This paper introduces cell systems as a new framework for the simulation of pattern and shape formation in two-dimensional cellular structures. Cell systems describe development in terms of lineage rules, with the orientations of division walls specified relative to a directional morphogenetic field. The shapes of cells result from mechanical cell interactions due to osmotic pressure and wall tension. Cell systems offer a highly intuitive method for describing the development of cellular structures, and capture their natural variability in a straightforward way. The concept is illustrated using abstract patterns and a developmental model of a fern gametophyte.
Martin J. M. de Boer, F. David Fracchia, and Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz. A model for cellular development in morphogenetic fields. In Lindenmayer Systems: Impacts on Theoretical Computer Science, Computer Graphics, and Developmental Biology, pp. 351-370. Springer-Verlag, 1992.
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