Coding With Processing, Part 5

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Thaddeus Wert

Now we’re getting somewhere! In Chapter 7 of Daniel Shiffman’s Learning Processing, I learned how to define a function, which makes coding repeated objects so much easier. For this exercise, I had to define a function (named drawFlower) that drew a flower. I defined variables for the placement of each flower and the color of its petals. Here’s the result:

Here’s the code:

void setup() {
size(600, 400);
}

void draw() {
//Sky-blue background
background(0, 191, 255);

//For the drawFlower function, enter the x-coordinate of the flower’s center,
//the y-coordinate, and the r, g, b values for the petals.
drawFlower(100, 85, color(255, 255, 0));
drawFlower(200, 100, color(255,69,0));
drawFlower(150, 200, color(218,112,214));
drawFlower(300, 225, color(230,230,250));
drawFlower(400, 80, color(250,250,210));
drawFlower(480, 150, color(255,99,71));
drawFlower(440, 230, color(138,43,226));
}

void drawFlower(int centerX, int centerY, color c) {

//Draw the stem
stroke(0, 255, 100);
strokeWeight(4);
line(centerX, centerY + 15, centerX, centerY + 115);

//Draw the leaves
fill(0, 255, 100);
ellipse(centerX-40, centerY+40, 80, 20);
ellipse(centerX+40, centerY+40, 80, 20);

//Draw the center of the flower
stroke(0);
fill(0);
ellipse(centerX, centerY, 30, 30);

//Draw the petals
stroke(c);
fill(c);
ellipse(centerX, centerY+40, 20, 40);
ellipse(centerX-40, centerY, 40, 20);
ellipse(centerX+40, centerY, 40, 20);
ellipse(centerX, centerY-40, 20, 40);

}

Coding With Processing, Part 4

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Thaddeus Wert

I’m continuing to work my way through Daniel Shiffman’s Learning Processing. Here is the result of incorporating variables and conditionals into my Lesson One Project: a bouncing dog that stays within the viewing window:

You can view the actual project here: https://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/480556#

Here is the code:

float x = 200;
float y = 0;
int speedX = 1;
float speedY = 0;
float gravity = 0.1;

void setup() {
//Set window size
size(800,600);
}
void draw() {
//Draw a black background
background(0);

//Set ellipses and rects to CENTER mode
ellipseMode(CENTER);
rectMode(CENTER);

//Change the x location by speedX
x = x + speedX;
//If dog reaches edge, reverse course
if ((x > width)|(x < 0)) {
speedX = speedX*-1;
}

//Start y dropping
y = y + speedY;
speedY = speedY + gravity;

//Draw the body
strokeWeight(5);
stroke(100,0,0);
fill(0.5*x,y,x);
rect(x, y, 300,150);

//Draw the head
fill(200,50,50);
ellipse(x+225, y, 150,200);

//Draw the mouth and nose
strokeWeight(10);
line(x + 200, y + 40, x + 250, y + 40);
line(x + 225, y – 25, x + 225, y + 25);

//Draw the eyes
strokeWeight(0);
fill(0,50,200);
ellipse(x + 200, y- 30, 30, 50);
ellipse(x + 250, y – 30, 30, 50);

//Draw the legs
strokeWeight(20);
line(x – 100,y + 75,x – 150, y + 150);
line(x – 100, y + 75, x – 50, y + 150);
line(x + 100, y + 75, x + 50, y + 150);
line(x + 100, y + 75, x + 150, y + 150);

//Draw the tail
strokeWeight(25);
line(x – 150,y, x – 250, y – 100);

//Bounce back up
if (y > height) {
speedY = speedY*-0.95;
y = height;
}

}

Coding With Processing, Part 2

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Thaddeus Wert

I’m continuing to work through Daniel Shiffman’s book, Learning Processing, and I have just finished the chapter on conditionals. I wrote a program that animates a rectangle and ellipse, and depending on their positions in the window their colors and shapes change. You can click here to see it run in openprocessing.org.

Here’s a gif of 3 seconds of it in action:

The Future of Coding? Check out Wolfram Language

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Thaddeus Wert

Earlier this year, I taught a mini-course in computer coding, and it rekindled my interest in that science. I just came across a video where Stephen Wolfram (of Mathematica fame) previews a new language he’s been developing for 30 years. Here’s the official description:

Designed for the new generation of programmers, the Wolfram Language has a vast depth of built-in algorithms and knowledge, all automatically accessible through its elegant unified symbolic language. Scalable for programs from tiny to huge, with immediate deployment locally and in the cloud, the Wolfram Language builds on clear principles—and 25+ years of development—to create what promises to be the world’s most productive programming language.

It looks to be relatively easy to use, while incredibly powerful. In fact, I’ve never seen anything like it. From what I can tell, in many cases the coder can simply type what he or she would like to see, and Wolfram Language converts the text into code: