Field notes

A drawing instrument with a mind of its own. Let the particles wander, move through the field, and discover a composition that only exists once.

Paused

Field complexityParticle speed

Move your pointer or drag a finger across the canvas to bend the current. Change the field, then save a frame. Motion starts paused when your device requests reduced motion.

A look under the surface

Simple rules.
Unexpected results.

Each particle samples a direction from a continuous trigonometric field. Small changes in position create neighbouring paths that flow together. A gentle repulsive force lets your pointer interrupt that order. The canvas keeps a fading memory of every path.

Vector fieldsParticle advectionCanvas compositing

The idea in code / JavaScript

const angle = Math.sin(x * scale + time)
  + Math.cos(y * scale - time)
x += Math.cos(angle * Math.PI) * speed
y += Math.sin(angle * Math.PI) * speed

θ = sin(x · scale + t) + cos(y · scale − t)