Ada 3.0 Lua 5.3 Alire 2.0 GPLv3

Real-time 3D drone swarm simulation

SwarmAda combines the robustness and performance of Ada with the flexibility of Lua scripting — rendered in real time with GLOBE_3D. Define swarm behaviors without ever touching the core engine.

Get Started View on GitHub
swarmada — GLOBE_3D viewport
SwarmAda demo: a cube controlled by a Lua script moving in a circular path inside the GLOBE_3D viewport

Live demo — object position & rotation driven every frame by a Lua script.

Overview

A proof-of-concept for multi‑agent systems

SwarmAda is a real-time 3D swarm simulation framework built to explore how a statically-typed, memory-safe systems language can drive high-performance rendering and physics, while a lightweight scripting layer stays free to iterate on behaviors.

  • Ada as the core engine for 3D rendering and physics
  • A clean API exposed to Lua for real-time object control
  • Ada's safety combined with Lua's agility for swarm behaviors
  • Configurable behaviors without ever recompiling the engine

60+ FPS

Real-time object updates

2

Languages, one engine

OpenGL

Rendering via GLOBE_3D

GPLv3

Free & open source

Features

Everything you need to prototype a swarm

3D Rendering

Powered by GLOBE_3D, an OpenGL-based engine, for real-time visualization of the simulation.

Lua Scripting

Define drone behaviors in Lua with full control — no recompilation required.

Real-time Control

Objects are updated at 60+ FPS via direct function calls into the Lua VM.

Lightweight

Minimal dependencies. Runs on Linux, including WSL2 with an X server.

Extensible

Adding a new Ada function to the Lua API takes three small, well-documented steps.

Educational

A clean, small codebase — ideal for learning Ada/Lua interop and multi-agent design.

Architecture

Three layers, one clean boundary

Lua scripts never touch the engine directly — everything flows through a small, explicit bridge.

Lua Scripts

  • • Behavior definitions
  • • Swarm algorithms (Boids, formations)
  • • Custom object control logic

Lua Bridge

  • • Ada functions exposed to Lua
  • • Script loading and execution
  • • Function reference management
  • • Error handling

Ada Core Engine

  • • GLOBE_3D rendering engine
  • • GLUT window management
  • • Object management (3D models)
  • • Camera control
  • • Lighting system

How it works

1. Ada exposes API Ada 
Register_Function
  (State, "set_position",
   Set_Position_Wrapper'Access);
Register_Function
  (State, "set_rotation",
   Set_Rotation_Wrapper'Access);
Register_Function
  (State, "get_position",
   Get_Position_Wrapper'Access);
2. Lua defines behavior Lua 
local angle = 0

function update(dt)
  angle = angle + dt * 0.5
  local x = math.cos(angle) * 2.0
  local z = math.sin(angle) * 2.0
  set_position(x, 0.0, z)
  set_rotation(0.0, angle*10, 0.0)
end

return update
3. Ada runs it every frame Ada 
procedure Update
  (Delta_Time : Float) is
begin
  if Update_Ref /= 0 then
    Push_Value (State, Update_Ref);
    Push (State,
      Lua_Float (Delta_Time));
    PCall (State, 1, 0, 0);
  end if;
end Update;
Quick Start

Up and running in six steps

Tested on Ubuntu 22.04+ and WSL2. See the README for full troubleshooting.

  1. 1

    Install system dependencies

    sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y libgl1-mesa-dev libglu1-mesa-dev freeglut3-dev \
                     libx11-dev libxi-dev libxrandr-dev libxinerama-dev \
                     libxcursor-dev liblua5.3-dev
  2. 2

    Install Alire (Ada package manager)

    wget https://github.com/alire-project/alire/releases/download/v2.0.2/alr-2.0.2-bin-x86_64-linux.zip
unzip alr-2.0.2-bin-x86_64-linux.zip
sudo mv bin/alr /usr/local/bin/
  3. 3

    Clone & build GLOBE_3D

    cd ~/
git clone https://github.com/zertovitch/globe-3d.git
cd globe-3d
export G3D_OS=linux
gprbuild -P globe_3d.gpr

    GLOBE_3D isn't published on Alire — it must be built manually and pinned as a local dependency.

  4. 4

    Clone SwarmAda

    git clone https://github.com/angyxys/swarmada.git
cd swarmada
  5. 5

    Pin the GLOBE_3D dependency

    alr with --use ../globe-3d globe_3d

    Or edit alire.toml manually — see the README for the exact [[pins]] block.

  6. 6

    Build & run

    alr clean
alr build
./bin/swarmada

    On WSL, run an X server (e.g. VcXsrv) and export DISPLAY beforehand.

Roadmap

Where SwarmAda is headed

From a single scripted cube to full swarm algorithms and tooling.

Basic 3D rendering with GLOBE_3D

Shipped

Lua integration with Ada

Shipped

Real-time object control via Lua

Shipped

Multiple objects (drones)

Planned

Swarm algorithms (Boids)

Planned

Keyboard / mouse controls

Planned

GUI for configuration

Planned

Save / load swarm configurations

Planned

Performance optimization

Planned

Contributions are welcome

Fork the repo, open an issue to discuss ideas, or submit a pull request. For major changes, please open an issue first.

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