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Procedural patterns

Procedural patterns describe repeated structure with rules. Spacing, orientation and local variation control how the rule becomes a raster image.

Compose connected ribbons by rotating Truchet tiles

Two arcs, thousands of possible paths
A ribbon network with no broken joins12 × 12 tiles · highlighted cells share one instruction
Compose a 4 × 4 orientation score

Click a tile to turn its two arcs by 90°. The highlighted copies turn with it; every edge still meets at its midpoint.

Change a connection, change the whole path
N ↔ W · S ↔ E

Two orientations, four fixed ports. Turning a tile changes which ports connect; neighboring tiles keep matching.

Closed loops2Paths reaching the frame24Possible 4 × 4 scores2¹⁶ = 65,536

Try this Load Loops, then rotate one tile. Follow the highlighted copies: a tiny local decision can join two closed paths into a longer ribbon. Ribbon width changes the drawing without changing those connections.

Vary ribbon width, then flip the highlighted quarter-turn instruction to reconnect the paths. Use any control to take over.

What to try
  1. Load Loops, then rotate one tile in the 4 × 4 orientation score.
  2. Follow its highlighted copies and compare the closed-loop count; change ribbon width or alternate rotations.
Open in the Lab ↗

What to look for: Each tile has four fixed midpoint connections. Rotation changes which pairs connect, joining or separating paths without breaking neighboring joins. Width changes appearance while preserving topology.

How it works

Checkerboards, stripes and dot lattices repeat a simple cell. Truchet patterns rotate a small motif in seeded arrangements. Moiré combines slightly different periodic structures, creating a slower interference pattern. Radial, spiral and recursive patterns organize repetition around different geometries.

Parameter names refer to different structures: stripe duty controls the fraction of each period occupied by one color; dot radius changes coverage inside a lattice; Truchet thickness changes a path’s weight. A generator can share colors and spacing controls without sharing the same construction.

Use it in the Lab

Generate a pattern in Input and use it as a composition layer. Combine a regular scaffold with noise, masking by selected regions, color mapping or blending when you want controlled variation.

Limits & distinctions

Fine patterns can alias. The generator output is a raster at the current dimensions, not an infinitely sharp vector pattern or a guarantee of seamless tiling.

Sources & references

Guide updated