Softwares needed: Apophysis and Chaotica.
Prerequisites: you will need some previous knowledge on how to use Apo and Chaotica. If you have any doubts, please check those out:
Plugins used: square.
Tip 4 - creating blocks from blank
You can use weights (xaos) to create blocks or groups of elements, to move around several parts of the tile at once, duplicate, rotate and flip.
Lets first see how to create a block when starting from blank. Create your first element, then add a linked transform to it. I suggest you name the linked transform, to avoid the mess later. Now, just duplicate the first trasnform to add another elements to the block. You shall end up with something like this:
On the params above, the transform 4 is the one that contains the block, and transforms 1-3 are the block elements.<flame name="sq" version="Apophysis 7x Version 15C.9" size="777 510" center="-0.345200343200343 -0.270760188760189" scale="155.4" oversample="1" filter="0.2" quality="1" background="0 0 0" brightness="4" gamma="4" gamma_threshold="0.01" estimator_radius="9" estimator_minimum="0" estimator_curve="0.4" enable_de="0" plugins="" new_linear="1" curves="0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1" ><xform weight="1" color="0.34" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025403784439 -0.5 -6.12303176911189E-017 1 0 0" chaos="0 0 0 " opacity="0" /><xform weight="1" color="0.52" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="-0.866025 -0.5 0 1 -0.866025 0" chaos="0 0 0 " opacity="0" /><xform weight="0.5" color="0.64" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025 0.5 -0.866025 0.5 -0.433013 -0.75" chaos="0 0 0 " opacity="0" /><xform weight="0.5" color="0" symmetry="1" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" chaos="1 1 1 0 " opacity="1" /><palette count="256" format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palette></flame>
Now, if you want to create another cube, you do not need to repeat all the cube creation steps. All you need is to duplicate and move around the transform 4.
For example, below, i added 2 more cubes to the design by duplicaing the transform 4:
<flame name="sq" version="Apophysis 7x Version 15C.9" size="777 510" center="0.495812011517894 0.495117784176608" scale="132.09" oversample="1" filter="0.2" quality="1" background="0 0 0" brightness="4" gamma="4" gamma_threshold="0.01" estimator_radius="9" estimator_minimum="0" estimator_curve="0.4" enable_de="0" plugins="" new_linear="1" curves="0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1" >
<xform weight="1" color="0.34" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025403784439 -0.5 -6.12303176911189E-017 1 0 0" chaos="0 0 0 " opacity="0" />
<xform weight="1" color="0.52" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="-0.866025 -0.5 0 1 -0.866025 0" chaos="0 0 0 " opacity="0" />
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.64" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025 0.5 -0.866025 0.5 -0.433013 -0.75" chaos="0 0 0 " opacity="0" />
<xform weight="0.5" color="0" symmetry="1" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 " opacity="1" />
<xform weight="0.5" color="0" symmetry="1" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 1.73205 0" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 " opacity="1" />
<xform weight="0.5" color="0" symmetry="1" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0.866025 1.5" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 " opacity="1" />
<palette count="256" format="RGB">
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</flame>
Also, you can and should create blocks of blocks
Tip 5 - Grouping existing transforms into blocks
Sometimes, you see you need some blocking when you already created some elements. Now you will need to set up the xaos
- Change all the block elements transforms opacity to 0.
- Add a new transform and set its color speed to 1. Still on this transform, set xaos equal to 1 to all square transforms, and 0 to everything else. Make sure the xaos to itself is 0.
- On the elements transforms, set xaos equal to 1 to the new transform you just added, and 0 to everything else.
You should end up with same parameters as above.
Tip 6 - Using blocks and sYmmetry to complete in patterns
Isometric patterns frequently feature some sort of symmetry, so you can use rotated, shifted and flipped blocks instead of adding all elements all over.
For example, on the pattern below, you can see the same block repeated three times (in white, red and blue):
Here, i used 3 transforms to create the blue block, and then just repeated it 3 times, shifting, flipping and rotating accordingly. In the params below, transforms 1,3,4 are the base elements for one block, and the "container" transforms are the blocks.
<flame name="block" version="Apophysis 7x Version 15C.9" size="777 510" center="-0.520532257662692 -0.242382769078421" scale="116.512704" oversample="1" filter="0.2" quality="1" background="0 0 0" brightness="4" gamma="4" gamma_threshold="0.01" estimator_radius="9" estimator_minimum="0" estimator_curve="0.4" enable_de="0" plugins="" new_linear="1" curves="0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1" >
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.34" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025 -0.5 0 1 0 0" chaos="0 1 0 1 1 0 " opacity="0" />
<xform weight="0.5" color="0" symmetry="1" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" chaos="1 0 1 0 0 " opacity="1" name="container"/>
<xform weight="1" color="0.34" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025 -0.5 0 2 -1.73205 -0.5" chaos="0 1 0 1 1 0 " opacity="0" />
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.52" symmetry="-1" linear="1" coefs="-1 0 0 1 -0.866025 0" chaos="1 0 1 0 0 " opacity="1" name="container"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.64" symmetry="-1" linear="1" coefs="-0.500002 -0.86603 0.866025 -0.5 -0.433012 -0.75" chaos="1 0 1 0 0 " opacity="1" name="container"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.34" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025 -0.5 0 1 -0.866025 -1.5" chaos="0 1 0 1 1 0 " opacity="0" />
<palette count="256" format="RGB">
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</palette>
</flame>
In a different symmetry pattern below, you can see that the grey parts are identical to black parts, just flipped and shifted. So, instead of creating all the elements again, i used the block technique.
Tip 7 - Using blocks for coloring
You can also use blocks to create a "randomized" color effect. The idea is to create multiple copies of the same block with different colourings, and then tile that group of blocks:
In the parameters below, transforms 1-3 are the base elements, and transforms 4-6 create the base shape, which is the same as we created in previous section. Pay attention to the coloring: transforms 4-6 have color speed -1, to make sure each element is entirely same color.
Transforms 7-13 create the 7 copies of the base shape. For those, the color speed is 0. This way, we can easily recolour the base shape, without having to go down to each individual element.
<flame name="color block example" version="Apophysis 7x Version 15C.9" size="777 510" center="1.30840093240093 2.66975990675991" scale="38.85" oversample="1" filter="0.2" quality="1" background="0 0 0" brightness="84.1304347826087" gamma="5" gamma_threshold="0.210323913049096" estimator_radius="9" estimator_minimum="0" estimator_curve="0.4" enable_de="0" plugins="" new_linear="1" curves="0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1" >
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.895602794131264" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025 -0.5 -6.12303176911189E-017 1 0 0" chaos="0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="0" />
<xform weight="1" color="0.895602794131264" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025 -0.5 0 2 -1.73205 -0.5" chaos="0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="0" />
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.895602794131264" symmetry="-1" square="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" post="0.866025 -0.5 0 1 -0.866025 -1.5" chaos="0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="0" />
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.704112746752799" symmetry="-1" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" chaos="0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="0" name="container"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.320817471947521" symmetry="-1" linear="1" coefs="-1 0 0 1 -0.866025 0" chaos="0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="0" name="container"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.606331832474098" symmetry="-1" linear="1" coefs="-0.5 -0.866025 0.866025 -0.5 -0.433013 -0.75" chaos="0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="0" name="container"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.135963678592816" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 0" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="1" name="block"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.559790554689243" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 3.4641 0" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="1" name="block"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.117963746655732" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 5.19615 3" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="1" name="block"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.860052364645526" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 1.73205 3" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="1" name="block"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.667673198506236" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 -1.73205 3" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="1" name="block"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.146988352993503" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 3.4641 6" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="1" name="block"/>
<xform weight="0.5" color="0.776230379473418" linear="1" coefs="1 0 0 1 0 6" chaos="1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 " opacity="1" name="block"/>
<palette count="256" format="RGB">
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</flame>
And then you just tile the resulting pattern:
For a better result, you may repeat this once more, taking the newly created big blocks and creating several differently coloured copies of them.
A little example of what you can get with this technique: