html 5 canvas javascript rain animation(how to implement efficiently and easily!)

html 5 canvas javascript rain animation(how to implement efficiently and easily!) - javascript

I tried both of these in canvas and nothing showed, also I doubt it is even efficient :/. I am trying to make rain that comes down the screen.. Wondering what is the most efficient way of doing this. I am a beginner at animation and would really appreciate help.
I suspect that creating a rain object would be best, each with the quality of coming down the screen then coming to the top and then an array with them...maybe with random x values withing the canvas width and y values of 0 but I don't know how to implement that. Please help!
xofRain = 20;
startY = 0;
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.moveTo(xofRain, startY);
ctx.lineTo(xofRain, startY + 20);
ctx.closePath();
ctx.fillStyle = "black";
ctx.fill();
function rain(xofRain){
startY = canvas.height();
ctx.moveTo(xofRain, startY);
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.lineTo(xofRain, startY + 3);
ctx.closePath();
ctx.fillStyle = "blue";
ctx.fill();
}

Here comes your answer, this snow rain is created using pure HTML5 Canvas, the technique used to achieve this animation is called "Double Buffer Animation". First it is good to know what is Double Buffer animation technique.
Double Buffer Technique: This is an advanced technique to make animation clear and with less flickers in it. In this technique 2 Canvas is used, one is displayed on webpage to show the result and second one is used to create animation screens in backed process.
How this will help full, suppose we have to create a animation with very high number of move, as in our Snow Fall example, there are number of Flakes are moving with there own speed, so keep them moving, we have to change position of each flake and update it on the canvas, this is quite heavy process to deal with.
So Now instead of updating each Flake directly on our page canvas, we will create a buffer Canvas, where all these changes take place and we just capture a Picture from Buffer canvas after 30ms and display it on our real canvas.
This way our animation will be clear and without flickers. So here is a live example of it.
http://aspspider.info/erishaan8/html5rain/
Here is the code of it:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset=utf-8 />
<title>HTML5 Rain</title>
<!--[if IE]>
<script src="http://html5shiv.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/html5.js"></script>
<![endif]-->
<style>
article, aside, figure, footer, header, hgroup,
menu, nav, section { display: block; }
</style>
<script type="text/javascript">
var canvas = null;
var context = null;
var bufferCanvas = null;
var bufferCanvasCtx = null;
var flakeArray = [];
var flakeTimer = null;
var maxFlakes = 200; // Here you may set max flackes to be created
function init() {
//Canvas on Page
canvas = document.getElementById('canvasRain');
context = canvas.getContext("2d");
//Buffer Canvas
bufferCanvas = document.createElement("canvas");
bufferCanvasCtx = bufferCanvas.getContext("2d");
bufferCanvasCtx.canvas.width = context.canvas.width;
bufferCanvasCtx.canvas.height = context.canvas.height;
flakeTimer = setInterval(addFlake, 200);
Draw();
setInterval(animate, 30);
}
function animate() {
Update();
Draw();
}
function addFlake() {
flakeArray[flakeArray.length] = new Flake();
if (flakeArray.length == maxFlakes)
clearInterval(flakeTimer);
}
function blank() {
bufferCanvasCtx.fillStyle = "rgba(0,0,0,0.8)";
bufferCanvasCtx.fillRect(0, 0, bufferCanvasCtx.canvas.width, bufferCanvasCtx.canvas.height);
}
function Update() {
for (var i = 0; i < flakeArray.length; i++) {
if (flakeArray[i].y < context.canvas.height) {
flakeArray[i].y += flakeArray[i].speed;
if (flakeArray[i].y > context.canvas.height)
flakeArray[i].y = -5;
flakeArray[i].x += flakeArray[i].drift;
if (flakeArray[i].x > context.canvas.width)
flakeArray[i].x = 0;
}
}
}
function Flake() {
this.x = Math.round(Math.random() * context.canvas.width);
this.y = -10;
this.drift = Math.random();
this.speed = Math.round(Math.random() * 5) + 1;
this.width = (Math.random() * 3) + 2;
this.height = this.width;
}
function Draw() {
context.save();
blank();
for (var i = 0; i < flakeArray.length; i++) {
bufferCanvasCtx.fillStyle = "white";
bufferCanvasCtx.fillRect(flakeArray[i].x, flakeArray[i].y, flakeArray[i].width, flakeArray[i].height);
}
context.drawImage(bufferCanvas, 0, 0, bufferCanvas.width, bufferCanvas.height);
context.restore();
}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="init()">
<canvas id="canvasRain" width="800px" height="800px">Canvas Not Supported</canvas>
</body>
</html>
Also if you find this help full, accept as Answer and make it up. o_O
Cheers!!!

I'm not sure what "most efficient" is. If it was me I'd do it in WebGL but whether or not that's efficient is not clear to me.
In either case I'd try to use a stateless formula. Creating and updating state for every raindrop is arguably slow.
const ctx = document.querySelector("canvas").getContext("2d");
const numRain = 200;
function render(time) {
time *= 0.001; // convert to seconds
resizeCanvasToDisplaySize(ctx.canvas);
const width = ctx.canvas.width;
const height = ctx.canvas.height;
ctx.fillStyle = "black";
ctx.fillRect(0, 0, width, height);
resetPseudoRandom();
const speed = time * 500;
ctx.fillStyle = "#68F";
for (let i = 0; i < numRain; ++i) {
const x = pseudoRandomInt(width);
const y = (pseudoRandomInt(height) + speed) % height;
ctx.fillRect(x, y, 3, 8);
}
requestAnimationFrame(render);
}
requestAnimationFrame(render);
let randomSeed_ = 0;
const RANDOM_RANGE_ = Math.pow(2, 32);
function pseudoRandom() {
return (randomSeed_ =
(134775813 * randomSeed_ + 1) %
RANDOM_RANGE_) / RANDOM_RANGE_;
};
function resetPseudoRandom() {
randomSeed_ = 0;
};
function pseudoRandomInt(n) {
return pseudoRandom() * n | 0;
}
function resizeCanvasToDisplaySize(canvas) {
const width = canvas.clientWidth;
const height = canvas.clientHeight;
if (canvas.width !== width || canvas.height !== height) {
canvas.width = width;
canvas.height = height;
}
}
body { margin: 0; }
canvas { width: 100vw; height: 100vh; display: block; }
<canvas></canvas>
Note that I could have used ctx.moveTo(x, y); ctx.lineTo(x, y + 8); for each line and then at the end of the loop called ctx.stroke(). I didn't do that because I'm assuming it would be less efficient than using ctx.fillRect. In order for the canvas to draw lines it actually has to allocate a dynamic path (you call ctx.beginPath). It then has to record all the lines you add. Then it has to expand those lines into vertices of various kinds to rasterize the lines. You can basically see the various algorithms it uses here. Conversely none of that has to happen with ctx.fillRect. No allocations have to happen (not saying they don't happen, just saying they don't have to). The canvas can just use a single pre-allocated quad and draw it on the GPU by passing the correct matrix to draw whatever rectangle you ask of it. Of course they're might be more overhead calling ctx.fillRect 200 times rather than ctx.moveTo, ctx.lineTo 200s + ctx.stroke once but really that's up to the browser.
The rain above may or may not be a good enough rain effect. That wasn't my point in posting really. The point is efficiency. Pretty much all games that have some kind of rain effect do some kind of stateless formula for their rain. A different formula would generate different or less repetitive rain. The point is it being stateless.

Related

If noseX is on cnvSection[i], draw img[i] on the canvas

I'm making a sketch with the p5.js library and ml5's poseNet. I have the variable noseX — which indicates the x-coordinate position of the nose on the canvas — and a preloaded array of 60 images. I would like to vertically divide the canvas into 60 sections. For each cnvSection noseX is on, I want the image img[i] corresponding to that cnvSection[i] to to be drawn on the canvas.
So basically if noseX is on cnvSection[5], draw img[5] on the canvas etc.
Here's my function, at the moment I have only been able to draw the vertical lines indicating the canvas sections.
let cnvWidth = 1440;
let cnvHeight = 900;
function nosePosition() {
let sectionWidth = cnvWidth / 60;
let cnvSection = [];
for (let i = 0; i < cnvWidth; i = i + sectionWidth) {
line(i, 0, i, cnvHeight);
}
}
Many thanks!

Try the following:
noseX = 50;
function setup() {
createCanvas(700, 400);
}
function draw() {
background(220);
nosePosition();
fill('red');
ellipse(noseX, height / 2, 6);
}
function nosePosition() {
let sectionWidth = width / 60;
for (let i = 0; i < width; i += sectionWidth) {
line(i, 0, i, height);
}
const noseSection = floor(noseX / sectionWidth);
rect(noseSection * sectionWidth, 0, sectionWidth, height);
}
To simplify I use a hardcoded x value for the nose. In your case that would come from ml5 posenet. You don't need the sections in an array. You can simlpy calculate in which section the nose currently is and then draw the image accordingly. I am drawing a rect - again, to simplify the example.
Maybe copy and paste this into the p5 web editor and play around with the noseX value and see if that works for you.

How to fix HTML canvas element and its coordinates across different screen sizes?

I've spent the past two weeks making a game with a few friends using the HTML canvas tag and JavaScript. None of us have any prior experience with a project of this scale, so considerations of browser/screen-size compatibility wasn't on our minds. The game runs and looks fine on our laptops (all have similar screen sizes), but it looked bad when we sent a link to another friend whose screen size differs greatly from what we had in mind.
To discuss the layout of the game in greater detail, it's set up with the canvas element acting as the actual game with a series of divs sitting below the canvas to represent things like a dialogue box or the pause menu (only one of these divs is shown at a time with the others being hidden).
The game is gridbased in that every object, from the wall tiles to enemies, has a size relative to some constant blockWidth (defined below) which itself is relative to the desired amount of squares on-screen, numSquares (also defined below).
Changing the canvas's height and width properties in JavaScript did successfully fix a ratio of the canvas size and ensure that the wall and floor textures loaded in their proper place. The player and other NPCs, however, appear at odd places onscreen, sometimes not showing up onload at all.
I'm not quite sure what to attribute this problem to, but I think it has something to do with canvas' coordinate system not mixing well with the admittedly poorly executed block system we put in place.
//some relevant misc variables
var numSquares = 30;
const blockWidth = 1132 / numSquares * 0.75;
screen.width = 1132;
screen.height = 600;
//some relevant player variables
stats.x = 678;
stats.y = 600;
stats.width = blockWidth * 3 * 0.37;
stats.height = blockWidth * 3;
Again, I suspect that the problem has something to do with the fact that the tiles that render correctly (i.e. wall and floor textures) have their coordinates in terms of blockWidth whereas the tiles that render incorrectly (i.e. the player) have their coordinates as regular numbers.
Is there a way to go about adjusting our game for different monitor sizes other than revamping the entire coordinate system?

try this meta which will solve cross platform screen (laptop, Computer, Tab, Mobile)problem:
<head>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
</head>

Your main problem is using hard coded values for your variables. If stats.x = 678;and your screen is 480px wide (for example), the stats will fall out the screen.
Also: screen.width and screen.height is a hardcoded number. Probably what you need is something like: screen.width = window.innerWidth and screen.height = window.innerHeight
What I'm missing from your relevant misc variables: In your code you have this:
var numSquares = 30;
const blockWidth = 1132 / numSquares * 0.75;
Where 1132 is in fact the screen.width. This means that you don't have a grid as you say. This means you have only 1 (one) row of squares. Alternatively you have 30 squares per row, and in this case you have a grid.
Also, it would be nice to see how you draw your grid. I would do it like this:
for (let y = 0; y < ch; y += cw / numSquares) {
for (let x = 0; x < cw; x += cw / numSquares) {
let o = { x: x, y: y, w: blockWidth, h: blockWidth };
drawRect(o);
}
}
Where drawRect is a custom function to draw a rect. Since your blockWidth = screen.width / numSquares * 0.75; I'm assuming you let a gap between rects, but this is assuming.
As I've commented before you can't give your stats hard coded values. You will need to calculate these values in function of your grid cells. For example your stats.x may be the x of the 5'th column of your grid and the stats.y may be the y of the 3-rd row. But this is again assuming and I may be wrong.
Next comes a code example. Please take a look and let me know if this is what you need.
const screen = document.getElementById("canvas");
const ctx = screen.getContext("2d");
let cw = (screen.width = window.innerWidth);
let ch = (screen.height = window.innerHeight);
let stats = {};
let numSquares = 30;
let blockWidth;
generateGrid();
function Init() {
// a function to re-generate the grid and re-draw the stats when screen.width and/or screen.height changed
cw = screen.width = window.innerWidth;
ch = screen.height = window.innerHeight;
generateGrid();
drawStats(5, 3);
}
// recalculate everything on resize
setTimeout(function() {
Init();
addEventListener("resize", Init, false);
}, 15);
// some useful functions
function drawRect(o) {
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.fillStyle = "rgba(0,0,0,.05)";
ctx.fillRect(o.x, o.y, o.w, o.h);
}
function drawStats(x, y) {
stats.x = x * cw / numSquares;
stats.y = y * cw / numSquares;
stats.width = blockWidth * 3 * 0.37;
stats.height = blockWidth * 3;
ctx.fillStyle = "red";
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.fillRect(stats.x, stats.y, stats.width, stats.height);
}
function generateGrid() {
blockWidth = cw / numSquares * 0.75;
for (let y = 0; y < ch; y += cw / numSquares) {
for (let x = 0; x < cw; x += cw / numSquares) {
let o = { x: x, y: y, w: blockWidth, h: blockWidth };
drawRect(o);
}
}
}
*{margin:0;padding:0}
<canvas id="canvas"></canvas>
If this is not what you need, please update your question, and add more explanations and more code.

javascript canvas rain simulator

Hello im trying to create javascript rain generator based on canvas but im stuck with generating new dropes. I have nothing but canvas element in HTML and css so im attaching only JS script.
<script>
const canvas = document.querySelector('canvas');
const ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
canvas.width = 1000;
canvas.height = 500;
const cw = canvas.width;
const ch = canvas.height;
const dropSize = 5;
//drop actual position
let dropX = Math.floor((Math.random() * cw) + 1);
let dropY = 0 ;
//something that will trigger creation of anothers drop
let dropTrigger = 400;
var num = Math.floor(Math.random()*1) + 1; //
num *= Math.floor(Math.random()*2) == 1 ? 1 : -1; // random direction of X btw (-1 and 1) How to implement this?
//speed controls direction of drops
let dropSpeedX = num; //in the future will base on random
let dropSpeedY = 3; //in the future will base on random
//function which creates one drop basing on start coordinates (X,Y)
function createDrop() {
ctx.fillStyle = '#fff';
ctx.fillRect(dropX, dropY, dropSize, dropSize);
//current position on the screen
dropX += dropSpeedX;
dropY += dropSpeedY;
if(dropY >= dropTrigger){
dropY=0;
}
}
//background creator
function createBackground(){
ctx.fillStyle = 'black';
ctx.fillRect(0,0,cw,ch);
}
//whole simulator
function play(){
createBackground();
createDrop();
}
//interval paints everything on the screen in 30fps
setInterval(play, 1000/ 30);
</script>
Now I am able to create only one falling drop at one time. Have anyone some idea how to ,,generate" another drops (many at the same time) and how to implement that change of X direction where i putted "???"marks in comment? It works well only when im refreshing the browser.
Huge thanks in advance

animating dots in canvas, strange line behaviours with speed of dots > 1 by frame

Trying to animate dots(imageData 1x1) on a javascript canvas to make a starfield.
The strange thing is when those dots move at a speed higher than 1, there is like a flickering or anything else showing not a dot but a line.
here is a fiddle to show the strangeness: http://jsfiddle.net/xp6xd8q1/1/
function clearCanvas() {
ctx.fillStyle = '#000000';
ctx.fillRect(0,0,w,h);
}
function stars() {
this.manyStars = [];
this.addStars = function(nb) {
var i,x,y;
for(i=0;i<nb;i++) {
x = Math.floor(Math.random() * w);
y = Math.floor(Math.random() * h);
this.manyStars.push({x: x,y: y,s: 5}); // dot speed is s
}
}
this.move = function() {
var i,l;
for(i=0,l = this.manyStars.length;i<l;i++) {
this.manyStars[i].x = this.manyStars[i].x - this.manyStars[i].s;
if(this.manyStars[i].x < 0) {
this.manyStars[i].x = w + this.manyStars[i].x;
}
}
}
this.drawStars = function() {
var i,l;
for(i=0,l = this.manyStars.length;i<l;i++) {
ctx.putImageData(dot,this.manyStars[i].x,this.manyStars[i].y);
}
}
}
function run() {
clearCanvas();
s.move();
s.drawStars();
window.requestAnimationFrame(run);
}
//
window.requestAnimationFrame = window.requestAnimationFrame||window.mozRequestAnimationFrame ||window.webkitRequestAnimationFrame||window.msRequestAnimationFrame;
var cv = document.createElement('canvas');
var w = window.innerWidth, h = window.innerHeight;
cv.width = w;
cv.height = h;
var ctx = cv.getContext('2d');
document.body.appendChild(cv);
//
var dot = ctx.createImageData(1,1);
dot.data = [255,255,255,255];
s = new stars();
s.addStars(10);
window.requestAnimationFrame(run);
Any idea on this is very welcomed !

I see it too. The dots appear to be stretched when they move. I screenshotted the canvas at several speeds. The dots really are just 1x1 pixel.
I believe you may be experiencing Display Motion Blur. It's a result of how displays work, and also because the vision cells in your eye take a bit of time to readjust when light changes.
There's not really much you can do about that, except try to hide it. It becomes less and less apparent the larger your moving objects are, and the slower they move.
It also becomes less apparent when the display refresh rate increases. See this example. Since you can't control the users' monitor's refresh rates, this doesn't really help you.

Grass like smoothing animation on beziercurve?

This is what I am trying to achieve--GRASS Animation(Desired animation)
This is where the project is standing currently --My hair animation
This is a more structurised code of the above code --My hair animation(by markE)--markE`s code of hair animation
PROBLEM:--
I am able to give movements to hairs but animation should be more like wavy grass like freeflowing.Its not very smooth now.What can be done to make the hairs flow in more natural manner.
Please provide me with a small sample if possible!!!
<canvas id="myCanvas" width="500" height="500" style="background-color: antiquewhite" ></canvas>
JAVASCRIPT
//mouse position
var x2=0;
var y2=0;
window.addEventListener("mousemove",function(){moving(event);init()},false)
//these variables define the bend in our bezier curve
var bend9=0;
var bend8=0;
var bend7=0;
var bend6=0;
var bend5=0;
var bend4=0;
var bend3=0;
var bend2=0;
var bend1=0;
//function to get the mouse cordinates
function moving(event) {
bend_value();//this function is defined below
try
{
x2 = event.touches[0].pageX;
y2 = event.touches[0].pageY;
}
catch (error)
{
try
{
x2 = event.clientX;
y2 = event.clientY;
}
catch (e)
{
}
}
try
{
event.preventDefault();
}
catch (e)
{
}
if(between(y2,204,237) && between(x2,115,272))
{
console.log("Xmove="+x2,"Ymove="+y2)
}
}
//function for declaring range of bezier curve
function between(val, min, max)
{
return val >= min && val <= max;
}
(function() {
hair = function() {
return this;
};
hair.prototype={
draw_hair:function(a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h){
var sx =136+a;//start position of curve.used in moveTo(sx,sy)
var sy =235+b;
var cp1x=136+c;//control point 1
var cp1y=222+d;
var cp2x=136+e;//control point 2
var cp2y=222+f;
var endx=136+g;//end points
var endy=210+h;
var canvas = document.getElementById('myCanvas');
var context = canvas.getContext('2d');
// context.clearRect(0, 0,500,500);
context.strokeStyle="grey";
context.lineWidth="8";
context.beginPath();
context.moveTo(sx,sy);
context.bezierCurveTo(cp1x,cp1y,cp2x,cp2y,endx,endy);
context.lineCap = 'round';
context.stroke();
// context.restore();
// context.save();
}
};
})();
//this function provides and calculate the bend on mousemove
function bend_value(){
var ref1=135;//this is ref point for hair or curve no 1
var ref2=150;//hair no 2 and so on
var ref3=165;
var ref4=180;
var ref5=195;
var ref6=210;
var ref7=225;
var ref8=240;
var ref9=255;
if(between(x2,115,270) && between(y2,205,236))
{
if(x2>=135 && x2<=145){bend1=(x2-ref1)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=135 && x2>=125){bend1=(x2-ref1)*(2.2);}
if(x2>=150 && x2<=160){bend2=(x2-ref2)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=150 && x2>=140){bend2=(x2-ref2)*(2.2);}
if(x2>=165 && x2<=175){bend3=(x2-ref3)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=165 && x2>=155){bend3=(x2-ref3)*(2.2);}
if(x2>=180 && x2<=190){bend4=(x2-ref4)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=180 && x2>=170){bend4=(x2-ref4)*(2.2);}
if(x2>=195 && x2<=205){bend5=(x2-ref5)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=195 && x2>=185){bend5=(x2-ref5)*(2.2);}
if(x2>=210 && x2<=220){bend6=(x2-ref6)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=210 && x2>=200){bend6=(x2-ref6)*(2.2);}
if(x2>=225 && x2<=235){bend7=(x2-ref7)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=225 && x2>=215){bend7=(x2-ref7)*(2.2);}
if(x2>=240 && x2<=250){bend8=(x2-ref8)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=240 && x2>=230){bend8=(x2-ref8)*(2.2);}
if(x2>=255 && x2<=265){bend9=(x2-ref9)*(2.2);}
if(x2<=255 && x2>=245){bend9=(x2-ref9)*(2.2);}
}
}
function init(){//this function draws each hair/curve
var canvas = document.getElementById('myCanvas');
var context = canvas.getContext('2d');
var clear=context.clearRect(0, 0,500,500);
var save=context.save();
// /* console.log("bend2="+bend2)
// console.log("bend3="+bend3)
// console.log("bend4="+bend4)
// console.log("bend5="+bend5)
// console.log("bend6="+bend6)
// console.log("bend7="+bend7)
// console.log("bend8="+bend8)
// console.log("bend9="+bend9)*/
hd1 = new hair();//hd1 stands for hair draw 1.this is an instance created for drawing hair no 1
clear;
hd1.draw_hair(0,0,0,0,0,0,0+bend1/2,0);//these parameters passed to function drawhair and bend is beint retrieved from function bend_value()
save;
hd2 = new hair();
clear;
hd2.draw_hair(15,0,15,0,15,0,15+bend2/2,0);
save;
hd3 = new hair();
clear;
hd3.draw_hair(30,0,30,0,30,0,30+bend3/2,0);
save;
hd4 = new hair();
clear;
hd4.draw_hair(45,0,45,0,45,0,45+bend4/2,0);
save;
hd5 = new hair();
clear;
hd5.draw_hair(60,0,60,0,60,0,60+bend5/2,0);
save;
}
window.onload = function() {
init();
disableSelection(document.body)
}
function disableSelection(target){
if (typeof target.onselectstart!="undefined") //IE
target.onselectstart=function(){return false}
else if (typeof target.style.MozUserSelect!="undefined") //Firefox
target.style.MozUserSelect="none"
else //All other ie: Opera
target.onmousedown=function(){return false}
target.style.cursor = "default"
}

Update: I'm currently adjusting the code to produce the requested result and commenting it.
(function() { // The code is encapsulated in a self invoking function to isolate the scope
"use strict";
// The following lines creates shortcuts to the constructors of the Box2D types used
var B2Vec2 = Box2D.Common.Math.b2Vec2,
B2BodyDef = Box2D.Dynamics.b2BodyDef,
B2Body = Box2D.Dynamics.b2Body,
B2FixtureDef = Box2D.Dynamics.b2FixtureDef,
B2Fixture = Box2D.Dynamics.b2Fixture,
B2World = Box2D.Dynamics.b2World,
B2PolygonShape = Box2D.Collision.Shapes.b2PolygonShape,
B2RevoluteJoint = Box2D.Dynamics.Joints.b2RevoluteJoint,
B2RevoluteJointDef = Box2D.Dynamics.Joints.b2RevoluteJointDef;
// This makes sure that there is a method to request a callback to update the graphics for next frame
window.requestAnimationFrame =
window.requestAnimationFrame || // According to the standard
window.mozRequestAnimationFrame || // For mozilla
window.webkitRequestAnimationFrame || // For webkit
window.msRequestAnimationFrame || // For ie
function (f) { window.setTimeout(function () { f(Date.now()); }, 1000/60); }; // If everthing else fails
var world = new B2World(new B2Vec2(0, -10), true), // Create a world with gravity
physicalObjects = [], // Maintain a list of the simulated objects
windInput = 0, // The input for the wind in the current frame
wind = 0, // The current wind (smoothing the input values + randomness)
STRAW_COUNT = 10, // Number of straws
GRASS_RESET_SPEED = 2, // How quick should the straw reset to its target angle
POWER_MOUSE_WIND = 120, // How much does the mouse affect the wind
POWER_RANDOM_WIND = 180; // How much does the randomness affect the wind
// GrassPart is a prototype for a piece of a straw. It has the following properties
// position: the position of the piece
// density: the density of the piece
// target: the target angle of the piece
// statik: a boolean stating if the piece is static (i.e. does not move)
function GrassPart(position, density, target, statik) {
this.width = 0.05;
this.height = 0.5;
this.target = target;
// To create a physical body in Box2D you have to setup a body definition
// and create at least one fixture.
var bdef = new B2BodyDef(), fdef = new B2FixtureDef();
// In this example we specify if the body is static or not (the grass roots
// has to be static to keep the straw in its position), and its original
// position.
bdef.type = statik? B2Body.b2_staticBody : B2Body.b2_dynamicBody;
bdef.position.SetV(position);
// The fixture of the piece is a box with a given density. The negative group index
// makes sure that the straws does not collide.
fdef.shape = new B2PolygonShape();
fdef.shape.SetAsBox(this.width/2, this.height/2);
fdef.density = density;
fdef.filter.groupIndex = -1;
// The body and fixture is created and added to the world
this.body = world.CreateBody(bdef);
this.body.CreateFixture(fdef);
}
// This method is called for every frame of animation. It strives to reset the original
// angle of the straw (the joint). The time parameter is unused here but contains the
// current time.
GrassPart.prototype.update = function (time) {
if (this.joint) {
this.joint.SetMotorSpeed(GRASS_RESET_SPEED*(this.target - this.joint.GetJointAngle()));
}
};
// The link method is used to link the pieces of the straw together using a joint
// other: the piece to link to
// torque: the strength of the joint (stiffness)
GrassPart.prototype.link = function(other, torque) {
// This is all Box2D specific. Look it up in the manual.
var jdef = new B2RevoluteJointDef();
var p = this.body.GetWorldPoint(new B2Vec2(0, 0.5)); // Get the world coordinates of where the joint
jdef.Initialize(this.body, other.body, p);
jdef.maxMotorTorque = torque;
jdef.motorSpeed = 0;
jdef.enableMotor = true;
// Add the joint to the world
this.joint = world.CreateJoint(jdef);
};
// A prototype for a straw of grass
// position: the position of the bottom of the root of the straw
function Grass(position) {
var pos = new B2Vec2(position.x, position.y);
var angle = 1.2*Math.random() - 0.6; // Randomize the target angle
// Create three pieces, the static root and to more, and place them in line.
// The second parameter is the stiffness of the joints. It controls how the straw bends.
// The third is the target angle and different angles are specified for the pieces.
this.g1 = new GrassPart(pos, 1, angle/4, true); // This is the static root
pos.Add(new B2Vec2(0, 1));
this.g2 = new GrassPart(pos, 0.75, angle);
pos.Add(new B2Vec2(0, 1));
this.g3 = new GrassPart(pos, 0.5);
// Link the pieces into a straw
this.g1.link(this.g2, 20);
this.g2.link(this.g3, 3);
// Add the pieces to the list of simulate objects
physicalObjects.push(this.g1);
physicalObjects.push(this.g2);
physicalObjects.push(this.g3);
}
Grass.prototype.draw = function (context) {
var p = new B2Vec2(0, 0.5);
var p1 = this.g1.body.GetWorldPoint(p);
var p2 = this.g2.body.GetWorldPoint(p);
var p3 = this.g3.body.GetWorldPoint(p);
context.strokeStyle = 'grey';
context.lineWidth = 0.4;
context.lineCap = 'round';
context.beginPath();
context.moveTo(p1.x, p1.y);
context.quadraticCurveTo(p2.x, p2.y, p3.x, p3.y);
context.stroke();
};
var lastX, grass = [], context = document.getElementById('canvas').getContext('2d');
function updateGraphics(time) {
window.requestAnimationFrame(updateGraphics);
wind = 0.95*wind + 0.05*(POWER_MOUSE_WIND*windInput + POWER_RANDOM_WIND*Math.random() - POWER_RANDOM_WIND/2);
windInput = 0;
world.SetGravity(new B2Vec2(wind, -10));
physicalObjects.forEach(function(obj) { if (obj.update) obj.update(time); });
world.Step(1/60, 8, 3);
world.ClearForces();
context.clearRect(0, 0, context.canvas.width, context.canvas.height);
context.save();
context.translate(context.canvas.width/2, context.canvas.height/2);
context.scale(context.canvas.width/20, -context.canvas.width/20);
grass.forEach(function (o) { o.draw(context); });
context.restore();
}
document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0].addEventListener("mousemove", function (e) {
windInput = Math.abs(lastX - e.x) < 200? 0.2*(e.x - lastX) : 0;
lastX = e.x;
});
var W = 8;
for (var i = 0; i < STRAW_COUNT; i++) {
grass.push(new Grass(new B2Vec2(W*(i/(STRAW_COUNT-1))-W/2, -1)));
}
window.requestAnimationFrame(updateGraphics);
})();

Waving grass algorithm
UPDATE
I made a reduced update to better meet what I believe is your requirements. To use mouse you just calculate the angle between the mouse point and the strain root and use that for new angle in the update.
I have incorporated a simple mouse-move sensitive approach which makes the strains "point" towards the mouse, but you can add random angles to this as deltas and so forth. Everything you need is as said in the code - adjust as needed.
New fiddle (based on previous with a few modifications):
http://jsfiddle.net/AbdiasSoftware/yEwGc/
Image showing 150 strains being simulated.
Grass simulation demo:
http://jsfiddle.net/AbdiasSoftware/5z89V/
This will generate a nice realistic looking grass field. The demo has 70 grass rendered (works best in Chrome or just lower the number for Firefox).
The code is rather simple. It consists of a main object (grassObj) which contains its geometry as well as functions to calculate the angles, segments, movements and so forth. I'll show this in detail below.
First some inits that are accessed globally by the functions:
var numOfGrass = 70, /// number of grass strains
grass,
/// get canvas context
ctx = canvas.getContext('2d'),
w = canvas.width,
h = canvas.height,
/// we use an animated image for the background
/// The image also clears the canvas for each loop call
/// I rendered the clouds in a 3D software.
img = document.createElement('img'),
ix = 0, /// background image position
iw = -1; /// used for with and initial for flag
/// load background image, use it whenever it's ready
img.onload = function() {iw = this.width}
img.src = 'http://i.imgur.com/zzjtzG7.jpg';
The heart - grassObj
The main object as mentioned above is the grassObj:
function grassObj(x, y, seg1, seg2, maxAngle) {
/// exposed properties we need for rendering
this.x = x; /// bottom position of grass
this.y = y;
this.seg1 = seg1; /// segments of grass
this.seg2 = seg2;
this.gradient = getGradient(Math.random() * 50 + 50, 100 * Math.random() + 170);
this.currentAngle; ///current angle that will be rendered
/// internals used for calculating new angle, goal, difference and speed
var counter, /// counter between 0-1 for ease-in/out
delta, /// random steps in the direction goal rel. c.angle.
angle, /// current angle, does not change until goal is reached
diff, /// diff between goal and angle
goal = getAngle();
/// internal: returns an angel between 0 and maxAngle
function getAngle() {
return maxAngle * Math.random();
}
/// ease in-out function
function easeInOut(t) {
return t < 0.5 ? 4 * t * t * t : (t-1) * (2 * t - 2) * (2 * t - 2) + 1;
}
/// sets a new goal for grass to move to. Does the main calculations
function newGoal() {
angle = goal; /// set goal as new angle when reached
this.currentAngle = angle;
goal = getAngle(); /// get new goal
diff = goal - angle; /// calc diff
counter = 0; /// reset counter
delta = (4 * Math.random() + 1) / 100;
}
/// creates a gradient for this grass to increase realism
function getGradient(min, max) {
var g = ctx.createLinearGradient(0, 0, 0, h);
g.addColorStop(1, 'rgb(0,' + parseInt(min) + ', 0)');
g.addColorStop(0, 'rgb(0,' + parseInt(max) + ', 0)');
return g;
}
/// this is called from animation loop. Counts and keeps tracks of
/// current position and calls new goal when current goal is reached
this.update = function() {
/// count from 0 to 1 with random delta value
counter += delta;
/// if counter passes 1 then goal is reached -> get new goal
if (counter > 1) {
newGoal();
return;
}
/// ease in/out function
var t = easeInOut(counter);
/// update current angle for render
this.currentAngle = angle + t * diff;
}
/// init
newGoal();
return this;
}
Grass generator
We call makeGrass to generate grass at random positions, random heights and with random segments. The function is called with number of grass to render, width and height of canvas to fill and a variation variable in percent (0 - 1 float).
The single grass consist only of four points in total. The two middle points are spread about 1/3 and 2/3 of the total height with a little variation to break pattern. The points when rendered, are smoother using a cardinal spline with full tension to make the grass look smooth.
function makeGrass(numOfGrass, width, height, hVariation) {
/// setup variables
var x, y, seg1, seg2, angle,
hf = height * hVariation, /// get variation
i = 0,
grass = []; /// array to hold the grass
/// generate grass
for(; i < numOfGrass; i++) {
x = width * Math.random(); /// random x position
y = height - hf * Math.random(); /// random height
/// break grass into 3 segments with random variation
seg1 = y / 3 + y * hVariation * Math.random() * 0.1;
seg2 = (y / 3 * 2) + y * hVariation * Math.random() * 0.1;
grass.push(new grassObj(x, y, seg1, seg2, 15 * Math.random() + 50));
}
return grass;
}
Render
The render function just loops through the objects and updates the current geometry:
function renderGrass(ctx, grass) {
/// local vars for animation
var len = grass.length,
i = 0,
gr, pos, diff, pts, x, y;
/// renders background when loaded
if (iw > -1) {
ctx.drawImage(img, ix--, 0);
if (ix < -w) {
ctx.drawImage(img, ix + iw, 0);
}
if (ix <= -iw) ix = 0;
} else {
ctx.clearRect(0, 0, w, h);
}
/// loops through the grass object and renders current state
for(; gr = grass[i]; i++) {
x = gr.x;
y = gr.y;
ctx.beginPath();
/// calculates the end-point based on length and angle
/// Angle is limited [0, 60] which we add 225 deg. to get
/// it upwards. Alter 225 to make grass lean more to a side.
pos = lineToAngle(ctx, x, h, y, gr.currentAngle + 225);
/// diff between end point and root point
diff = (pos[0] - x)
pts = [];
/// starts at bottom, goes to top middle and then back
/// down with a slight offset to make the grass
pts.push(x); /// first couple at bottom
pts.push(h);
/// first segment 1/4 of the difference
pts.push(x + (diff / 4));
pts.push(h - gr.seg1);
/// second segment 2/3 of the difference
pts.push(x + (diff / 3 * 2));
pts.push(h - gr.seg2);
pts.push(pos[0]); /// top point
pts.push(pos[1]);
/// re-use previous data, but go backward down to root again
/// with a slight offset
pts.push(x + (diff / 3 * 2) + 10);
pts.push(h - gr.seg2);
pts.push(x + (diff / 4) + 12);
pts.push(h - gr.seg1 + 10);
pts.push(x + 15); /// end couple at bottom
pts.push(h);
/// smooth points (extended context function, see demo)
ctx.curve(pts, 0.8, 5);
ctx.closePath();
/// fill grass with its gradient
ctx.fillStyle = gr.gradient;
ctx.fill();
}
}
Animate
The main loop where we animate everything:
function animate() {
/// update each grass objects
for(var i = 0;i < grass.length; i++) grass[i].update();
/// render them
renderGrass(ctx, grass);
/// loop
requestAnimationFrame(animate);
}
And that's all there is to it for this version.

Darn! Late to the party...
But LOTS of neat answers here -- I'm upvoting all !
Anyway, here's my idea:
Here's code and a Fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/m1erickson/MJjHz/
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="css/reset.css" /> <!-- reset css -->
<script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.9.1.js"></script>
<script src="http://code.jquery.com/ui/1.10.1/jquery-ui.js"></script>
<style>
body { font-family: arial; padding:15px; }
canvas { border: 1px solid red;}
input[type="text"]{width:35px;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Move mouse across hairs</p>
<canvas height="100" width="250" id="canvas"></canvas>
<script>
$(function() {
var canvas=document.getElementById("canvas");
var ctx = canvas.getContext("2d");
var canvasOffset=$("#canvas").offset();
var offsetX=canvasOffset.left;
var offsetY=canvasOffset.top;
var cHeight=canvas.height;
var showControls=false;
var lastMouseX=0;
// preset styling CONSTANTS
var SWAY=.55; // max endpoint sway from center
var C1Y=.40; // fixed Y of cp#1
var C2SWAY=.20 // max cp#2 sway from center
var C2Y=.75; // fixed Y of cp#2
var YY=20; // max height of ellipse at top of hair
var PIPERCENT=Math.PI/100;
var hairs=[];
// create hairs
var newHairX=40;
var hairCount=20;
for(var i=0;i<hairCount;i++){
var randomLength=50+parseInt(Math.random()*5);
addHair(newHairX+(i*8),randomLength);
}
function addHair(x,length){
hairs.push({
x:x,
length:length,
left:0,
right:0,
top:0,
s:{x:0,y:0},
c1:{x:0,y:0},
c2:{x:0,y:0},
e:{x:0,y:0},
isInMotion:false,
currentX:0
});
}
for(var i=0;i<hairs.length;i++){
var h=hairs[i];
setHairPointsFixed(h);
setHairPointsPct(h,50);
draw(h);
}
function setHairPointsFixed(h){
h.s.x = h.x;
h.s.y = cHeight;
h.c1.x = h.x;
h.c1.y = cHeight-h.length*C1Y;
h.c2.y = cHeight-h.length*C2Y;
h.top = cHeight-h.length;
h.left = h.x-h.length*SWAY;
h.right = h.x+h.length*SWAY;
}
function setHairPointsPct(h,pct){
// endpoint
var a=Math.PI+PIPERCENT*pct;
h.e.x = h.x - ((h.length*SWAY)*Math.cos(a));
h.e.y = h.top + (YY*Math.sin(a));
// controlpoint#2
h.c2.x = h.x + h.length*(C2SWAY*2*pct/100-C2SWAY);
}
//////////////////////////////
function handleMouseMove(e){
mouseX=parseInt(e.clientX-offsetX);
mouseY=parseInt(e.clientY-offsetY);
// draw this frame based on mouse moves
ctx.clearRect(0,0,canvas.width,canvas.height);
for(var i=0;i<hairs.length;i++){
hairMoves(hairs[i],mouseX,mouseY);
}
lastMouseX=mouseX;
}
$("#canvas").mousemove(function(e){handleMouseMove(e);});
function hairMoves(h,mouseX,mouseY){
// No hair movement if not touching hair
if(mouseY<cHeight-h.length-YY){
if(h.isInMotion){
h.isInMotion=false;
setHairPointsPct(h,50);
}
draw(h);
return;
}
// No hair movement if too deep in hair
if(mouseY>h.c1.y){
draw(h);
return;
}
//
var pct=50;
if(mouseX>=h.left && mouseX<=h.right){
if(h.isInMotion){
var pct=-(mouseX-h.right)/(h.right-h.left)*100;
setHairPointsPct(h,pct);
draw(h);
}else{
// if hair is at rest
// but mouse has just contacted hair
// set hair in motion
if( (lastMouseX<=h.x && mouseX>=h.x )
||(lastMouseX>=h.x && mouseX<=h.x )
){
h.isInMotion=true;
var pct=-(mouseX-h.right)/(h.right-h.left)*100;
}
setHairPointsPct(h,pct);
draw(h);
}
}else{
if(h.isInMotion){
h.isInMotion=false;
setHairPointsPct(h,50);
};
draw(h);
}
}
function dot(pt,color){
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.arc(pt.x,pt.y,5,0,Math.PI*2,false);
ctx.closePath();
ctx.fillStyle=color;
ctx.fill();
}
function draw(h){
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.moveTo(h.s.x,h.s.y);
ctx.bezierCurveTo(h.c1.x,h.c1.y,h.c2.x,h.c2.y,h.e.x,h.e.y);
ctx.strokeStyle="orange";
ctx.lineWidth=3;
ctx.stroke();
if(showControls){
dot(h.s,"green");
dot(h.c1,"red");
dot(h.c2,"blue");
dot(h.e,"purple");
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.rect(h.left,h.top-YY,(h.right-h.left),h.length*(1-C1Y)+YY)
ctx.lineWidth=1;
ctx.strokeStyle="lightgray";
ctx.stroke();
}
}
});
</script>
</body>
</html>

Here is a simple hair simulation that seems to be what you are looking for. The basic idea is to draw a bezier curve (in this case I use two curves to provide thickness for the hair). The curve will have a base, a bending point, and a tip. I set the bending point halfway up the hair. The tip of the hair will rotate about the axis of the base of the hair in response to mouse movement.
Place this code in a script tag below the canvas element declaration.
function Point(x, y) {
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
}
function Hair( ) {
this.height = 100; // hair height
this.baseWidth = 3; // hair base width.
this.thickness = 1.5; // hair thickness
this.points = {};
this.points.base1 = new Point(Math.random()*canvas.width, canvas.height);
// The point at which the hair will bend. I set it to the middle of the hair, but you can adjust this.
this.points.bendPoint1 = new Point(this.points.base1.x-this.thickness, this.points.base1.y - this.height / 2)
this.points.bendPoint2 = new Point(this.points.bendPoint1.x, this.points.bendPoint1.y-this.thickness); // complement of bendPoint1 - we use this because the hair has thickness
this.points.base2 = new Point(this.points.base1.x + this.baseWidth, this.points.base1.y) // complement of base1 - we use this because the hair has thickness
}
Hair.prototype.paint = function(mouseX, mouseY, direction) {
ctx.save();
// rotate the the tip of the hair
var tipRotationAngle = Math.atan(Math.abs(this.points.base1.y - mouseY)/Math.abs(this.points.base1.x - mouseX));
// if the mouse is on the other side of the hair, adjust the angle
if (mouseX < this.points.base1.x) {
tipRotationAngle = Math.PI - tipRotationAngle;
}
// if the mouse isn't close enough to the hair, it shouldn't affect the hair
if (mouseX < this.points.base1.x - this.height/2 || mouseX > this.points.base1.x + this.height/2 || mouseY < this.points.base1.y - this.height || mouseY > this.points.base1.y) {
tipRotationAngle = Math.PI/2; // 90 degrees, which means the hair is straight
}
// Use the direction of the mouse to as a lazy way to simulate the direction the hair should bend.
// Note that in real life, the direction that the hair should bend has nothing to do with the direction of motion. It actually depends on which side of the hair the force is being applied.
// Figuring out which side of the hair the force is being applied is a little tricky, so I took this shortcut.
// If you run your finger along a comb quickly, this approximation will work. However if you are in the middle of the comb and slowly change direction, you will notice that the force is still applied in the opposite direction of motion as you slowly back off the set of tines.
if ((mouseX < this.points.base1.x && direction == 'right') || (mouseX > this.points.base1.x && direction == 'left')) {
tipRotationAngle = Math.PI/2; // 90 degrees, which means the hair is straight
}
var tipPoint = new Point(this.points.base1.x + this.baseWidth + this.height*Math.cos(tipRotationAngle), this.points.base1.y - this.height*Math.sin(tipRotationAngle));
ctx.beginPath();
ctx.moveTo(this.points.base1.x, this.points.base1.y); // start at the base
ctx.bezierCurveTo(this.points.base1.x, this.points.base1.y, this.points.bendPoint1.x, this.points.bendPoint1.y, tipPoint.x, tipPoint.y); // draw a curve to the tip of the hair
ctx.bezierCurveTo(tipPoint.x, tipPoint.y, this.points.bendPoint2.x, this.points.bendPoint2.y, this.points.base2.x, this.points.base2.y); // draw a curve back down to the base using the complement points since the hair has thickness.
ctx.closePath(); // complete the path so we have a shape that we can fill with color
ctx.fillStyle='rgb(0,0,0)';
ctx.fill();
ctx.restore();
}
// I used global variables to keep the example simple, but it is generally best to avoid using global variables
window.canvas = document.getElementById('myCanvas');
window.ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
ctx.fillStyle = 'rgb(200,255,255)'; // background color
window.hair = [];
window.prevClientX = 0;
for (var i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
hair.push(new Hair());
}
// initial draw
ctx.fillRect(0,0,canvas.width,canvas.height); // clear canvas
for (var i = 0; i < hair.length; i++) {
hair[i].paint(0, 0, 'right');
}
window.onmousemove = function(e) {
ctx.fillRect(0,0,canvas.width,canvas.height); // clear canvas
for (var i = 0; i < hair.length; i++) {
hair[i].paint(e.clientX, e.clientY, e.clientX > window.prevClientX ? 'right' : 'left');
}
window.prevClientX = e.clientX;
}

Made this some time ago, might be useful to some people. Just adjust the variables at the beginning of the code with the values that fits your wishes:
...
Mheight = 1;
height = 33;
width = 17;
distance = 10;
randomness = 14;
angle = Math.PI / 2;
...
Also on http://lucasm0ta.github.io/JsGrass/

We Keep Coding

JavaScript is the programming language of the Web.