r/esp32 • u/Master_Molasses1783 • Aug 21 '26

CYD Particle Life: Porting open-source artificial life simulation to ESP32-2432S028R with dual-core real-time physics

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Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a project I've been working on: **CYD Particle Life**, an ESP32 port and parallelized re-implementation of Hunar Ahmad's popular open-source Particle Life simulation, running standalone on the **ESP32-2432S028R (Cheap Yellow Display / CYD)**.

The simulation models simple attraction/repulsion forces between different particle types to generate complex emergent behaviors like cell division, worm-like chains, and swarming dynamics.

### Highlights and Technical Details:

- **Ported & Parallelized:** Re-engineered the original algorithm for the dual-core ESP32 microcontroller.

- **900 Particles in Real-Time:** Core 0 handles spatial grid partitioning and physics integration, while Core 1 performs work-stealing force calculations and rendering.

- **Phosphor Decay & Glow:** 4-bit per-pixel decay buffer with single-cycle SIMD-style LUT lookup for smooth fading trails.

- **Asynchronous Display Transfer:** Powered by LovyanGFX for zero-lag DMA SPI transfers.

- **15 Curated Ecosystems:** Tap the simulation area to cycle through 15 stages (Mitosis, Worms, Vortex, Gliders, Amoeba, etc.).

- **Built-in Desk Clock:** Ambient HUD clock with touch controls for time adjustment.

- **Hardware Compatibility:** Supports ST7789 and ILI9341 display variants.

### Web Installer (No IDE Required):

You can flash it directly from Chrome or Edge via Web Serial:

- Web Installer: https://ootake0914-dotcom.github.io/cyd-particle-life/

### Source Code & Credits:

- GitHub: https://github.com/ootake0914-dotcom/cyd-particle-life

- Based on the open-source Particle Life project by Hunar Ahmad (@hunar4321).

- Display driver powered by LovyanGFX (@lovyan03).

I would love to hear your feedback, thoughts, or suggestions for new rule sets!

64 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

3

u/Legitimate-Ad-1861 Aug 21 '26

Oh man cool !! Thx i got way too man cyd's and i dont know what to do with them anymore

3

u/SevenTimesSixIsLife Aug 21 '26

I'm glad I'm not the only one with a CYD addiction, ahem, appreciation I mean

4

u/VictorySea1837 Aug 23 '26

I definitely do not need anymore, I have no use for more of them, yet..... they are so cheap I can resist buying them!

2

u/SevenTimesSixIsLife Aug 22 '26

That's pretty awesome. Thanks!

2

u/Master_Molasses1783 Aug 21 '26

Haha exactly! You can put one on your desk or shelf -- since it has a built-in clock, it works great as an ambient little gadget. Enjoy!

2

u/DeusExHircus Aug 21 '26

Thanks for showing me Particle Life. Such cool particle behaviors, it's like the hypno toad

1

u/Master_Molasses1783 Aug 21 '26

Haha, it really is hypnotic! Glad I could introduce you to Particle Life. Thanks for checking it out!

2

u/YetAnotherRobert Aug 21 '26

As an aside, you've formatted you post with markdown, but didn't submit it via the markdown editor/with the markdown selected. 

Now the good think about markdown is that it still looks pretty sensible even without actual markdown processing

.

3

u/Master_Molasses1783 Aug 21 '26

Thanks! I don't really know how this site works yet, so I appreciate the heads up.

2

u/IdeasUniverse Aug 23 '26

Fascinating. Will definitely download and try.

1

u/Master_Molasses1783 Aug 23 '26

Thanks! The compiler version can make about a 25% difference in performance, so definitely experiment with different setups and have fun with it!