA
- **Growth & Self-Organization** (2): DLA (Diffusion-Limited Aggregation), Sandpile
- **Physical Simulations** (4): Double Pendulum, Reaction-Diffusion, Lissajous Curves, Wave Interference
- **Generative Art** (6): Koch Snowflake, Phyllotaxis, Perlin Flow, Boids, De Jong Attractor, Clifford Attractor
- **Complex Emergent** (2): Slime Mold, Falling Sand
### 3D Simulations (17 total)
- **Visual Animations** (3): DNA Helix, Torus Knot, Galaxy Spiral
- **Particle Systems** (5): 3D Particle Attractor, 3D Boids, N-Body Gravity, Fluid SPH, Magnetic Field
- **Chaotic Attractors** (7): Lorenz, Rössler, Aizawa, Halvorsen, Dadras, Thomas, Chen
- **Advanced Effects** (3): Vortex Turbulence, Lightning Bolt, 3D Fractal Tree
### Key Features
- **Interactive Controls**: Real-time parameter adjustments with immediate visual feedback
- **Mousewheel Zoom**: Smooth zooming for fractal exploration (Mandelbrot, Julia, Burning Ship)
- **Drag-to-Pan**: Navigate fractal landscapes by dragging
- **26 Color Schemes**: Beautiful palettes for fractals and visualizations
- **Preset Configurations**: Quick access to interesting views and parameters
- **High Performance**: Parallel computation using Rayon for fast rendering
- **Professional UI**: Organized collapsible sections with emoji icons
## Architecture
The project uses a Cargo workspace structure for modularity:
```
mandlebrot-visualizer/
├── sim-core/ # Core simulation library
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── lib.rs # Simulation traits + color system
│ │ ├── mandelbrot.rs # Mandelbrot fractal
│ │ ├── julia.rs # Julia set
│ │ ├── burning_ship.rs # Burning Ship fractal
│ │ ├── game_of_life.rs # Conway's Game of Life
│ │ ├── cellular_automaton.rs # Elementary cellular automaton
│ │ ├── langtons_ant.rs # Langton's Ant
│ │ ├── cyclic_ca.rs # Cyclic cellular automaton
│ │ ├── dla.rs # Diffusion-limited aggregation
│ │ ├── sandpile.rs # Abelian sandpile
│ │ ├── double_pendulum.rs # Chaotic pendulum
│ │ ├── reaction_diffusion.rs # Gray-Scott model
│ │ ├── lissajous.rs # Lissajous curves
│ │ ├── wave_interference.rs # Wave interference patterns
│ │ ├── slime_mold.rs # Physarum simulation
│ │ ├── falling_sand.rs # Falling sand simulation
│ │ ├── generative/ # Generative art patterns
│ │ │ ├── mod.rs
│ │ │ ├── koch_snowflake.rs
│ │ │ ├── phyllotaxis.rs
│ │ │ ├── perlin_flow.rs
│ │ │ ├── boids.rs
│ │ │ └── strange_attractors.rs
│ │ ├── lorenz.rs # Lorenz attractor
│ │ ├── rossler.rs # Rössler attractor
│ │ ├── aizawa.rs # Aizawa attractor
│ │ ├── halvorsen.rs # Halvorsen attractor
│ │ ├── dadras.rs # Dadras attractor
│ │ ├── thomas.rs # Thomas attractor
│ │ ├── chen.rs # Chen attractor
│ │ ├── dna_helix.rs # DNA double helix
│ │ ├── torus_knot.rs # Torus knot
│ │ ├── galaxy_spiral.rs # Spiral galaxy
│ │ ├── particle_attractor_3d.rs # 3D particle system
│ │ ├── boids_3d.rs # 3D flocking
│ │ ├── nbody_gravity.rs # N-body gravitational simulation
│ │ ├── fluid_sph.rs # SPH fluid dynamics
│ │ ├── magnetic_field.rs # Magnetic field visualization
│ │ ├── vortex_turbulence.rs # Turbulent vortex flow
│ │ ├── lightning_bolt.rs # Lightning generation
│ │ └── fractal_tree_3d.rs # 3D fractal tree
│ └── Cargo.toml
│
├── sim-app/ # GUI application
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── main.rs # Application entry point
│ │ ├── viewer_2d.rs # 2D visualization renderer
│ │ └── viewer_3d.rs # 3D visualization renderer
│ └── Cargo.toml
│
├── sim-web/ # WebAssembly build for browsers
│ ├── src/
│ │ └── lib.rs # WASM entry point
│ ├── index.html # Web template
│ ├── Trunk.toml # Trunk bundler config
│ └── Cargo.toml
│
├── scripts/ # Build automation
│ ├── build-web.sh # Unix/macOS web build script
│ └── build-web.ps1 # Windows web build script
│
└── Cargo.toml # Workspace configuration
```
## Getting Started
### Prerequisites
- [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install) (1.70 or later)
- Cargo (comes with Rust)
### Building & Running
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone
cd mandlebrot-visualizer
# Run the application (recommended for best performance)
cargo run --release
# Or for development (faster compilation, slower runtime)
cargo run
```
### Web Build (WASM)
Run the application in your browser using WebAssembly:
#### Prerequisites
Install [Trunk](https://trunkrs.dev/), the WASM bundler:
```bash
cargo install trunk
```
Add the WebAssembly target:
```bash
rustup target add wasm32-unknown-unknown
```
#### Option 1: Using Build Scripts
```bash
# Unix/macOS/Linux
./scripts/build-web.sh
# Windows (PowerShell)
.\scripts\build-web.ps1
```
The compiled files will be in `sim-web/dist/`.
#### Option 2: Using Trunk Directly
```bash
cd sim-web
# Development server with hot reload
trunk serve
# Production build
trunk build --release
```
#### Option 3: Development Server
For local development with live reload:
```bash
cd sim-web
trunk serve --open
```
This starts a local server at `http://127.0.0.1:8080` and opens it in your browser.
#### Serving the Built Files
After building, serve the `sim-web/dist/` directory with any static file server:
```bash
# Using Python
cd sim-web/dist && python -m http.server 8080
# Using Node.js (npx)
npx serve sim-web/dist
# Using Rust's simple-http-server
cargo install simple-http-server
simple-http-server sim-web/dist
```
## Usage
### Basic Controls
1. **Select View Mode**: Choose between 2D and 3D simulations
2. **Choose Simulation**: Use the dropdown menu to select which simulation to run
3. **Adjust Parameters**: Use sliders and controls in the side panel
4. **Explore Presets**: Click preset buttons for interesting configurations
### Fractal Controls
- **Mousewheel**: Zoom in/out on fractals (Mandelbrot, Julia, Burning Ship)
- **Drag**: Pan around the fractal when zoomed in
- **Zoom Slider**: Fine control over zoom level (0.1x to 10,000x)
- **Color Schemes**: Choose from 26 beautiful color palettes
### 3D Controls
- **Rotation Sliders**: Change viewing angle (X and Y rotation)
- **Zoom Slider**: Adjust 3D perspective (0.5x to 5x)
- **Mousewheel**: Quick zoom adjustment when hovering over 3D view
- **Auto-Rotate**: Enable automatic rotation for continuous viewing
## Technology Stack
- **[Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/)** - Systems programming language
- **[egui](https://github.com/emilk/egui)** - Immediate mode GUI library
- **[eframe](https://github.com/emilk/egui/tree/master/crates/eframe)** - Application framework (native + web)
- **[rayon](https://github.com/rayon-rs/rayon)** - Data parallelism for performance
- **[num-complex](https://github.com/rust-num/num-complex)** - Complex number arithmetic
- **[noise](https://github.com/Razaekel/noise-rs)** - Perlin noise generation
- **[wasm-bindgen](https://github.com/rustwasm/wasm-bindgen)** - Rust/JavaScript interop for WebAssembly
- **[Trunk](https://trunkrs.dev/)** - WASM web application bundler
## Documentation
- **[QUICKSTART.md](QUICKSTART.md)** - Quick start guide for new users
- **[FEATURES.md](FEATURES.md)** - Detailed feature documentation and tips
## Highlights
### Advanced Fractal Features
- 26 color schemes with smooth coloring
- Zoom up to 10,000x for deep exploration
- Generalized Mandelbrot/Julia sets (powers 2-8)
- Color cycling animations
- Preset locations for quick navigation
### Cellular Automata
- Game of Life with 6 rule variations
- 7 classic patterns (Glider Gun, Pulsar, etc.)
- Cell age visualization
- Real-time rule switching
### Physical Simulations
- Reaction-Diffusion (Gray-Scott model)
- N-Body gravity with orbital mechanics
- SPH fluid dynamics
- Magnetic field particle interactions
### Generative Art
- Boids flocking (2D and 3D)
- Perlin noise flow fields
- Strange attractors (De Jong, Clifford)
- Phyllotaxis patterns
- Koch snowflake fractals
## License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
## Acknowledgments
- Built with the excellent Rust ecosystem
- Thanks to the egui community for the amazing GUI framework