App-GUI-Harmonograph
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insert a number into the text field (which is true off all slider combo
widgets). Behind the slider combo in row one is a drop down menu which
lets you choose a natural constant like Pi or Phi. It gets multiplied
with the frequency. This allows you to explore the nature of these
famous constants. Among the constants are also the natural numbers 1, 2
and 3 in case you need to crank up the frequency up to 300.
The second row enables you to set values with three decimals. If you for
instance choose a base frequency of 5 and dial in 15 in the second row,
the actual frequency will be 5.015 times the natural constant. Behind
the slider are two checkboxes. One to additionally invert (1/x) the
frequency value and one to flip the pendulum direction (f = -f).
The third row lets you dial in a damping value which makes the pendulum
each round slower (bigger value -> more damping). Behind it is a
selector. If its on minus the damping will be same each round but set on
"*" the damping will be proportional to the frequency. Still behind it
is a checkbox. When selected the frequency is allowed to become negative
by damping.
The fourth row is about daming acceleration or with other words, how
much the damping changes from dot to dot. Beside the c value you have
this time four types of acceleration. Minus and times work as before and
plus and divided by are just their opposite.
The fifth row has a slider that sets the starting position of the
pendulum along its expected track. If the slider is on max you move the
pendulum a quater rotation ahead. To add another quarter check the box
left beside it. The last box adds another half rotation. This allows you
to flip or mirror the image in meaningful ways.
The sixth row mirrors the first but with 2 distinctions. Its not about
integer values but percentage values of the original pendulum length.
This length will be calculated by the program for opimal display. Thi
slider helps you only to change the proportions of the amplitude towards
the other pendula. Natural constants are also here available as a factor
and behind the on the most right is a button to reset the radius to 100
percent.
The seventh row is the amplitude size, which simple allows to make the
picture larger or smaller depending if the pendulum left the frame or
doesn't move enough. As with reqency, also the amplitude can be damped
over time and this damping can accelerated.
Row eight and nine are exact copies of row three and four, they just
affect the radius / amplitude.
Functions
This tab lets you meddle with the equations that compute the mechanics
of a pendulum. Because all ten rows are built the same I will explain
only one. For instance the X pendulum has only influence on the x
coordinate of a dot, it is computed: "x = radius * cos (time)". The
first selector allows you to swap out the cosine function. Instead you
could get sine, tangent, cotangent, secant, cosekcant and the hyperbolic
twin of the already mentioned functions.
The second selector has five options: "= + - * /". If you choose the
first (equal sign) your time variable will be just swapped out with
another variable. The other four option describe the operation that will
be applied upon you time value. So e.g. if you select plus the resulting
formula will be "x = radius * cos (time + (...))". The dots allude to
whatever you will choose with the next three selectors.
Selector three and four are just factors. They contain natural numbers
and natural constants you can multiply the variable with. And last not
least selector five holds the variables time frequency and
radus/amplitude of each pendulum. This allows you for instance add the
(always) current pendulum frequency of pendulum W to the time value of
Pendulum X resulting in unpredictable shapes. There is lot to explore.
Pendulum W affects the x and y coordinate, hence it has two rows for
each case. Even more special is "Pendulum" R - the rotation movement of
the paper. This is computed by an ordinary 2 x 2 rotation matrix (we are
in 2D). Each cell of this matrix has here its own row. Its R_11, R_12,
R_21, R_22. But if you not sure just hover with the mouse and get the
hints.
The very last row is different and contains only one switch that will
determine if W or R pendulum is applied first. Default and what is also
more comprehensible is that R is apllied first. But the arstist in you
might can choose here differently.
Visual Settings
Due to the section headins, this tab is self explanatory. First choos if
you want to paint dots or connect them. Please not that pen thickness of
one is very thin and you might not see any dots in that setting. The pen
style is more of an gimmick. Most useful are solid and dotted lines. The
dot density allows you to juggle two extremes. Low density makes for
fast drawn lines and dots but also pointy curves. So you might want to
raise the value for smooth curves. The fine tuning of dot density makes
only sense if you draw dots, becasue even a slight change can produce
very different dot pattern. The line length is in seconds in minutes so
you can understand their proportion to the frequencies, which are in
Hertz (rotation / second).
The last section on this tab is about the color change or color flow.
You have 4 types and according to the current type only the widgets
which have an impact are enabled. When flow type *"no"* in on, you paint
only with color number 1 and the progress bar in the left lower corner
will have one color. It allows you always to track which color rainbow
you actually chose. But its only visible if you make a full picture. So
push the Draw button. When color flow type *"one_time"* is active, you
have to also select how many colors you like. And if you e.g. choose 3,
your rainbow will go from color 1 to color 2 to color 3. And it will be
spreat of the whole painting time, depending how much you selected. The
dynamic option tells something about how the change from one color to
the next will look like. Positive values bend the rainbow toward the
start of a gradient and negative toward the end. So with a dynamic of 5
the rainbow will linger on the starting color for a long time and will
then change faster and faster. The color flow type "alternate" moves
from color one to two, three and so forth and then backwards back to one
and then again forward as long as your chosen painting time permits.
Regulate the color change speed with the "Speed" slider. For extra slow
color changes hit the "Invert" checkbox. Than high speed values will
make it extra slow. The last color flow type is *"circular"*. Here you
go again from color one to the selected last color and from there
directly to color one. This round will repeated as time permits.
Colors
This tab is just for choosing the available colors. There are alway ten
colors visible, but colors with a "x" below are currently not in use.
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