Symmetria Dark Star Systems

Guide

Symmetria lets you create a large variety of geometric image-tiling patterns. Islamic stars and rosettes, strapwork, tilings, historical plates and more. Start by choosing a Category and a Pattern, then customize from there.

Controls · Presets

Controls

Category
Several distinct categories of tiling patterns, or you can build one from its parts
Pattern
The pattern to draw, from this category
Size
Size of the overall pattern and each tile within it
Rotation
Counterclockwise, in degrees
Position
Pattern's origin, and its center of rotation
Palette
The colors to draw in: the pattern's own, or a named palette's (each color can be customized in the Colors group)
Relief
Light the pattern as raised tiles and recessed grout; see the Relief group for details and customization
Line Width
In percent of the pattern's own line width
Outline Width
Outlines drawn on each side of the grout line, in percent of the pattern's own outline width
Line Widths
Scale the lines with the pattern, or keep their width in the image the same as the pattern is resized
Corners
Whether to round corners: Pattern's Own means the pattern chooses, Mitered comes to a point (rounded where sharper than 29°), or Round for always rounding
Weave
Weave the lines over and under each other where they cross: Pattern's Own is as the pattern prefers, or Off or On to override
Weave Gap
Space around a line where another passes under it, in percent of a tile edge (only when Weave is on)
Irregularity
Add a bit of irregularity to the tile shapes
Variation
Add a bit of variation to each tile's color
Cracks
Age the tiles with cracks: none at 0, or increase to add more
Crack Width
Adjust width and intensity of the cracks, in percent of Size
Fill
How regions between the lines take the palette's colors: as the pattern prefers, no shading at all (outlines only), alike for all regions with the same shape, alike for regions in similar places in the tiling, or semi-random

Build From Parts

With Category at Build From Parts, these choose the pattern in place of Pattern.

Design
Either a repeating field, or a single medallion
Tiling
The basic tiling for the field's motifs
Sides
How many sides for each basic polygon?
Points
The medallion's points
Border
A band of squares around the medallion
Motif
Stars, or rosettes: stars ringed by petals

Colors

Background
A layer under the pattern and over the source (if any); transparent lets the source show through
Customize Colors
When on, override the pattern's standard palette and draw in the colors below
Line Color
The grout lines' color
Outline Color
The color along the outlines at each side of the grout lines
Color 1 – 8
The colors the regions get filled with

Motif

Customize Motif
Draw with the values below instead of the pattern's own
Contact Angle
Angle between each line and the tile edge it crosses, in degrees
Contact Offset
Splits each crossing into two, this far apart along the edge (in edge lengths); negative values loop the lines around tile corners
Curve
Bends the lines into arcs; zero keeps them straight

Tiling

Customize Tiling
Change the tiling's shape with the values below (only for certain tilings)
Tiling 1 – 6
A shape parameter of the pattern's tiling

Relief

Light
A point light over the image, or a directional light like the sun
Light Position
Where the light sits over the image
Light Height
The light's height above the image, as a fraction of the image width
Light Angle
Which way a directional light comes from, in degrees CCW from the image's right
Light Elevation
How high a directional light stands, in degrees above the image
Tile Height Variation
How far the tiles' surface rises and falls, in percent of a tile edge; 0 for flat
Tile Frequency
How finely the tiles' surface varies, in cycles per tile edge
Tile Rounding
How far in from its edge a tile rounds over to its full height, in percent of a tile edge; 0 for a sharp edge
Grout Height Variation
How far the lines' surface rises and falls, in percent of a tile edge; 0 for flat
Grout Frequency
How finely the lines' surface varies, in cycles per tile edge
Grout Depth
How deep the lines dip across their middle, in a U, or in strapwork, how far they round up into straps

Frame

Clear a Frame
Clear a rectangle of the pattern, so the background shows there, and outline it
Frame Center
Where the frame's middle sits
Frame Size
Width and height, as fractions of the image's width
Edge Width
A strip around the frame, growing outward from it; 0 for none
Edge Color
Which of the pattern's colors fills the strip

Presets

Here are thumbnails for all the presets, in their categories. Click one to open it.

Stars · Star Polygons · Rosettes · Strapwork · Isohedral · Aperiodic · Medallions · Historical Plates

Stars

Small eight-pointed stars and four-petaled crossesEight-pointed stars with octagonal holesNine-pointed stars on a honeycombHexagram lattice with rectanglesSix-pointed stars on hexagonsEight-pointed stars on octagons and squaresHexagrams among overlapping hexagonsTwelve-pointed stars ringed by hexagramsStars on the trihexagonal tilingStars on the snub square tilingPinwheel stars on the snub hexagonal tilingTen-pointed stars on decagons and bowtiesTen-pointed stars ringed by petalsSixteen-pointed stars on a square grid

Star Polygons

Twelve-pointed stars and diamonds on dodecagons and trianglesCrossed twelve-pointed stars on dodecagons and trianglesInterlaced eight-pointed star polygonsInterlocking hexagrams on hexagonsTwelve-pointed star polygons and hexagramsTwelve-pointed stars and hexagrams on long linesTwelve-pointed stars among separate loopsTen-pointed star polygons in bandsTwelve-pointed stars and crosses on a square gridSixteen-pointed bursts on a square grid

Rosettes

Twelve-fold rosettes spaced by rectanglesTwelve-fold rosettes with hexagonsTwelve-pointed rosettesNine-fold rosettes on a honeycombLee's twelve-fold rosettesRosettes joined by long strapsRosettes in a hexagonal netRosettes with lensesSixteen-fold rosettes with octagonsSixteen-fold rosettes with squaresTwelve-fold rosettes on a square gridTwelve-fold rosettes in a lattice of crossesNine-fold rosettes with petalsFine nine-fold rosettesFifteen-fold rosettes on a honeycombTwenty-fold rosettes on a square gridTwenty-four-fold rosettes

Strapwork

Interlaced nine-fold rosettesInterlaced twelve-pointed starsInterlaced ten-pointed starsInterlaced curved hexagramsInterlaced Penrose starsInterlaced sixteen-fold rosettes

Isohedral

Twelve-pointed stars on trianglesStars on the Cairo pentagon tilingStars, hexagons and octagons on the Cairo pentagon tilingDodecagon rosettes on kitesFour-pointed stars on right triangles

Aperiodic

Penrose Rhombs

Stars and hexagons on Penrose rhombsStars on Penrose rhombsFivefold flowers on Penrose rhombsPenrose stars about a fivefold centerCurved stars on Penrose rhombsDecagons and long lines on Penrose rhombsScattered stars on Penrose rhombs

Penrose Kites and Darts

Interlaced strapwork on Penrose kites and dartsCurved petals on Penrose kites and darts

Eightfold (Ammann-Beenker)

Ammann-Beenker stars about an eightfold centerEight-pointed stars on Ammann-Beenker rhombs and squaresInterlaced Ammann-Beenker starsEightfold rosettes on Ammann-Beenker rhombs and squaresCurved stars on Ammann-Beenker rhombs and squaresLong-line stars on Ammann-Beenker rhombs and squares

Twelvefold (Stampfli)

Woven twelve-pointed stars on a Stampfli tilingTwelve-pointed stars on a Stampfli tilingStars on a twelvefold square-triangle tilingCurved twelve-pointed stars on a Stampfli tiling

Medallions

Sixteen-fold medallionSixteen-fold medallion in ringsInterlaced sixteen-fold medallionSixteen-fold medallion with a borderTwelve-fold medallion with a borderTwelve-fold medallionTen-fold medallionEight-fold medallionTwenty-fold medallionSixteen-fold medallion among eight-pointed starsEight-fold medallion among eight-pointed starsEight-fold medallion, closely setTwelve-fold medallion among twelve-pointed starsTwelve-fold medallion, turnedTwelve-fold medallion in a field of stars

Historical Plates

Bourgoin

Hexagrams and hexagons (Bourgoin plate 1, upper)Curved hexagrams (Bourgoin plate 1, lower)Paired hexagons on long lines (Bourgoin plate 2, upper)Hexagons on long lines (Bourgoin plate 2, lower)Stars of rhombs (Bourgoin plate 5)Arrow-headed Y tiles (Bourgoin plate 7)Hexagrams and hooks (Bourgoin plate 8)Sharp stars and hexagons (Bourgoin plate 12)Stars, squares and rhombs (Bourgoin plate 13)Squares and six-pointed stars (Bourgoin plate 14)Hexagrams on long lines (Bourgoin plate 20)Stars ringed by hexagons (Bourgoin plate 25)Eight-pointed stars with inner rings (Bourgoin plate 42)Eight-petalled roses and quatrefoils (Bourgoin plate 43)Sixteen-fold rosettes with slender petals (Bourgoin plate 57)Twelve-pointed rosettes in interlaced hexagons (Bourgoin plate 76)Twelve-pointed rosettes on a square plan (Bourgoin plate 77)Twelve-pointed stars in a honeycomb (Bourgoin plate 85)Twelve-pointed stars in a web of long lines (Bourgoin plate 89)Hexagrams and long dodecagon lines (Bourgoin plate 92)Rows of twelve-fold rosettes (Bourgoin plate 97)Rosettes of kites and petals (Bourgoin plate 98, upper)Split stars and quadrilaterals (Bourgoin plate 98, lower)Twelve- and nine-fold rosettes (Bourgoin plate 122)Sixteen-pointed stars and long lines (Bourgoin plate 129)Ten-petal rosettes in contact (Bourgoin plate 171)Crossing chords in rows of decagons (Bourgoin plate 173)Crossing chords in tangent decagons (Bourgoin plate 175)Prolonged chords in rows of decagons (Bourgoin plate 176)Rosettes over ten-pointed stars (Bourgoin plate 187)Rosettes over rows of ten-pointed stars (Bourgoin plate 187, lower)

Meyer

Overlapping circles (Meyer plate 6, fig. 3)Flower of circles (Meyer plate 6, fig. 8)

Hankin

Octagonal stars in contact (Hankin fig. 22)