- Define a grid of vectors
Divide the plane in a grid of n x m squares and create a 2D vector (x,y) in each square. The angle of this vector will be given by a 3D Perlin noise algorithm, where the 3 dimensions are respectively: x coordinate, y coordinate and time. We will use these vectors to guide our particle's direction and velocity in the plane.
- Create and place particles in the plane
A set of particles are created and dropped on to the plane at a random point. Each particle object is described by three 2D vector attributes: position, velocity and acceleration. To move the particle, simply add the velocity vector to the position vector.
- Apply the forces on the gird to the particles
For every frame of the animation, each vector of the grid is applied as a force to the particles on that particular grid square. This will cause the particles to move in the direction of the vector flow field.
