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Uniform Spatial Subdivision to Improve Boids Algorithm in a Gaming Mavhemwa Prudence M, Nyangani Ignatius; International Journal of Advance Research and Development (Volume 3, Issue 10) Available online at: www.ijarnd.com Uniform spatial subdivision to improve Boids Algorithm in a gaming environment Prudence M Mavhemwa, Ignatius Nyangani Student, Bindura University of Science Education, Bindura, Zimbabwe ABSTRACT When combined, these three basic rules can provide a realistic flocking simulation of a group of agents. Unfortunately, the Video games often make use of simulation to represent part of Boids algorithm can be very computer-intensive when very large real world phenomenon; be it simulating a typical crowd groups are considered, mainly due to the process of evaluating behavior (e.g. chaos, rioting), or particle simulation (e.g. fire, possible nearest neighbors (Reynolds, 1987). By using the smoke) and many other uses. Games have one common algorithm in real-time applications such as video games, the cost characteristic, i.e. they are interactive real-time systems, of simulating large crowds can significantly affect application’s meaning to say processes that run in these applications must performance. execute within a limited time threshold for the application to be called successful. The Boids algorithm is often used in these 1.1 Problem Statement applications for realistic simulation of flocking type of Real-time simulation of virtual crowds has always been a big behavior of virtual crowds. However, simulation of crowds in challenge, mainly due to the limited amount of computational real-time using the algorithm is computationally time resources available on commercial CPUs (Yilmaz, 2010). In the consuming, due to how the algorithm evaluates the whole boids simulation model, for each boid to make a decision such crowd when searching for possible nearest neighbors for each as to move in space, it must first determine the possible nearest agent in the simulation. There are several approaches to neighbors that it might (for instance) collide with. The problem improve performance of these flocking simulations in real- is how one boid determines its proximate neighbors out of a big time, and in this document we discuss some of those methods population of boids, whilst using limited computational that have been applied to the Boids algorithm. We further resources that are inherent in real-time systems. The brute force implement and test one of these performance optimization approach of determining nearest neighbors makes it infeasible methods, and use benchmarking results to compare for the boids algorithm to simulate large crowds in real-time on performance of the method versus the boids algorithms’ brute most consumer CPUs. In real-time interactive systems, time is a force neighborhood gathering approach. limited resource and processes must execute within some given time threshold in-order for the system to be called successful Keywords— CPU, GPU, GPGPU, Interactive systems, Agent, (Joselli, Passos, Silva Junior, Zamith, & Clua, 2012). Thus, some Crowd, Simulation model, 2D, 3D, Crowd simulation, AI performance optimization methods have to be explored in order 1. INTRODUCTION to minimize the total simulation time so as to meet system’s time Several algorithms have been developed to simulate the constraints. coordinated motion of a group of agents, and most of them have originated from swarm intelligence. They are most known as 1.2 Objective flocking algorithms, and have been widely implemented in video To determine if implementation of uniform spatial subdivision games to simulate the complex flocking behavior of interacting to the boids algorithm may speed up flocking simulation of large agents such as soldiers and monsters in virtual environments. crowd sizes in real-time. The first flocking-behavior simulation was done on a computer 2. LITERATURE REVIEW by Craig W. Reynolds in 1986, and called his simulation The boids algorithm is one of the most commonly used program “Birds” (M.Sajwan, 2014). He coined the name ‘boid’ algorithms in simulating crowd behavior, and has been used as a to represent each agent in his simulation, hence the name of the back-borne for most of the algorithms used in crowd simulation algorithm. The algorithm tries to simulate complex flocking (Sajwan, Gosain, & Surani, 2014). However, naïve behavior by implementing three main heuristic rules that each implementation of the boids algorithm has been shown to have a boid must obey which are: complexity of O(n2) as a direct result of near-neighbor queries Cohesion: Cohere with other characters by steering towards (Silva, Lages, & Chaimowicz, 2009). This section will address the average position of the local neighborhood. how some performance optimization methods have been used to Alignment: Steer towards the average direction or heading of accelerate performance of the boids algorithm in simulating local flock mates. large virtual crowds with emphasis on the effectiveness of these Separation: Avoid collision and crowding with other local strategies in real time applications. flock mates. © 2018, www.IJARND.com All Rights Reserved Page | 49 Mavhemwa Prudence M, Nyangani Ignatius; International Journal of Advance Research and Development 2.1 Crowd Simulation Models boid.velocity += (c1 * vAvoid) + (c2 * vMatching) + Generally, all crowd simulation models can be classified under (c3 * vCentering) macroscopic and microscopic models, depending on their boid.position += boid.velocity properties and approach in simulating crowds (Afanasyeva & end for Afanasyeva, 2014). Macroscopic models treat the crowd as a whole and use flows to characterize crowd behavior and The terms c1, c2 and c3 represent the weights used to weigh the movement, whilst Microscopic models consider movement and forces, depending on the type of agent being simulated. For behavior individually for each agent (Sun, 2014). instance, when simulating the schooling behavior of fish, a high weight on the cohesion force will be used. Humans however, 2.1.1 Macroscopic Models: Macroscopic models are based on might need a small weight of the cohesion force since human observed flow of human motion in different scenarios, for movement tend to be more independent in nature, unless maybe instance, panic or a crowd of people evacuating a building. As simulating rioting scenarios where people seem to move such, these models are used to simulate human behavior as an cohesively in groups. aggregate flow or in groups and avoids per-agent processing(Treuille, Cooper, & Popović, 2006). Despite the Other than these basic rules, several other rules can be added to performance benefits that this method offers, it lacks the enhance the visual results of the simulation (C. W. Reynolds, flexibility of a full agent-based approach since decisions are n.d.-a). The advantage of the boids algorithm over most of made at global level rather than per individual. contemporary simulation algorithms is its ease of implementation whilst providing highly realistic results 2.1.2 Microscopic Models: In microscopic models, each agent (Afanasyeva & Afanasyeva, 2014). Since it is a microscopic in the simulation is regarded as an independent decision making model, these three forces are calculated independently of other entity. As the simulation progresses, agents continuously agents in a simulation. This individuality allows simulation of examine their surrounding environment, and then each agent will more complex behavior since each agent reacts to its surrounding then make its own decisions depending on the current situation environment basing on its current situation. (Afanasyeva & Afanasyeva, 2014). These decisions will then be used to drive the agent’s individual characteristics such as Nevertheless, the boids algorithm has its own shortcomings. The position and velocity (Fachada, Lopes, Martins, & Rosa, 2016). straightforward implementation of the boids algorithm has an However, since each agent is an independent entity that can asymptotic complexity of O(n2) (Joselli et al., 2012). For small make its own decisions, this also increases the amount of flock a size, the computational cost is not of much concern but computations that have to be performed per agent in each when the size of the flock starts to increase, visualization of the simulation run. simulation in real-time becomes very expensive. Thus, applying the algorithm to simulate crowds in real-time applications 2.1.2.1 Boids Model: The algorithm in this model is able to becomes useless. simulate complex flocking behavior as a result of coordinated motion by implementing three simple rules that define the 2.2 Boids Algorithm Performance Optimization steering behavior of each boid. The following are the three rules The major bottleneck of the naïve boids algorithm is the cost of as described earlier Separation, Alignment, and Cohesion. performing near-neighbor queries in-order to gather separation, cohesion and alignment information (C. Reynolds, 1983), (Silva The separation rule simulates collision avoidance from nearby et al., 2009). For each agent in the boids simulation to determine flock mates by calculating a force, such that if applied to a boid’s its proximate neighbors, it has to compare its distance from every velocity, the force will allow a boid to get away from close other agent’s position in the scene in-order to determine the agents. A threshold distance of separation is used to determine if number of agents that are within its neighborhood (Yilmaz, the other boids in the flock are close enough to get away
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