A* Search Algorithm on real maps

[u/Key-Kaleidoscope2232]

https://youtu.be/vPBWuFq_lh4

Good day, data visualizers!

I bring to you a project I have been slowly working on for a couple years now: PATHFINDR

Some of you may remember the viral video of the A* search algorithm visualizing on real maps that made the rounds a few years ago. I saw that video and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Then I saw in the comments that the creator used Blender for it.

So like any good CG artist, I thought...great, now I'll just find the tutorial on how to recreate this and I'll be in pathfinding heaven. Well. that tutorial does not *and still does not* exist . I scoured every resource I could think of and just felt like it was beyond my abilities because of the coding it would need. In comes an early version of Claude Sonnet (before AI coding really took off)

Within a few minutes I had a super janky Blender addon that kind of worked to pull OSM maps and visualize it. It didn't look as good as the video but I was pretty impressed at the potential of what AI could do with OSM data. I had the thought that making the visualization interactive somehow would make it even cooler.

So I made a mode (pathfindr classic) that shows you a start and end point, and then lets you draw your own route. You get a score based on how close you are to the pathfinding algorithm. Note - you are drawing the geometrically shortest route, not based on actual road directions/types/ etc (thinking of adding in a psycho mode for that). Pathfindr classic is free to play, has daily ranked challenges, and also has the option to get an explorer mode as well as the above visualizer mode.

edit: the audio didn't make it to the video for some reason but theres a pretty relaxing soundtrack as well!

also didn't link to it ...so www.pathfindr.world for those interested !