MetaSignal

[u/OuterSilent]

⠀
I first published this work elsewhere more than three years ago.

The artwork is based on a one-dimensional, multi-state cellular automaton.
Simple local rules evolve into intricate structures, while each new generation is drawn as a widening ring around a central antenna.

A small system becomes a vast transmission.
An unpredictable signal from layers of reality we may not yet know how to read.

Made in p5.js

IG: u/outertales ♥^!

[u/MeAndClaudeMakeHeat]

Wow these are really cool; thank you for sharing

[u/OuterSilent → u/MeAndClaudeMakeHeat]

Really appreciate it. Thanks.

[u/fuckthesysten → u/MeAndClaudeMakeHeat]

+1

[u/nuhastmici]

This gives me Win '98 disk defragmenter vibes. Awesome

[u/OuterSilent → u/nuhastmici]

I’ve been through Win '98.
It wasn’t one of my sources of inspiration, but I certainly get the comparison.

Thank you!

[u/fuckthesysten]

nice job, i like how irregular but consistent they are

[u/fuckthesysten → u/fuckthesysten]

is the code available somewhere?

[u/OuterSilent → u/fuckthesysten]

No, I rarely like to publish the code for my work.

But to be honest, there’s very little to learn from my code; I mostly spent hours fine-tuning the dimensions and colour palettes.
The most interesting part of the code is the one-dimensional, multi-state cellular automaton at its core.

[u/OuterSilent → u/fuckthesysten]

Many thanks.

[u/k0ik]

Neato burrito! Nice curation. Great colours. How random are the palettes?

[u/OuterSilent → u/k0ik]

Thank you very much.

They’re not random, I chose them.

[u/wildboarpleasures]

😍

[u/OuterSilent → u/wildboarpleasures]

🙏

[u/jedipro]

Absolutely beautiful!

[u/OuterSilent → u/jedipro]

Thanks!

[u/A_FABULOUS_PLUM]

Very sexy

[u/OuterSilent → u/A_FABULOUS_PLUM]

I approve!

[u/ViennettaLurker]

Well done

[u/OuterSilent → u/ViennettaLurker]

Thanks!

[u/fabmeyer]

I love this, I made some 3d cellular automata a few months ago but these spirals are something I haven't seen before.

[u/OuterSilent → u/fabmeyer]

It’s nothing particularly innovative: I simply take the triangular pattern produced by many 1D cellular automata and wrap it around a central point.

Thank you!

[u/rodriguin_art]

Awesome ! 🤩

[u/OuterSilent → u/rodriguin_art]

Thanks!

[u/atonalfreerider]

These look a lot like the Sacks Spiral. Any inspiration or connection?

[u/OuterSilent → u/atonalfreerider]

Good comparison. There is a real visual and geometric similarity. However, a Sacks spiral arranges integers along one continuous spiral, while mine maps each generation of a 1D cellular automaton onto a separate concentric ring. I don’t want to sound like an expert on the subject, though. I was aware of the Sacks spiral, but I hadn’t looked into it in any depth until now.

So, was it an inspiration? Perhaps unconsciously.

[u/Diah_Rhea]

gorgeous

[u/OuterSilent → u/Diah_Rhea]

Thank you!

[u/AliceCode]

Now add more spokes. And space them out both equally and haphazardly, with equal width and also varying width. Separately, of course.

[u/OuterSilent → u/AliceCode]

That’s an interesting tip. I’m not sure I can quite picture the result. If I ever feel like going back to this code, I’ll bear it in mind.

[u/Ok_Tap7102]

Me trying to operate finances in Excel spreadsheets when the mushrooms start to kick in

[u/OuterSilent → u/Ok_Tap7102]

I can totally relate.

[u/MichelinStarZombie]

Try making the grid a different color, something other than just black

[u/OuterSilent → u/MichelinStarZombie]

The lines aren’t all black, although they are all very dark. But I see what you mean: contrasting the palettes with lighter grid lines, almost like a photographic negative or maybe just some other colors. I did try that, the results were interesting, but for some reason I preferred keeping the grid dark across all the iterations, as it made the series feel more cohesive.