The 'b' series

Well, it’s been a while! Since discovering some posted parameters from Michael Faber, creator of the b-series plugins, a whole new realm had opened up. The parameters consisted of a glynnia transform linked to a bCollide transform which was in turn parallel-linked to a pair of bTransform transforms. The bCollide variables offer scope for experimentation, but the real trick lies with the bTransform variables:

bTransform_rotate
bTransform_power
bTransform_move
bTransform_split

The first bTransform transform should retain the default power value of 1, but a small split value should be introduced (say 0.1 – 0.2). The second bTransform transform should have a much lower weight (say one tenth of that of the first) and a much higher power value (say 20 – 30). This higher power value compresses the transform’s contribution into a narrow strip which, with a little experimentation and adjustment, can be made to fit nicely into the split of the first. And it needen’t stop there – try copying the second bTransform transform and introducing a split in the original. Then raise the power value in this third transform and lower its weight a tad: nested strips, each carrying the overall form as its pattern but in decreasing scale.

With further experimentation, I found that the glynn variation, whilst contributing interesting features, was quite unnecessary for the overall pattern: a linear transform made a perfectly adequate base. Of course, other variations can be used to good effect too. And the bCollide transform may be skipped altogether.

glynnia/bCollide/bTransform

GlynnSim3/bCollide/bTransform

spherical/bCollide/bTransform

ngon+pre-blur/bCollide/bTransform

collideoscope/bTransform

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