Flocks, Herds, and Schools: A Distributed Behavioral
Model
SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics, 21 (4):
25--34 (July 1987)Abstract
The aggregate motion of a flock of birds, a herd of
land animals, or a school of fish is a beautiful and
familiar part of the natural world. But this type of
complex motion is rarely seen in computer animation.
This paper explores an approach based on simulation as
an alternative to scripting the paths of each bird
individually. The simulated flock is an elaboration of
a particle system, with the simulated birds being the
particles. The aggregate motion of the simulated flock
is created by a distributed behavioral model much like
that at work in a natural flock; the birds choose their
own course. Each simulated bird is implemented as an
independent actor that navigates according to its local
perception of the dynamic environment, the laws of
simulated physics that rule its motion, and a set of
behaviours programmed into it by the änimator."
The aggregate motion of the simulated flock is the
result of the dense interaction of the relatively
simple behaviours of the individual simulated birds.
