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Hey all,
I realize that the "flower of life" symbol is simply aligning circles of the same size. I would like to know the process of how to create this within xara. It is the exact *process* (to make this perfect) that I would like to learn, not necessarily "to create the image". I hope you understand, and thanks for any tips!!!
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_of_Life
RonC
well if you are looking for a methodology, then using duplication should in theory do it - all you have to do is work out what the correct x and y settings should be, and choose a helpful circle size to begin with; judicious grouping should help to reduce the number of steps, I think
best way to work out the settings may be to measure the distances, which I have not done
this simpler pattern may help get your head round it [mine is hurting already :D]
ok here's how you do it old style:
http://cosmoctopus.com/2012/03/how-t...lower-of-life/
strikes me some geometry calculations required to get it right......
I am working out a method of doing this using DPX it's a bit complex but it can be done. I'm looking at ways now to reduce the steps and make the finishing bits easier. I'll make a video tut explaining my process as soon as I can, however it may not be ready til late tonight my time (pacific standard time)
good on yer :)
Quite quickly done in DPX
Make sure snap to objects is on
create first circle say 200px and align on page on whole pixel co-ords
clone circle and set size double (eg: 400px)
Hold ctrl and right-click drag the centre circle to the inner edge of the N/S/W/E of the large circle
Do the same with the 2/4/8/10 oclick positions (Xara's snapping guides will constrain angles)
Done - see attached
nice pattern
not the right pattern, but a nice one ;)
Steve, going by the wiki page that Ron linked to in his opening post what you have done is not quite right.
Ron, can you confirm for me that what you are trying to achieve is the flower of life as illustrated at the top of the Wiki page? That is the image that I am working on the method for.
that's the flower of life symbol Frances, though I am assuming that's what Ron wants I don't know for sure - actually I didn't read the full article [silly me] - the 'seed of life' pic that I posted, which is a sub-set, is actually shown later on - it's all good symbolic stuff, takes me waaay back .....
Ah, I was going by the picture HJ posted - I see now that's more like the 'Seed of Life' (though not the exact same).
Oh well.. You can probably follow a similar process, I think 'a process' is what the OP was after in any case.
I'm going by the Wiki article and what that shows as the seed of life is slightly different than what Steve (Sledger) came up with (Steve has two extra circles) and as you said is the basic component of the flower of life as illustrated at the top of the Wiki page and what I thought Ron may be after. If what Ron wants is the much simpler seed of life I'll do that instead, but before I go any further I'm going to wait for Ron to confirm which symbol he is actually after. :)
Edit I see Sledger snuck in there :)
yes :) ... now getting them to cross in the correct places is the very trick.... and getting it as exact as you can part of the mystique [if you go in for that kind of aesthetic thing]
Here's my method, which relies on setting the angle constraint to 60 degrees and repeatedly snapping the rotation origin to the exact centre of graphic as you build it up.
(Tip: Zoom in when dragging the rotation origin to ensure that it snaps accurately to the /exact/ centre and not any path points that might be near by.)
There is some unwanted overlap which makes the line weight appear heavier in places and a bit "jaggy" but I'll leave it someone else to work out how to deal with that!
Attachment 94120
Step by step: Attachment 94119
Phil
good one phil - I had thought about forgetting about circles all together and making it up fron six pointed stars snapped into position - but again that means overlap, but I guess if the stars are groups you can delete unwanted arms... tricky to get the star right in the first place though [and symbolically speaking cheating, probably] - I have no time to give it a go though... :(
If you are using a 200 pix circle each time you copy a circle move x or y 100 pix. Clip the outside circles.
have you tried that? - like phil said the 'shift' is based on 60 degrees not the diameter of the circle
IŽam with Phil too that 60 degrees is the right one, i have to start with ellipse and segement (edited half ellipse).
Attached is the result.
Best regards
BP
I have tried that and you are correct my math is flawed.
I donŽt have seen your .xar file until now, but i think that my drawing method have no such overlaping. see attached end result please.Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilM
Best regards
BP
I found a method that avoids overlapping lines by noticing that the shape is basically made up of tesselated triangles of petals.
Use the first few steps of my previous example to make a triangular arrangement of three petals snapped together, like this:
Attachment 94127
Then snap copies of the triangle together to form a rough hexagon with 7 rows of:
3
4
5
6
5
4
3
Then snap single petals to close the gaps around the edges and draw the enclosing circle.
Attachment 94128
Phil
These are interesting methods, I have been doing it with circles and using the snap to objects and each circle is snapped with either it's edge aligned to the center of the previous circle or intersections where the circles overlap. I build the seed of life first and then build outward on that until I have the flower. To finish it off I draw the final large circle around the flower and remove the bits I dont need.
Interesting exercise. Here's my method:
http://screencast.com/t/TB2dCiV3
ok - here's the geometry for the duplication method - as attached - the more accurate the measurements the more accurate the drawing of course...
I am told that for a 60 degree angle the y offset should be a quarter the circle diameter, but the x offset needs to be measured/calculated
[BTW: I thought I had used a 200pix circle, but somewhere along the way xara decided it is 200.2pix - don't see any noticable difference...:D]
Attachment 94139Attachment 94140
in practice you can put the two offset values either way round and it still appears to work...
Attachment 94143
thats interesting too Egg :) all good fun
This is awesome thanks everyone I've learned a lot
thats good :)
I just learnt that since it is a circle the choice of which to call x and which to call y is purely arbitary; which makes sense
First I apologize for taking so long to get this done ( I had family matters to attend to)
I like Eggs method, it's quick and easy. I went ahead and did my video any way as it shows my method better than my previous explanation. My method as you will see in the video follows the theory of some of the symbols that are contained in the flower of life. What really amazes me is that these symbols date back to biblical times and possibly even before that and yet the first steps of the creation of this symbol going by the theory and starting with the Vescia Piscus and going through to the Seed of Life are almost identical to the stages of division of a fertilized human egg as it becomes an embryo, something only visible with a microscope!
thanks Frances
[Mitosis [technically mitosis and cytokinesis] from a human fertilised egg produces something that looks rather like a berry prior to implantation... ]
Yes it would in a 3 dimensional view, however take a look at the images on this page http://transmissionsmedia.com/flower...y-of-creation/ on the left is the beginning stages of a flower of life drawing and on the far right are actual microscope images of a human egg dividing, the similarities are quite striking :)
I quess this is not really the forum to discuss matters gynecological :D
sure the patterns look similar in 2 dimensions, but the whole point is that through all the stages from zygote to embryo, and beyond, what it is, is 3 dimensional .....
I'll grant it's a cute 'association'
the pattern is more likely to be a reminder that everything is part of everything else and it all goes round in circles - but that's just my view of course...