Assignment 2- Spiral Repulsion

Concept

For this assignment, I was primarily inspired by the galaxy—a seemingly simple yet profoundly intricate phenomenon in our vast universe. The swirling motion of stars and cosmic dust, the vibrant colors, and the immense scale all evoke a sense of mystery and wonder. Galaxies are both elegant and complex, embodying the balance between chaos and order. This duality inspired me to explore patterns and shapes that reflect the beauty and unpredictability of the cosmos. Through this project, I aimed to capture the essence of the galaxy’s mesmerizing movement and its delicate balance of simplicity and complexity.

Highlight I’m proud of

Here I was able to create a special class for the particles.

class Particle {
  constructor(vx, vy) {
    this.vx = vx;
    this.vy = vy;
    this.num = 255;
    this.a = 255;
    this.loc = createVector(width / 2, height / 2);  // Start from the center
    this.vel = createVector(0, 0);  
    this.acc = createVector(1, 1);
  }

  update() {
    // Apply acceleration using the acceleration factor
    this.vel.add(this.acc.mult(accelerationFactor));  
    this.loc.add(this.vel);

    // Reset acceleration and limit the velocity for smoother control
    this.acc.mult(0);
    this.vel.limit(0.5);  
  }

  repulse() {
    // Calculate the distance between the particle and the mouse
    let mouse = createVector(mouseX, mouseY);
    let dir = p5.Vector.sub(this.loc, mouse);  
    let distance = dir.mag();  

    if (distance < repulsionRadius) {  // If the particle is within the repulsion radius
      dir.normalize();  // Normalize the direction to get just the direction vector
      let force = map(distance, 0, repulsionRadius, 5, 0);  // Stronger repulsion the closer the particle is
      dir.mult(force);  // Multiply the direction vector by the repulsion force
      this.vel.add(dir);  // Apply the repulsion force to the particle's velocity
    }
  }

  isOutside() {
    // Check if the particle goes outside the canvas
    return (this.loc.x < 0 || this.loc.x > width || this.loc.y < 0 || this.loc.y > height);
  }

  display() {
    // Update acceleration based on the particle's properties and a trigonometric function for spirals
    this.acc = createVector(
      sin(radians(this.vx + this.num / 2)) / 2,
      cos(radians(this.vy - this.num / 2)) / 2
    );

    // Draw the particle with a fade effect
    fill(255, this.a);
    var r = map(this.a, 255, 0, 1, 10);  // Particle size changes as it fades
    ellipse(this.loc.x, this.loc.y, r);

    this.num += map(this.a, 255, 0, 1, 0);  // Update num for smooth spiral motion
    this.a -= 0.1;  // Gradually reduce alpha for a fade-out effect
  }
}

Embedded sketch