Watch crystals grow in real time using Diffusion-Limited Aggregation (DLA) — a fractal growth process that models snowflakes, lightning bolts, mineral deposits, and coral reefs.
Particles perform random walks in 3D space. When a wandering particle touches the growing crystal it sticks permanently. The fractal branching structure that emerges mirrors real-world dendritic crystal growth.
Press play to start growing. Adjust particle speed and emission rate. Click to add a seed point and watch new branches sprout from that location.
The same DLA mathematics describing crystal growth also explains the shapes of lightning bolts, river deltas, coral reefs, and even neuron growth patterns in the brain.