Version 0 of Superformula

GS - Superformula was proposed by Johan Gielis (a Belgian botanist) in 1997. He has modified and genralized the superellipse formula discovered by Gabriel Lamé in 1818 (a French mathematician). Superformula consists in a simple 2D analytical expression allowing to draw a wide variety of geometric and natural shapes (starfish, petals, snowflakes) by choosing suitable values relevant to few parameters.

Here is the formula in polar coordinates:

Parameters influence: . m: rotational symmetry . n1, n2, n3: form . a, b: expansion coefficients

For further details see this the Math Trek article [L1 ]

Johan Gielis has founded Genicap Corp. [L2 ] to develop and to market graphics software based on this formula. The Superformula may reduce the size of complex 2D and 3D graphic files by more than 90 percent in CAD and graphic design applications.

A few examples:

      (a,b,m,n1,n2,n3)
 (1)  (1, 1.8, 6, 1, 2, 1.4)
 (2)  (1.5, 2, 8, 0.9, 1.8, 0.8)
 (3)  (1, 2, 10, 0.9, 1.7, 1.1)
 (4)  (1.6, 1, 12, 1.5, 2, 7.5)
 (5)  (2.7, 2.6, 6, 12, 8.3, 5.3)
 (6)  (1.5, 2, 2, 1.7, 0.7, 2)
 (7)  (1.19, 2.8, 32, 3, 0.9, 6)
 (8)  (0.9, 10, 4, 4.2, 17, 1.5)

 # superformula.tcl 
 # Author:      Gerard Sookahet
 # Date:        16 Nov 2004 
 # Description: Plot Superformula based upon Johan Gielis equations 
 #              See http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030503/mathtrek.asp

 package require Tk

 bind all <Escape> {exit}

 proc About {} {
  set w .about
  catch {destroy $w}
  toplevel $w
  wm title $w "About Superformula"
  message $w.msg -justify center -aspect 250 -relief sunken -bg blue -fg white \
         -text "Superformula\n\nGerard Sookahet\n\nNovember 2004"
  button $w.bquit -text " OK " -command {destroy .about}
  eval pack [winfo children $w]
 }
 # Init or reset data
 proc Init { w mid } {
     global a b m k
     global n1 n2 n3

  $w.c delete all

  set a 1.0
  set b 1.0
  set m 6.0
  set k 2
  set n1 3.0
  set n2 1.0
  set n3 1.0

  PlotSuperformula $w $mid 0
 }
 # Filled polygons or not
 proc FilledState { w mid } {
     global fs
     global poly
  if $fs {$w.c itemconfigure $poly -outline lightblue -width 1 -fill blue} else {
          $w.c itemconfigure $poly -outline lightblue -width 1 -fill black 
  }
 }

 proc DisplayState { w mid } {
     global rf
  if $rf {Init $w $mid} 
 }

 proc Main { N } {
     global a b m k
     global n1 n2 n3
     global rf fs

  set w .sp
  catch {destroy $w}
  toplevel $w
  wm withdraw .
  wm title $w "Superformula"
  wm geometry $w +100+10
  $w config -bg orange

  set f0 [frame $w.f0]
  set mid [expr {$N/2}]
  pack [canvas $w.c -width $N -height $N -bg black] $f0 -side left
  Init $w $mid

  set f1 [frame $f0.f1 -relief sunken -bd 1]
  pack $f1 -fill x
  scale $f1.sca -from 0.1 -to 10 -length 340 -resolution 0.01 -label "a" \
                -orient vert -bd 1 -showvalue true -variable a \
                -command "PlotSuperformula $w $mid"
  scale $f1.scb -from 0.1 -to 10 -length 340 -resolution 0.01 -label "b" \
                -orient vert -bd 1 -showvalue true -variable b \
                -command "PlotSuperformula $w $mid"
  scale $f1.scm -from 0 -to 34 -length 340 -resolution 0.2 -label "m" \
                -orient vert -bd 1 -showvalue true -variable m \
                -command "PlotSuperformula $w $mid"
  scale $f1.scn1 -from 0.1 -to 17 -length 340 -resolution 0.1 -label "n1" \
                 -orient vert -bd 1 -showvalue true -variable n1 \
                 -command "PlotSuperformula $w $mid"
  scale $f1.scn2 -from 0 -to 17 -length 340 -resolution 0.1 -label "n2" \
                 -orient vert -bd 1 -showvalue true -variable n2 \
                 -command "PlotSuperformula $w $mid"
  scale $f1.scn3 -from 0 -to 17 -length 340 -resolution 0.1 -label "n3" \
                 -orient vert -bd 1 -showvalue true -variable n3 \
                 -command "PlotSuperformula $w $mid"
  scale $f1.sck -from 1 -to 34 -length 340 -label "pi" \
                -orient vert -bd 1 -showvalue true -variable k \
                -command "PlotSuperformula $w $mid"
  eval pack [winfo children $f1] -side left

  set f2 [frame $f0.f2 -relief sunken -bd 1]
  pack $f2 -fill x
  checkbutton $f2.cbf -text "Filled shape" -variable fs \
             -command "FilledState $w $mid"
  checkbutton $f2.cbr -text "Refresh display" -variable rf \
             -command "DisplayState $w $mid"
  eval pack [winfo children $f2] -side left

  set f3 [frame $f0.f3 -relief sunken -bd 1]
  pack $f3 -fill x
  button $f3.bc -text Clear -width 6 -bg blue -fg white \
        -command "$w.c delete all"
  button $f3.ba -text About -width 6 -bg blue -fg white \
        -command About
  button $f3.bq -text Quit -width 5 -bg blue -fg white -command exit
  eval pack [winfo children $f3] -side left
 }

 proc PlotSuperformula { w mid v } {
     global a b m k
     global n1 n2 n3
     global rf fs
     global poly

  if $rf {$w.c delete all}

  set kpi [expr {$k*3.14159265358}]
  set N 400
  set s 0.4

  set l {}
  for {set i 0} {$i<=$N} {incr i} {
     set phi [expr {$i*$kpi/$N}]

     set t  [expr {$m*$phi/4}]
     set t1 [expr {abs(cos($t)/$a)}]
     set t1 [expr {pow($t1,$n2)}]
     set t2 [expr {abs(sin($t)/$b)}]
     set t2 [expr {pow($t2,$n3)}]

     set r [expr {pow($t1+$t2,1/$n1)}]
     if {[expr {abs($r)}] <= 0.000001} {
       lappend l 0 0
     } else {
       set r [expr {1/$r}]
       lappend l [expr {round($mid + $s*$mid*$r*cos($phi))}] \
                 [expr {round($mid + $s*$mid*$r*sin($phi))}]
     }
  }
  set poly [eval $w.c create polygon $l] 
  if $fs {$w.c itemconfigure $poly -outline lightblue -width 1 -fill blue} else {
          $w.c itemconfigure $poly -outline lightblue -width 1 -fill black 
  }
 }

 set rf 1
 set fs 1
 Main 440

[ Category Graphics | Category Mathematics ]