Evolutionary Art

[MrDoom]

As a side effect of my recent interest in artificial life, digital organisms, neural nets, genetic algorithms, and all that fun stuff, I've run into what is called evolutionary art (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/evolutionary_art).

It's a simple enough process to anyone with basic knowledge of both computers and genetics. By repeatedly choosing desired traits to be bred and mutated, nerdy dorks such as I who have programming and computer-science know-how but absolutely no skill with a pencil or brush (physical or otherwise) to crank out aesthically-pleasing art based on what we think is pretty. :P

I use this program for generation: http://www.mindcube.ukf.net/geneticfx/

Some other online evo art sites exist that have voting systems for 'democratic art'. Trippy stuff, I must say, and somewhat surprising what patterns can emerge from pseudorandomness and artificial selection.

Some stuff I evolved:

'Cyclops'
[img]http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/8804/cyclopsmg8.png' alt='' width='400' height='300' class='attach' /> (http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/8804/cyclopsmg8.png)

A blob of rainbow
[img]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1919/rainbowblobzn9.png' alt='' width='400' height='300' class='attach' /> (http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/1919/rainbowblobzn9.png)

Red Dawn (My favorite, and surprisingly the swiftest generated)
[img]http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/8276/redplanethc2.png' alt='' width='400' height='300' class='attach' /> (http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/8276/redplanethc2.png)

None of these had any preselected patterns; they emerged randomly, yet guided by my choice.

Post anything interesting that you evolve!

[Black Dagger]

Originally posted by mr doom
By repeatedly choosing desired traits to be bred and mutated,

What kind of traits?

[MrDoom]

Originally posted by black rose+March 28, 2007 03:53 am--> (black rose @ March 28, 2007 03:53 am)
mr doom
By repeatedly choosing desired traits to be bred and mutated,

What kind of traits? [/b]
Elements in the picture. One simply double-clicks which picture out of a population is best or most closely resembles a desired picture. A new population is then generated from the selected picture, with mutations and inter-breeding added. Eventually one can 'breed out' undesireable traits of the picture.

For example, the picture with the red sky and horizon started with me trying to go with a red theme; after a few generations of mostly red pictures, something resembling the sky in that picture appeared. Some generations more the horizon showed up in a crude form. Further selection brought about the picture I posted.

I tried to further evolve it, but the 'red sky and globe' pattern degenerated into something else.

[Vladislav]

I like it. Reminds me of some Nine Inch Nails art.