Gear Parameters
- Stationary Gear Teeth: Number of teeth on the fixed, ring gear.
- Drawing Gear Teeth: Number of teeth on the rolling (drawing) gear.
- Stationary Gear Radius (R): Radius used in the hypocycloid formula for the fixed gear.
- Drawing Gear Radius (r): Radius of the rolling gear (must be smaller than R).
- Tooth Pitch: Controls the spacing of the gear teeth.
- Tooth Height: Controls the height of each tooth, affecting visual detail.
Spirograph Parameters
- Pen Offset (d): Distance from the center of the drawing gear to the drawing point (must be less than r).
- Pen Color: The color used to draw the spirograph curve.
Animation Controls
- Animation Speed: Controls how fast the spirograph is drawn.
- Rotation Speed: Controls the speed of the optional layer rotation effect.
Actions
- Random: Randomizes all gear and spirograph parameters (except animation and rotation speeds).
- Draw New Layer: Creates a new drawing layer and scrolls the canvas into view.
- Clear Selected Layer: Clears the content of the selected layer.
- Delete Selected Layer: Deletes the selected layer.
- Delete All Layers: Deletes all layers.
- Save as SVG: Exports the current drawing as an SVG file.
- Print SVG: Opens a print dialog for the current drawing.
- Rotate: Applies a gallery spin effect to all layers.
- Help: Opens this help popup with detailed instructions.
This simulation uses gear-based calculations to generate intricate spirograph patterns. The drawing gear rolls inside the stationary gear, and a red pen marker follows the lead point of the drawing. Once complete, the gear set and pen marker are removed, leaving only the final vector curve.