Symmetria Dark Star Systems

Guide

Symmetria draws geometric patterns: Islamic stars and rosettes, strapwork, tilings and historical plates. Choose a Category and a Pattern, then change it with the controls beside it.

Controls · Presets

Controls

Category
The kind of pattern to choose from, or build one from parts
Pattern
The pattern to draw, from this category
Size
How large the pattern draws, in percent of the image width: a tile edge's length, adjusted pattern by pattern so that patterns look alike in size
Rotation
Counterclockwise, in degrees
Position
Where the pattern's origin sits
Palette
The colors to draw in: the pattern's own, or a named palette's
Relief
Light the pattern as raised tiles and recessed grout; the Relief group shapes them
Line Width
In percent of the pattern's own
Outline Width
Drawn on each side of the line, in percent of the pattern's own outline
Line Widths
Scale the lines with the pattern, or keep their width in the image as the pattern is resized, as wide as at the default size
Corners
Where a line turns a corner: as the pattern has them, mitered to a point (rounded where sharper than 29°), or round
Weave
Weave the lines over and under each other where they cross: as the pattern does, or not, or so
Weave Gap
Space around a line where another passes under it, in percent of a tile edge
Irregularity
How far the lines wander, as handmade work's do, in percent of Size: corners move, and long lines bend a little
Variation
How much each region's color varies from the next, as handmade tiles' glazes do: at 1, in brightness by up to half a stop either way, and a little in hue
Cracks
How many of the filled regions are cracked, as old tiles are: none at 0, all at 1; raising it only adds cracks
Crack Width
How wide the cracks are, in percent of Size; their paths across the tiles stay the same
Fill
How regions between the lines take the palette's colors: as the pattern has them, none, alike for regions alike in shape, alike for regions in like places in the tiling, or at random

Build From Parts

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

Design
A field repeating without end, or a medallion
Tiling
The tiling the field's motifs grow from
Sides
The polygons' sides, of those the lattice allows
Points
The medallion's points
Border
A band of squares around the medallion
Motif
Stars, or rosettes: stars ringed by petals

Colors

Background
Under the pattern, over the source; transparent lets the source show through
Customize Colors
Draw in the colors below instead of the palette's; they stay as other patterns are chosen
Line Color
The lines' color
Outline Color
The color along each side of the lines
Color 1 – 8
The colors the regions fill with, in order

Motif

Customize Motif
Draw with the values below instead of the pattern's own; they stay as other patterns are chosen
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, where it has any; values that would break the tiling are drawn back to the nearest that work
Tiling 1 – 6
A shape parameter of the pattern's tiling

Relief

Light
A point light over the image, its light spreading from where it is, or a directional one, shining the same way everywhere, as the sun does
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 counterclockwise from the image's right
Light Elevation
How high a directional light stands, in degrees above the image
Tile Height
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
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 far the lines dip across their middle, in a U, in percent of a tile edge, or where they weave, how far they round up into straps; negative turns them the other way; 0 for flat

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, in percent of the image width; 0 for none
Edge Color
Which of the pattern's colors fills the strip

Presets

Every preset, as it first draws but with Relief on. Click one to open it.

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

Stars

Six-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 tilingSmall eight-pointed stars and four-petaled crossesTen-pointed stars on decagons and bowtiesTen-pointed stars ringed by petalsHexagram lattice with rectanglesEight-pointed stars with octagonal holesSixteen-pointed stars on a square gridNine-pointed stars on a honeycomb

Star Polygons

Interlocking hexagrams on hexagonsInterlaced eight-pointed star polygonsTwelve-pointed star polygons and hexagramsTwelve-pointed stars and hexagrams on long linesTwelve-pointed stars among separate loopsCrossed twelve-pointed stars on dodecagons and trianglesTwelve-pointed stars and diamonds on dodecagons and trianglesTen-pointed star polygons in bandsTwelve-pointed stars and crosses on a square gridSixteen-pointed bursts on a square grid

Rosettes

Twelve-pointed rosettesTwelve-fold rosettes with hexagonsLee's twelve-fold rosettesTwelve-fold rosettes spaced by rectanglesRosettes 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 on a honeycombNine-fold rosettes with petalsFine nine-fold rosettesFifteen-fold rosettes on a honeycombTwenty-fold rosettes on a square gridTwenty-four-fold rosettes

Strapwork

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

Isohedral

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

Aperiodic

Penrose Rhombs

Stars on Penrose rhombsFivefold flowers on Penrose rhombsPenrose stars about a fivefold centerCurved stars on Penrose rhombsStars and hexagons 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)

Eight-pointed stars on Ammann-Beenker rhombs and squaresAmmann-Beenker stars about an eightfold centerInterlaced 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)

Twelve-pointed stars on a Stampfli tilingStars on a twelvefold square-triangle tilingWoven twelve-pointed stars on a Stampfli 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)Stars of rhombs (Bourgoin plate 5)Paired hexagons on long lines (Bourgoin plate 2, upper)Hexagons on long lines (Bourgoin plate 2, lower)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)

Hankin

Octagonal stars in contact (Hankin fig. 22)

Meyer

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