Dual-scale automaton model for virtual plant development

Abstract : A variety of plant growth models for plant morphogenesis have been reported, but most of them are based on computer graphics to represent natural scenery. In this paper, a dual-scale automaton model for virtual plant development is presented, in which the concepts of microstate and macrostate are proposed from the viewpoints of botany. The parameters of this model have explicitly physical meaning for relating to the plant growth mechanisms, and they can be structured for input with diagram. All of these features make it easy to understand and implement in programming. And a probability process, which accords with the growth of plant's apical bud and axillary bud, is also used in this model. The model is demonstrated a simpler but effective method by comparison with 'L-system' and 'reference axis technique'. While the model has been tested for generating almost all plant architectural models defined by botanists, only one example is given in the paper to confirm the advantages of the model.