Theme And Variation

In the Theme And Variation assignment, we were required to use only two input values:  a string of text, and a single integer.  We then would use these two input variables, along with only black and white, to render a visualization of the input data.


My idea was to create a grid of 27 circles representing the alphabet, with the last circle being for special characters.  I would then blackout the circles to relay the string to the viewer.  This worked well, but created a somewhat standard uniformity across the grid.  To remedy this, I offset the letters being displayed going from top to bottom.  This allows for patterns that create more of an animation.  Changing the input string changes the look of the animation, while changing the input int changes the frame rate of the rendering.


The version above is actually the second version of the assignment, with some refinements and changes.  Specifically:  I fixed the opening "grid setup" to use an independent frame rate, so that you don't have to wait around when you use a small int.  I also added the "growth" of the rendered circles, so that they no longer appear to flash on and off, which results in a smoother animation.  Finally, I revised the code to be more character-agnostic, since this aided me in animating the circle "growth".


Download Code: Theme and Variation