What is Lissajous 3D
Lissajous 3D can make many beautiful relaxing animations. You can just run its screen saver to enjoy the patterns - or generate new ones of your own and export them as images, movies or 3D animations.
Here it is with some of the more elaborate settings to transform the Lissajous patterns, such as textures, clipping of the curve and so on:
The transition effects were done using Windows Movie Maker - an excellent free tool bundled with modern versions of Windows. You can also use it to add audio - in this case, one of my own compositions, retuned using Tune Smithy.
You can easily make movies like this yourself - export the animations from Lissajous 3D. Then add transitions and any sound track you like with tools like Windows Movie Maker.
You can show the patterns in many ways - this uses a hexagonal cross section tube (no sound in these other movies):
simple 3D lissajous screen shot - Movie as animated gif
To find this feature in Lissajous 3D, go to , select and set the number of sides to six.
If you are ready to download it right away, go to next. To learn more about it read on.
Inspired by sound, the first 2D Lissajous patterns were made in the nineteenth century, by reflecting a beam of light in mirrors attached to two tuning forks to make a dot of light that bounced around following a Lissajous curve.
Lissajous 3D trace the curves using a ribbon, or a tube, and by using vibrations in three or more directions, you can take the patterns into 3D.
You can make new patterns of your own, either using the randomiser, or start with one of the example patterns and vary the frequencies, the material, the lighting, transparency and other options .
Here is an example with a ribbon:
It shows how you can use materials such as ruby and gold for your Lissajous patterns.
ruby gold ribbon screen shot - Movie as animated gif
Then you can show your new pattern as a screensaver on your computer, save it as an image to use in your own designs, or save it as a movie, or 3D animation.
You can also save your animations as animated gifs like the ones on these pages - to upload to your web site or share with your friends.
Here is a gallery of many Lissajous patterns (opens in a new window)
You can make the ribbon as a whole wider or narrower (it varies in width also along the length of the ribbon), or change the colours and materials, and the background colour.
The materials use the ambient and specular colours for real physical materials such as copper, gold, etc. This models the way real materials reflect or absorb light. The image here shows gold and ruby with the material transforming from gold to ruby and back again along the length of the ribbon.
You can also set the lighting for dawn, sunset, a sunny day and other presets or make your own.
This uses pearl for the material, and dawn for the lighting.
pearl necklace at dawn screen shot - Movie as animated gif
To find this feature in Lissajous 3D, investigate , and . For the beads effect, go to , switch on the and use
This is the first transparent pattern made with the program.
As animated gifs: 100 by 100 (very small), or 400 by 400
To find this feature in Lissajous 3D, investigate
Many more examples are included with the program and as part of the screen saver. See screen saver
For an overview of the examples included see: More movies of Lissajous patterns and spirographs. (opens in new window). Or for screen shots see the Lissajous 3D Random Slide Show.
You can use any picture for the background and for the pattern. The pictures can twist and turn like reflections in a hall of mirrors (see Textures)
See also Press Release
What to do next
Freeware / Shareware status: Lissajous 3D is shareware. You get a Free Test drive with all the features completely unlocked (start the test drive at any time). You can Purchase it at any time.
Download your free test drive of Lissajous 3D
To read more about Lissajous 3D, go on to: