Visualizing Multiple Simulations in a Single Animation
Now that we've generated individual animations, it’s time to bring them together into a single visualization. This allows for a clear side-by-side comparison of how different parameters influence particle behavior over time.
We’ll do this by combining the individual simulation GIFs into a single animated grid.
Creating a Combined GIF
The Python script below takes multiple GIF files and arranges them into a grid layout, producing a single unified animation:
from PIL import Image, ImageSequence
import math
import argparse
def combine_gifs_grid(gif_paths,
output_path,
columns,
rows=None,
max_seconds=None,
bg_color=(255, 255, 255, 0),
frame_duration=100):
num_gifs = len(gif_paths)
# Determine number of rows automatically if not specified
if rows is None:
rows = math.ceil(num_gifs / columns)
elif rows * columns < num_gifs:
print(
f"Warning: grid size {rows}x{columns} is too small for {num_gifs} "
"GIFs. Some will be skipped.")
# Load GIF frames
gifs_frames = []
gifs_sizes = []
max_frames = 0
for path in gif_paths:
im = Image.open(path)
frames = [
frame.copy().convert("RGBA")
for frame in ImageSequence.Iterator(im)
]
gifs_frames.append(frames)
gifs_sizes.append(im.size)
max_frames = max(max_frames, len(frames))
# Adjust frame count based on time limit
if max_seconds is not None:
max_frames = min(max_frames, int(
(max_seconds * 1000) / frame_duration))
max_width = max(w for w, h in gifs_sizes)
max_height = max(h for w, h in gifs_sizes)
out_width = max_width * columns
out_height = max_height * rows
combined_frames = []
for frame_idx in range(max_frames):
new_frame = Image.new("RGBA", (out_width, out_height), bg_color)
for i, frames in enumerate(gifs_frames):
if i >= rows * columns:
break
frame = frames[frame_idx % len(frames)]
x = (i % columns) * max_width
y = (i // columns) * max_height
new_frame.paste(frame, (x, y), frame)
combined_frames.append(new_frame)
combined_frames[0].save(
output_path,
save_all=True,
append_images=combined_frames[1:],
duration=frame_duration,
loop=0,
disposal=2,
transparency=0,
)
if __name__ == "__main__":
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
description="Combine multiple GIFs into a grid layout.")
parser.add_argument("output", help="Filename of the output GIF")
parser.add_argument("columns",
type=int,
help="Number of columns in the grid")
parser.add_argument(
"rows_or_gifs",
nargs='+',
help=
"Optionally specify the number of rows, followed by the input GIF paths"
)
parser.add_argument("--seconds",
type=float,
help="Limit the output GIF duration (in seconds)")
args = parser.parse_args()
try:
rows = int(args.rows_or_gifs[0])
gif_paths = args.rows_or_gifs[1:]
except ValueError:
rows = None
gif_paths = args.rows_or_gifs
combine_gifs_grid(gif_paths, args.output, args.columns, rows, args.seconds)
print(f"Combined GIF saved as {args.output}")
Note: Before running the script, make sure to install the required dependencies:
pip install pillow
Example Usage
To create a single animation from multiple simulation results, run the script with the following command:
python combine_gifs.py combined.gif 3 3 gifs/output_0.gif gifs/output_1.gif gifs/output_2.gif gifs/output_3.gif gifs/output_4.gif gifs/output_5.gif gifs/output_6.gif gifs/output_7.gif gifs/output_8.gif --seconds 7
What this command does:
combined.gif: Name of the output file.3: Number of columns in the GIF grid.3: Number of rows in the GIF grid.gifs/output_*.gif: Input GIFs generated from the simulations.--seconds 7: (Optional) Sets the total duration of the combined animation to 7 seconds.
This will generate a 3×3 animation grid from 9 individual simulation outputs, giving you a unified view of how different configurations perform.
Ready to take your simulation visualizations to the next level? Let's go!