generative-art-tools

Utilities for creating generative art

Table of contents

• What
• Install
• Functions
  • Processing (p5.js)
  • Two.js
  • Shaders
  • random
  • Shaping functions
    • Introduction
    • gain
    • impulse
    • parabola
    • sine curve
    • power curve
    • exponential step
    • cubic pulse

What

generative-art-tools is a collection of utility functions to create generative art. It provides -

• a set of helper functions to create generative art using React

• and math functions that can be use to animate the sketches

Install

npm install --save generative-art-tools

Functions

Processing (p5.js)

import { createP5Sketch } from "generative-art-tools";

Render p5.js sketches using React.

Example usage

import React from "react";
import ReactDOM from "react-dom";
import { createP5Sketch } from "generative-art-tools";
 
function sketch(p5Instance, componentProps, wrapperElement) {
  let pause = true;
 
  p5Instance.setup = function() {
    p5Instance.createCanvas(500, 500);
    p5Instance.noFill();
    p5Instance.background(255);
    p5Instance.stroke(0, 15);
    p5Instance.frameRate(30);
  };
 
  p5Instance.mousePressed = function() {
    pause = !pause;
  };
 
  p5Instance.draw = function() {
    if (!pause) {
      p5Instance.push();
      p5Instance.translate(p5Instance.width / 2, p5Instance.height / 2);
      p5Instance.rotate(p5Instance.frameCount);
 
      const circleResolution = parseInt(
        p5Instance.map(p5Instance.mouseY + 50, 0, p5Instance.height, 2, 10)
      );
      const radius = p5Instance.mouseX - p5Instance.width / 2;
      const angle = (2 * Math.PI) / circleResolution;
 
      p5Instance.beginShape();
 
      for (let i = 0; i <= circleResolution; i++) {
        const x = Math.cos(angle * i) * radius;
        const y = Math.sin(angle * i) * radius;
 
        p5Instance.strokeWeight(i / 2);
        p5Instance.vertex(x, y);
      }
 
      p5Instance.endShape(p5Instance.CLOSE);
 
      p5Instance.pop();
    }
  };
}
 
const Shapes = createP5Sketch(sketch);
 
function App(props) {
  return <Shapes id="Shapes" />;
}
 
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById("element-id"));

createP5Sketch

createP5Sketch(sketchFunction: (p5Instance: Object, props: Object wrapperEl: HTMLElement) => void) => ReactComponent

This function accepts only one argument which is p5.js sketch function and returns a React component. The sketch function receives three parameters, the p5.js instance, the returned component's props and the wrapper element that wraps the sketch.

The returned React component accepts the following props -

• width - Canvas width

• height - Canvas height

• id - A unique element id (useful if you're rendering multiple sketch components)

• callback: (p5Instance) => void - A callback function that receives the p5.js instance. Use this callback to do some extra stuff with the sketch

Two.js

import { createTwoJSDesign } from "generative-art-tools";

Render Two.js sketches using React

Example usage

import React from "react";
import ReactDOM from "react-dom";
import { createTwoJSDesign, random } from "generative-art-tools";
 
const colors = {
  CIRCLE_ONE: "#ebedee",
  CIRCLE_TWO: "#7f8a93",
  CIRCLE_THREE: "#374047"
};
 
const drawCircle = (offset, color, instance) => {
  const circles = [];
 
  for (let x = 20; x <= instance.width - 5; x += 15) {
    const circle = instance.makeCircle(offset, x, random(0, 10));
    circle.fill = color;
    circle.stroke = "#dee1e3";
 
    circles.push(circle);
  }
 
  return circles;
};
 
const drawPattern = (instance, props) => {
  let renderedCircles = [];
 
  for (let x = 20; x <= instance.width - 28; x += props.positionOffsetOne) {
    renderedCircles.push(drawCircle(x, colors.CIRCLE_THREE, instance));
    x += props.positionOffsetTwo;
 
    renderedCircles.push(drawCircle(x, colors.CIRCLE_TWO, instance));
    x += props.positionOffsetThree;
 
    renderedCircles.push(drawCircle(x, colors.CIRCLE_ONE, instance));
  }
 
  return renderedCircles;
};
 
const offsets = {
  positionOffsetOne: 10,
  positionOffsetTwo: 25,
  positionOffsetThree: 30
};
 
// On each update/page refresh, it displaces the circles randomly
const renderCircles = (twoJSInstance, componentProps, wrapperElement) => {
  const circles = drawPattern(twoJSInstance, offsets);
 
  twoJSInstance.render();
};
 
const Circles = createTwoJSDesign(renderCircles);
 
function App(props) {
  return <Circles id="Shapes" width={500} height={500} />;
}
 
ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById("element-id"));

createTwoJSDesign

createTwoJSDesign(sketchFunction: (twoJsInstance: Object, props: Object wrapperEl: HTMLElement) => void) => ReactComponent

This function accepts only one argument, a two.js sketch function and it returns a React component.

The two.js sketch function receives three parameters. The Two.js instance, the returned component's props and the wrapper element that wraps the artwork.

The returned React component accepts the following props -

• width - Canvas width

• height - Canvas height

• id - A unique element id (useful if you're rendering multiple sketch components)

• callback: (twoJSInstance) => void - A callback function that receives the Two.js instance. Use this callback to do extra work with the sketch

Shaders

import { createShaderCanvas } from "generative-art-tools";

Render shaders using React

Example usage

import React, { Component } from "react";
 
import { createShaderCanvas } from "generative-art-tools";
 
const shader = props => `
  #ifdef GL_ES
  precision mediump float;
  #endif
 
  uniform float u_time;
  uniform vec2 u_mouse;
  uniform vec2 u_resolution;
  
  float expStep( float x, float k, float n ){
    return exp( -k*pow(x,n) );
  }
  
  void main() {
    vec2 point = gl_FragCoord.xy / u_resolution.xy;
    float px = 1.0 / u_resolution.y;
    vec2 cp = vec2(cos(u_time),sin(u_time)) * 0.618 + 0.620;
  
    float l = expStep(point.x, ${props.timeSync ? "cp.x * u_time" : "cp.x"}, ${
  props.timeSync ? "cp.y * u_time" : "cp.y"
});
    
    vec3 color = vec3(smoothstep(l, l+px, point.y), sin(u_time), cos(cp.y) * 0.5);
      
    gl_FragColor = vec4(color, 1.0);
  }
`;
 
const ShaderComponent = createShaderCanvas(shader);
 
class App extends Component {
  state = {
    timeSync: false
  };
 
  updateState = e => this.setState(state => ({ timeSync: !state.timeSync }));
 
  render() {
    const { timeSync } = this.state;
 
    return (
      <div onClick={this.updateState}>
        <ShaderComponent id="exponential-step-curve" timeSync={timeSync} />
      </div>
    );
  }
}

createShaderCanvas

createShaderCanvas(shader: (props) => string) => ReactComponent

createShaderCanvas takes a shader as an input and returns a React component which renders the shader. The shader function gets passed the component props.

The returned React component accepts the following props -

• id (Required) - id of the canvas element. This is required to render the canvas

• height (Optional) - height of the canvas.

• width (Optional) - width of the canvas.

• style (Optional) - canvas style.

Random

Returns a random number between a range.

import { random } from "generative-art-tools";
 
random(10, 18);

Shaping functions

Shaping functions are mathematical functions that lets you control the flow of values. These functions can be used to interpolate values between a defined range for example.

Reference

• Detailed reference guide on what and how to use shaping functions.

• Visualisation of shaping functions

• Inigo Quilez's blog explains the use cases for shaping functions such as - animations, or making envelopes for music.

The below functions were authored by Inigo Quilez. I have just ported them to code so that they can be used in creating animations.

Gain

(x: number, y: number) => number

import { gain } from "generative-art-tools";

Implementation

const gain = (x: number, y: number): number => {
  const a = 0.5 * Math.pow(2 * (x < 0.5 ? x : 1 - x), y);
  return x < 0.5 ? a : 1 - a;
};

Impulse

(x: number, y: number) => number

import { impulse } from "generative-art-tools";

Implementation

const impulse = (x: number, y: number): number => {
  const h = y * x;
  return h * Math.exp(1 - h);
};

Parabola

(x: number, y: number) => number

import { parabola } from "generative-art-tools";

Implementation

const parabola = (x: number, y: number): number => Math.pow(4 * x * (1 - x), y);

Sine

(x: number, y: number) => number

import { sine } from "generative-art-tools";

Implementation

const sine = (x: number, y: number): number => {
  const a = 3.1459265359 * y * x - 1;
  return Math.sin(a) / a;
};

Power

(x: number, y: number, a: number) => number

import { power } from "generative-art-tools";

Implementation

const power = (x: number, a: number, b: number): number => {
  const k = Math.pow(a + b, a + b) / (Math.pow(a, a) * Math.pow(b, b));
  return k * Math.pow(x, a) * Math.pow(1 - x, b);
};

Exponential step

(x: number, y: number, n: number) => number

import { expStep } from "generative-art-tools";

Implementation

const expStep = (x: number, y: number, n: number): number => {
  return Math.exp(-y * Math.pow(x, n));
};

Cubic pulse

(x: number, y: number, a: number) => number

import { cubicPulse } from "generative-art-tools";

Implementation

const cubicPulse = (x: number, y: number, a: number): number => {
  x = Math.abs(x - a);
  if (x > y) return 0;
 
  x /= y;
  return 1 - x * x * (3 - 2 * x);
};

License

MIT © nitin42