PySwarm: Swarming Python Script for PyCarrara

by Holly Wetcircuit | Oct 25, 2013 | Carrara Plugins, News

PySwarm for Carrara is a Python script by fractaldimensia specifically designed and written to use with DAZ 3D Carrara’s plug-in PyCarrara to manipulate and render realistic swarming object and other similar forms of group behavior in Carrara.

Historically, anyone who wanted to create an animation sequence that simulated flocking, herding, schooling, swarming, or other group behaviors had two options.

1) Create flight paths for each individual in the group. This can be very time consuming and prone to difficulties if you want to change any of the paths.
2) Use a replicator to create groups of animals. This can lead to animations that are not realistic enough because replicators require animals move in unison.

PySwarm offers a third and more flexible choice. Realistic swarming animation can be achieved by loading the PySwarm script into a text editor, selecting the behaviors you wish to simulate, tweaking a few parameters, importing the script into your scene, and rendering the resulting keyframe-based simulation.

An essential feature of PySwarm is that users of the script do NOT have to know how to program in Python to use it. The PySwarm script was engineered in a way that anyone who has Python and the PyCarrara plug-in installed on their computer can, with minimal effort, render complex-looking animation sequences.

Here are just a few examples of the kinds of animation sequences the PySwarm script is being designed to support.

• Bees swarming around a beehive
• Butterflies flying in an open field
• A herd of horses running through a valley
• An army of soldiers marching, but not in precise formation
• Mechanical spiders swarming a futuristic fort
• Predators moving through a large flock of prey (wolves and sheep, barracudas and fish, “bad guy”
  moving through a crowd of people)
• Two groups of fighter aircraft in close “fur ball” combat

download the latest PySwarm script (V.0.3.1) along with a Users Guide and two .CAR starter files to use with the script here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8V9-txK8F4Mb0JBZ0tQVndmRkU/edit?usp=sharing

The PyCarrara plugin can be downloaded here:
http://pycarrara.sourceforge.net

These videos show PySwarm in action