Ideas for my project?

Programming Questions

baordog

in Programming Questions • 1 year ago

Ok! I thought a project would be a great way to "get into" processing a little further than I had before.

So my goal this time around is to get processing to generate a finite number of circles, each with it's own identity. The circles should be generated slowly over the course of say 30 seconds, and grow into place instead of appear. Once grown the circles should move about freely until I decide to kill them with a mouse click or something. The ultimate goal is for (using some kind audio library) a singer to be able to kill them off using amplitude / pitch triggers (this part I can manage pretty well in an outside audio application).

So here's how far I've gotten:

void setup(){

size(1200,650);
background(20);
frameRate = 30;

}

void draw(){

for(int i=0; i<2; i++){
fill(0,201,87);
ellipse(random(1200), random(650), 55, 55);
}

}

This generates an infinite number of circles without giving them any kind of individual identity. If I wanted animate any of the generated circles, or destroy them I'm not sure how I'd go about doing it. Now I suspect the answer to my question lies in making a class, but I'm not sure how you'd generate objects and still let them have a unique identity.

Any advice for the newbie?

Replies(6)

tfguy44

Re: Ideas for my project?

1 year ago

class Circle {
float px, py;
float rm;
int sw;
color cf, cs;
int bornAt, timeToDone;
Circle( float _px, float _py, float _rm, color _cs, color _cf, int _sw ){
px=_px;
py=_py;
rm=20;//_rm;
cs=_cs;
cf=_cf;
sw=_sw;
bornAt=millis();
timeToDone = 1000;
}
void simulate(){
// Nothing to do here.
}
void render(){
pushStyle();
strokeWeight(sw);
fill(cf);
if( mouseOver() ){ fill(255); }
stroke(cs);
if(sw==0){
noStroke();
}
float r = 2 * map( constrain( millis()-bornAt, 0, timeToDone), 0, timeToDone, 0, rm );
ellipse( px, py, r, r );
popStyle();
}
boolean mouseOver(){
return( dist( mouseX, mouseY, px, py ) <= map( constrain( millis()-bornAt, 0, timeToDone), 0, timeToDone, 0, rm ) );
}
}
Circle cirA;
Circle cirB;
void setup(){
size(400,400);
ellipseMode(CENTER);
// Define a nearly-random circle.
cirA = new Circle(
random(width),
random(height),
random(30),
color( random(255),random(255),random(255) ),
color( random(128,255),random(128,255),random(128,255) ),
int(random(4))
);
// Define a less than nearly-random circle.
cirB = new Circle(
random(width),
random(height/2.0),
random(20,40),
color( 255,random(255), 0 ),
color( random(255), 255,random(255) ),
int(1)
);
}
void draw(){
background(20);
cirA.simulate();
cirB.simulate();
cirA.render();
cirB.render();
}

eightohni..

Re: Ideas for my project?

1 year ago

Oh you most definitely want to use object oriented programming for this. It might seem like it's overcomplicating things, but actually it will help you immensely in generating hundres or more objects with their unique identity (size, velocity, etc).

Have you looked into OOP yet? Check out the learning section, for a great primer. (UPDATE: And check the incoming post by tfguy44!)

Another tip. Whenever you are refering to the window width and height in your sketch (as you are doing in the ellipse() call), then you should use the system variables " width" and " height". after you have run setup, these variables hold the values you entered in size(1200,650). So your ellipse would be written like

ellipse(random(width), random(height), 55, 55);

The big advantage of this is, that if you change the size() values, the rest of the sketch will change accordingly. Otherwise you'd have to go to every place in your sketch where you wrote the absolute pixel values and change them.

jas0501

Re: Ideas for my project?

1 year ago

One approach is to attack each capability, one at a time. This allows for evolution of the concepts and then you can construct a class containing the methods, step by step.

You could write a sketch that has a single circle, where the size changes over time. The size change could be age related or randomly increased. The could be a max size, or a max % increase. Whatever you want. Experiments of this type would permit a simple controlled approach. Once you have nailed the features can be added to the class.

========================

Note the identity can be managed by using an ArrayList , permitting easy adding an removing of circles.

rich_brig..

Re: Ideas for my project?

1 year ago

2nd what jas0501 said! Also for things like this i'd highly recommend the control p5 library, so u can add gui control to your varios parameters, rather than retyping numbers and restarting each time.

also have you seen this? its beautiful and vaguely similar -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-swFqAT8yaA

baordog

Re: Ideas for my project?

1 year ago

My new and improved code:
class Timer {
int time = 0;

void timeit(){time = 0; time ++ ;};

void reset(){time = 0;};

void printme(){print(time);};
}

class Circle {
int radius, delta;
float x, y;

Circle ( int radius, int delta ) {
    this.radius = radius;
    this.delta = delta;

    this.x = random(1000);
    this.y = random(1000);
}

void draw() {
    ellipse(this.x, this.y, this.radius, this.radius);
}

void update(){
    if(radius >= 400){
     // this.delta *= -1;
      this.radius = 400;
    }
   /* else if ( radius < 0 ) {
      this.delta *= -1;
      this.radius = 0;
    }
   */
    this.radius += this.delta;

}
}

Circle circle;
Circle[] circlearray;
Timer timeguy;

void setup(){

size(1200,800);
timeguy = new Timer();
circle = new Circle(40,2);

int[] foo = new int[10];
circlearray = new Circle[100];
for( int i = 0; i < 100; i++){
    circlearray[i] = new Circle(40,2);

     }

}

void draw(){
timeguy.timeit();
timeguy.printme();
circle.update();
background(1200,80);
circle.draw();

for( int i = 0; i < 100; i++){
    circlearray[i].update();
    circlearray[i].draw();


     }
}

My new problem:
My timer doesn't work. I'm trying to count frames in order to let the circles grow at different times. however when I call print on the timer it just gives me hundreds of 1s.

I'm sure it's a simple thing but I can't wrap my head around it.

Any other suggestions?

My next goals are:
1) make them grow at different rates
2) make them jiggle around the screeen randomly
3) Add some kind of collision detection so that they
bump off one another
4) Add class methods to "kill" circles.
5) make everything pretty.

baordog

Re: Ideas for my project?

1 year ago

Ok! major improvements, but I still can't figure out why the timer isn't working.
Why do you think I only get 1s?

class Timer {
int time = 0;

void timeit(){time = 0; time ++ ;};

void reset(){time = 0;};

void printme(){print(time);};
}

class Circle {
float radius, delta;
float xdelt;
float ydelt;
float x, y;
float randomgrowth;
Circle ( int radius, int delta ) {
    this.radius = radius;
    this.delta = delta;

    this.x = random(1000);
    this.y = random(1000);
    this.xdelt = random(40)- 20;
    this.ydelt = random(40) - 20;
    this.randomgrowth = random(400);

}

void draw() {
    fill(25,25,25,25);
    ellipse(this.x, this.y, this.radius, this.radius);
    fill(127,255,0,25);
    ellipse(this.x , this.y , this.radius / 2, this.radius / 2 + 10);
}

void update(){
    if(radius >= randomgrowth){
     // this.delta *= -1;
      this.radius = randomgrowth;
    }
   /* else if ( radius < 0 ) {
      this.delta *= -1;
      this.radius = 0;
    }
   */
   if (this.x >= 1200 ) {
       this.x *= -1;
   }
    if (this.y >= 1200 ) {
       this.y *= -1;
   }
    this.radius += this.delta;
    this.x += this.xdelt;
    this.y += this.ydelt;

}
}

Circle circle;
Circle[] circlearray;
Timer timeguy;

void setup(){

size(1200,800);
timeguy = new Timer();
circle = new Circle(40,2);

int[] foo = new int[10];
circlearray = new Circle[100];
for( int i = 0; i < 100; i++){
    circlearray[i] = new Circle(40,2);

     }

}

void draw(){
timeguy.timeit();
timeguy.printme();
circle.update();
background(255,0,0);
circle.draw();

for( int i = 0; i < 100; i++){
    circlearray[i].update();
    circlearray[i].draw();


     }
}

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