EDIT: SEE BELOW FOR RECTIFIED CODE, I SCREWED UP AND POSTED BROKEN CODE, SORRY!!

Hypnotic Spokes - http://pastebin.com/f6ff4dc23
(btw, is there a pastebin that highlights processing code?)

This is not only my first processing project, but also my first attempt at programming. It took me around a week. Hopefully I'll be getting faster at this!

Any suggestions on how else I might have achieved this, how to optimize the code and make it run smoother, or ideas on how I could evolve it.

What I would like to do next is have the individual 'spokes' oscillate in size by a small random amount (so it wouldn't be a perfect circle but a more organic microbial shape!).

Feel free to toy around with it.


-----------------------------------------


void setup()  {  
 size(screen.width,screen.height);
 background(255);
 noSmooth();
}  
 

//initialization variables

float r = screen.height/4;
float r2 = 0;
float r2x = 0;
float r2y = 0;
float x2 = 0;
float y2 = 100;
float theta = 0;  
float theta2 = 0;


//switcher variables used in oscillation.

int colourDirection = 1;
float sizeDirection = 0.5;
int colour = 0;
int bgcolour = 255;
float endlines = 6.2;


void drawLines() {
  while (theta <= endlines) {
stroke(colour);
strokeWeight(1);
   float x = r * cos(theta);
   float y = r * sin(theta);
   line(x2, y2, x+width/2,y+height/2);
   theta += 0.1;

   drawCircles(x, y);
 }
}


//draws the blobs on the ends of the lines.

void drawCircles(float xx, float yy) {
noStroke();
fill(colour - colourDirection);
ellipse(xx+width/2,yy+height/2,10,10);
}



void draw() {

 background(bgcolour);
 stroke(colour);
 bgcolour = bgcolour + bgcolourDirection;
 theta = 0;
 colour = colour + colourDirection;
 r = r + sizeDirection;
 x2 = r2 * cos(theta2) + width/2;
 y2 = r2 * sin(theta2) + height/2;

 drawLines();
 
 //fine tuned incrementers to give the smoothest possible animation.
 r2 += 0.055;
 r += 0.1;
 theta2 += 0.036;

 //ossilation.
 if (colour >= 255) {
  colourDirection *= -1;
  sizeDirection *= -1;
  bgcolourDirection *= -1;
 }
 if (colour <= 0) {
  colourDirection *= -1;
  sizeDirection *= -1;
  bgcolourDirection *= -1;
 }

}

there' s a line missing: this block should read:

//switcher variables used in oscillation.

int colourDirection = 1;
//this is the line to add although I'm not sure if should be 1 or -1?

int bgcolourDirection = 1;
 
float sizeDirection = 0.5;  
int colour = 0;
int bgcolour = 255;
float endlines = 6.2;

I'm so annoyed at myself! I think I pasted the wrong version of the code or something. I think I must have deleted something whilst adding some quick comments to the code before copy/pasting it.. :/

Here is the correct version -


-----------

void setup()  {  
 size(screen.width,screen.height);
 background(255);
 noSmooth();
}  
 

//initialization variables

float r = screen.height/4;
float r2 = 0;
float r2x = 0;
float r2y = 0;
float x2 = 0;
float y2 = 100;
float theta = 0;
float theta2 = 0;


//switcher variables used in oscillation.

int colourDirection = 1;
float sizeDirection = 0.5;
int bgcolourDirection = -1;
int colour = 0;
int bgcolour = 255;
float endlines = 6.2;


void drawLines() {
   while (theta <= endlines) {
stroke(colour);
strokeWeight(1);
   float x = r * cos(theta);
   float y = r * sin(theta);
   line(x2, y2, x+width/2,y+height/2);
   theta += 0.1;

   drawCircles(x, y);
 }
}


//draws the blobs on the ends of the lines.

void drawCircles(float xx, float yy) {
noStroke();
fill(colour - colourDirection);
ellipse(xx+width/2,yy+height/2,10,10);
}



void draw() {

 background(bgcolour);
 stroke(colour);
 bgcolour = bgcolour + bgcolourDirection;
 theta = 0;
 colour = colour + colourDirection;
 r = r + sizeDirection;
 x2 = r2 * cos(theta2) + width/2;
 y2 = r2 * sin(theta2) + height/2;

 drawLines();
 
 //fine tuned incrementers to give the smoothest possible animation.
 r2 += 0.055;
 r += 0.1;
 theta2 += 0.036;

 //ossilation.
 if (colour >= 255) {
  colourDirection *= -1;
  sizeDirection *= -1;
  bgcolourDirection *= -1;
 }
 if (colour <= 0) {
  colourDirection *= -1;
  sizeDirection *= -1;
  bgcolourDirection *= -1;
 }

}



-------------

Here is what was missing;

int bgcolourDirection = -1;