DISCLAIMER: This blog post was written by a human with the help of AI
Hypotrochoids and epitrochoids are fascinating mathematical curves that create beautiful, mesmerizing patterns
The spyrograph Python package, built on top of the turtle library, provides an easy-to-use interface for visualizing these captivating curves
In this blog post we'll explore how we can customize the trace method to create our own highly configurable generative art pieces
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chris-greening
/
spyrograph
Python library for analyzing, exploring, and visualizing epitrochoids and hypotrochoids in just a few lines of code
spyrograph: elegant mathematics and geometries
What is it?
spyrograph is a lightweight Python package that provides an expressive and flexible set of tools for drawing beautiful mathematically driven art. With just a few lines of easy-to-read code you can start analyzing, visualizing, and exploring elegant mathematics
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🔑 Key features
- Expressive and consistent syntax
- Robust underlying mathematics
- Beginner and expert friendly
-
numpyis the only required third-party installation - Clear visualizations and animations
- Flexible to a wide range of usecases
- Lightweight, just plug and play
💻 Installation
pip
Install the latest stable release from PyPI using
$ pip3 install spyrograph
or clone the development version from GitHub with
$ git clone https://github.com/chris-greening/spyrograph.git
🌱 Quickstart
spyrograph is designed to be expressive and easy-to-use - simply import spyrograph and jump right into drawing elegant, complex shapes…
Getting started
To begin, we'll need to install the spyrograph package. You can do this by running the following command:
pip3 install spyrograph
Once you have the package installed, let's import the Hypotrochoid class to trace our shape:
from spyrograph import Hypotrochoid
Using the trace method
The trace method is one of the centerpieces of the spyrograph package, allowing users to draw beautiful hypotrochoids and epitrochoids with ease
And to top it off the method comes with a variety of customization options, enabling users to create unique patterns suited to their usecase
Here's a simple example to get us started:
import numpy as np
# Instantiate our hypotrochoid
thetas = np.arange(0, 2 * np.pi, 0.05)
hypotrochoid = Hypotrochoid(R=200, r=50, d=50, thetas=thetas)
# Draw the hypotrochoid using the trace method
hypotrochoid.trace(exit_on_click=True)
This code snippet will create a hypotrochoid with the specified parameters and trace it on the turtle screen
You can experiment with different values for R, r, d, and thetas to create a wide variety of patterns and shapes
Customizing the visualization
The trace method offers a wide range of customization options to suit our usecase as needed
Here's an example of how to modify various aspects of the visualization:
hypotrochoid.trace(
screen_size=(800, 800),
screen_color="black",
color="red",
show_circles=True,
show_full_path=True,
full_path_color="grey",
circle_color="white",
frame_pause=0.01,
repeat=True,
exit_on_click=True
)
In this example, we have:
- Set the screen size to 800x800 pixels
- Changed the background color to black
- Used red as the color of the primary tracing
- Displayed the inner and outer circles that compose the trace
- Show the full path that will be traced
- Set the color of the pre-drawn path to grey
- Set the color of the circles to white
- Added a 0.01 second pause for each frame
- Set the animation to repeat infinitely
Conclusion
The spyrograph Python package empowers users to create and customize mesmerizing hypotrochoids and epitrochoids with just a few lines of code
By leveraging the trace method and its customization options, we can easily generate an array of captivating patterns and stunning art pieces
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