Lindenmayer help

vvvv beta general
#1

Hello! I’m having great fun with VVVV to confound my eyeballs. The lindenmayer module interests me, as i’d like to use it to create images & transforms that appear to behave similar to natural phenomenon. I’ve read all the links posted about L-systems, and i am familar with the theory, but i am unsure how to ‘plug in’ what i see on the l-systems wiki page into the options available in the module.

Can anyone comment on basic rules for translating
variables : F G
constants : + −
start : F−G−G
rules : (F → F−G+F+G−F), (G → GG)
angle : 120°
into these boxes:
http://vvvv.org/show_image.php?id=7461
?

i have gotten some results just guessing, but i would like to approach this from a position of knowledge. can anyone please comment or at least tell me where i’m going wrong?

thanks!

you can email me at my username at gmail dot com if you prefer!

#2

helo meatstock,

the important bit for the rules you posted is the line that follows (on wikipedia), which says:
F and G both mean “draw forward”, …

and that is the problem. the current implementation of the Lindenmayer plugin is limited to only F meaning “draw forward”, and G only used to control the evolution of the curve.

this info might not help you, but if you’re a bit into coding, it shouldn’t be to hard to improve the plugin.

#3

thank you! i suppose i will have to go to the source to find out the syntax – i’ve noticed that brackets, slashes, and +/- have different weird effects. are you the author of this module?

i take it that many people come to use VVVV from a professional or academic background? i will save some pennies to get an education but until then i’ll keep asking bothersome questions here =)

#4

I don’t come from a academic background, I learnt by asking bothersome questions here!
Feel free to ask, someone should be able to help, but also use google site:vvvv.org to search for stuff, as the search here can be a little strange…;)

#5
  • i suppose i will have to go to the source to find out the syntax — i’ve noticed that brackets, slashes, and +/- have different weird effects.
    brackets and +/- should have the correct effect. in your example it is only that F and G mean draw forward, while in the plugin only F means draw forward.

are you the author of this module?
jes.

#6

see my rantings regarding the node reference.

this knowledge shouldn’t stay digged on the vvvvorums. well, the devvvvs know that themselves.

#7

i’ll write the dox for this as soon as i wrap my beginner’s brain around how it works!

also, does ‘the correct effects’ mean ‘make a weird shape weirder in different ways’? =)

#8
  • also, does ‘the correct effects’ mean ‘make a weird shape weirder in different ways’? =)

it should do what you expect:

  • means “turn left by angle”, and − means “turn right by angle”.
#9

so if + means “turn left by angle”, and − means “turn right by angle”, then / means ‘lean over in your chair to the left’ and ‘[’ means ‘make the shape of a coffee-cup handle’?

i’m not trying to be difficult, i just wonder if there’s a list of all the operators?

#10

have you seen lindenmayers helppatch (F1 on the node), it lists all that information.