Mapping a helix

Ideas and Tips
1

Ive got a PVC cylinder with a long strip wrapped around it. What is the best way to configure the mapping so that the patterns are ‘aware’ of this physical configuration?

2

Hi @eike,
For a single helix, the Ring example is a good starting point.

First, add a Z component. Since the for loop’s i variable linearly increases for every pixel, it makes a good Z coordinate as-is. Remember the mapper will autoscale this to “world units” between 0 and 1 for you automatically.

Next, you’ll probably want more than 1 loop, so multiply the angle by some factor. This will cause it to wrap around a few times as it goes through the pixels.

e.g.

function (pixelCount) {
  var loops = 5
  var map = []
  for (i = 0; i < pixelCount; i++) {
    c = i / pixelCount * Math.PI * 2 * loops
    map.push([Math.cos(c), Math.sin(c), i])
  }
  return map
}

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Screen Shot 2019-09-11 at 11.17.48 AM.png2326×1144 289 KB

1 Like
3

You might also be interested in this blog post, covering the helix mapper for a really cool project. The rest of the series is pretty neat!

4

this is great, thanks!!

5

this project looks great but it wasnt quite sinking in as well as this code you just posted.