A simple 16x16 dot animation from simple math rules

539 andrewrn 99 5/10/2025, 2:56:38 AM tixy.land ↗

Comments (99)

stankot · 32d ago
Tixy is amazing! I built something very similar:

https://muffinman.io/pulsar/

I wanted to create animations for my LED matrix screen, and I couldn’t find tixy anywhere. Only after I built pulsar I found it again.

Another similar project is https://sliderland.blinry.org/ which uses HTML sliders.

Fun stuff!

montag · 30d ago
Anybody else reminded of the old Sony logo?

https://tixy.land/?code=y%3C7%26%26%28x%2Bsin%28y%29%3C6.4%2...

edit: much better with a negation :)

leptons · 30d ago
If you haven't seen dwitter yet, you really should head over to https://www.dwitter.net
virtualritz · 30d ago
This is awesome. But it needs a better renderer.

Almost every animation/image there suffers from horrible moiré because a normal browser canvas was not meant for this. Fine line art needs supersampling and high quality filtering.

leptons · 29d ago
You're complaining about a small subset of "dweets" there. There are thousands of great visuals there that are not "fine line art" and do not suffer from what you described. And no, I do not think it "needs a better renderer" as high quality "rendering" is not the point of dwitter.net, the point is producing amazing things in 140 characters of javascript.
jakegmaths · 32d ago
I loved tixy when I first discovered it a few years ago so created this https://www.mathsuniverse.com/tixy (with permission from the original author) with puzzles to solve on the tixy grid. I use it with my computer science students who get really into it.
oneeyedpigeon · 32d ago
Reminds me of [Replicube](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3401490/Replicube/), which has released recently and does the same kind of thing in 3D.

No comments yet

dndn1 · 32d ago
This is a cool way to teach!

I was blown away by the little functions at first and I too made a clone to experiment with calculang [1].

I added an evaluation feature (F9) so you can select sub-expressions and see what they do, which was helpful to figure out some patterns (video in [2])

[1] https://calculang-editables.netlify.app/tixyish

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXUd_-xrycs

xunil2ycom · 29d ago
I've been programming for over 40 years, and I can say this is the most fun way I've experienced to learn this kind of thing. It really is fun.
PebblesRox · 29d ago
My 5yo did great on these until he hit #7 and got stuck! I’m helping him with syntax but trying to hold back from giving conceptual hints for now.

I love the instant visual feedback!

frogarden · 30d ago
Why isn't "(sin(i) * (x > 7)) - (i == 5) + (i == 20) + 0.5 * (i == 32)" a solution to puzzle 36?
acomjean · 32d ago
Fun. Thanks!

Works well on phone. The phone keyboard is a bit clumsy but it works (that’s a phone issue)

soegaard · 32d ago
Well done!
chrisjj · 32d ago
> In computer graphics, the origin (0, 0) is top-left rather than bottom-left

Umm...

LocalH · 32d ago
What's wrong with that statement? It has historically and traditionally been true for raster displays, even if there do exist ways to use standard Cartesian-style coordinates with a computer.
taneq · 30d ago
There top left has usually been (0, 0) for hardware pixel coordinates (although even then there’s plenty of exceptions, e.g. mode 13h scrolling) but as a blanket statement about computer graphics in general it’s misleading.

No comments yet

jakegmaths · 32d ago
I'm struggling to see the problem with this statement, other than maybe to add in the word "usually". My students will know of graphs in maths where the origin is always bottom left. When working with HTML canvas and every other computer graphics situation I've worked in, it's top left instead.
ForOldHack · 32d ago
"PostScript uses a coordinate system where the origin is at the bottom-left corner of the page, with the x-axis increasing to the right and the y-axis increasing upwards."

Oscilloscopes use middle-left.

Unreal engine and SketchUp use Screen middle with xy increasing to the right.

in AutoCAD, the user coordinate system is 1/3 of the screen to the left for the origin, with X increasing to the right, and Y increasing upwards.

Almost all raster displays, and memory based programs assume top left, because that is how it was done first - counter intuitive.

Lerc · 31d ago
It it not counter intuitive and the decision extends far earlier than the first displays.

A raster image onscreen is displayed in the order that the data appears when written down. It stands to reason that a data depiction should be in the same orientation as the display orientation. Displays were created by people who read from left to right, top to bottom. If the displays did not follow that order. images would be flipped or rotated when displayed in a data form.

The first pixel written to the display is in the top left because we read from the top left. If writers of another language had have popularised the text, perhaps things might have been different.

Timwi · 31d ago
Why does the BMP file format store the image upside-down though?
rasz · 30d ago
IBM brain rot adopted by Microsoft.

Why are device-independent bitmaps upside down? Raymond Chen https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20210525-00/?p=10...

I think you had to wait for WinG or maybe even DirectX to get normal 1:1 mapping.

OpenGL is so old it had same stupid ideas about coordinates.

6P58r3MXJSLi · 29d ago
> When working with HTML canvas and every other computer graphics situation I've worked in, it's top left instead.

In OpenGL is (center, center)

rpastuszak · 32d ago
I made a drawing app with programmable brushes inspired by tixy:

https://fig.sonnet.io

It’s pretty fun because the shape dynamics are time, and not pressure/tilt based, so you need to draw in a rhythm.

Here’s how they work and how they’re implemented:

https://untested.sonnet.io/notes/fig-tree-brushes/

Nautman · 32d ago
I love it! Here's a windscreen wiper.

https://tixy.land/?code=sin%28t%29*%281%2Bx%2By%29-x

levzettelin · 32d ago
Basically https://www.shadertoy.com/ for dummies. Right up my alley haha ;)
Isognoviastoma · 32d ago
nomel · 29d ago
now to add a few blips!
agys · 32d ago
The author is Martin Kleppe (@aemkei on X), famous for his incredible quines and other JS magic.

https://aem1k.com/world/

https://aem1k.com/qlock/

Reefersleep · 30d ago
I've made a few of these as doodles while waiting for other stuff. Great set of restrictions to inspire creativity.

X Plus Star https://tixy.land/?code=%28sin%28t*0.8*-sqrt%28%28x-7.5%29**...

Sin Sin https://tixy.land/?code=sin%28sin%28i*sin%28t%2F10%29%29%29

Traffic https://tixy.land/?code=sin%28i*i*t*0.0005%29

alexilchenko · 32d ago
alexilchenko · 32d ago
Jyaif · 32d ago
Lerc · 31d ago
I managed to come up with a suffix that displays outputs of my own weird thing in a tixy style.

https://c50.fingswotidun.com/show/?code=28*ddx*%24%3Ay*%243o...*

Quite a fun challenge.

The Suffix is 2<02->P8dus:vs

which is

  2<02->    clip to -2 to +2

  P8*d  2 copies of 8*PI

  u*s   8 horizontal sine 

  :v*s  8 vertical sine

  *  mix horz and vert to make the tixy circles.
flufluflufluffy · 32d ago
This one is sick!
jlundberg · 32d ago
oh yes, highly recommended! :)
franze · 30d ago
shakedownstreet · 32d ago
asicsp · 32d ago
Previous discussion with patterns in comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24974534
continuational · 32d ago
_def · 32d ago
i don't even know whats happening but its mesmerizing https://tixy.land/?code=sin%28i*t%2F128%29
Sharlin · 32d ago
It draws a slightly tilted sine wave gradient (i=16y+x so atan(1/16) ≈ 3.6°) whose frequency increases until it starts to alias due ro the limited resolution (cf. Nyquist sampling theorem) and exhibit what’s essentially the wagon wheel effect [1]. Nice illustration of signal processing fundamentals!

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon-wheel_effect

rickcarlino · 31d ago
Similar project, but based on Forth: https://forthsalon.appspot.com/
tetris11 · 32d ago
fulafel · 32d ago
Cool stuff.

Learned by scrolling far enough right in view source: The last line is editable and eval'd.

Request to author: keep the newlines.

Jyaif · 32d ago
> The last line is editable and eval'd

Right. https://tixy.land/?code=alert(%22foo%22)

oliviergg · 32d ago
That’s not nice
noman-land · 31d ago
What's not nice is not sanitizing inputs.
mckeed · 32d ago
flockonus · 31d ago
Cool! I can see it being usable as a spinner as well. How did you come up with these magic numbers?
relaxing · 32d ago
A lot of these tricks I first learned from Noah Spurrier’s acidwarp.exe VGA demos in the 90s.

Now I’m wondering who first published these trig function pixel paint tricks. Somewhere between HAKMEM munching squares and the 80s demoscene?

fittingopposite · 31d ago
nopakos · 32d ago
That's fantastic!

I would love something like this in my living room. Especially if it is not just a screen. Maybe a grid of 256 screens? Or inflating balloons? Something easier to make? Just on/off big pixels?

BearOso · 29d ago
Ah, man, with the colors, I thought this was obvious, but it doesn't quite fit the url. But you can still copy, paste in the box:

(1-sqrt(pow(7.5-x,2)+pow(7.5-y,2))/8)*(y-7.5)

Pokeball.

edit Actually, there's no fixed length, so https://tixy.land/?code=%281-sqrt%28pow%287.5-x%2C2%29%2Bpow...

flufluflufluffy · 32d ago
Tepix · 32d ago
dang · 30d ago
Related:

Tixy.land - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36646163 - July 2023 (2 comments)

Minimal 16x16 Dots Coding Environment - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24974534 - Nov 2020 (37 comments)

antirez · 32d ago
The classic: sin(x/2+t)+cos(y/2+sin(t))
gus_massa · 32d ago
KingOfCoders · 30d ago
alexilchenko · 32d ago
gus_massa · 32d ago
dave1010uk · 31d ago
https://tixy.land/?code=%28%28x%2Bt%29%5E%28t%7Cy*t%29%29%25...

Strobe warning, especially after about 20 seconds.

skrebbel · 31d ago
Wow this is extremely well done! All the defaults are chosen so well to make simple inputs get pretty results. The interpretation of the result value, the scale of `t`, the colors, it's all not trivial at all to get right! Hats off
jagraff · 31d ago
ubitaco · 32d ago
siev · 32d ago
rubitxxx · 32d ago
kazinator · 31d ago
Stretchy curtain:

(sin(t) * sin(t) + 0.2) * (sin(y / (cos(t) * cos(t) + 0.7)) + sin(x))

gus_massa · 30d ago
MeteorMarc · 32d ago
If you like this, also check 3d animations on a led cube. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=odFljHeCNaY
alexilchenko · 32d ago
tjwds · 32d ago
When this was first released, I put together an homage to the music video for “Fell In Love With A Girl” by The White Stripes.

https://tixy.land/?code=floor(t%256)%20%3D%3D%3D%200%20%3F%0...

lsdkfjlkasfj · 31d ago
etler · 27d ago
That's really fun! I love minimalist sandbox ideas like this.
ninetyninenine · 32d ago
Is there a pattern or animation you can manually animate on those dots that can’t be represented by an equation?
echoangle · 30d ago
If the animation is finite in time and with finite time steps and sample points, I think no. Because you can fit a polygon through any set of points if the polygon has enough dimensions.
tgv · 32d ago
I’m considering that as a load screen animation. Bunch of different functions, and the user will be entertained.
spencerflem · 32d ago
this is beautiful. i love it so much :)
dr_kiszonka · 29d ago
I am impressed by both the website and how good people here are at trig.
chrisjj · 32d ago
> // hit "enter" to save in URL

There's no enter on Android Chrome on phone.

dtagames · 32d ago
The enter key on the phone keyboard works if you tap that message.
xuhu · 30d ago
Is it possible to create a tixy QR code that contains a link to itself ?
GenshoTikamura · 32d ago
Would be cool to implement this physically as an array of iris diaphragms
ur-whale · 30d ago
Why is the "=>" going in the wrong direction ?
yusina · 31d ago
Isn't i == x + 16*y? Why is it needed?
stefanfisk · 31d ago
To make the code cleaner I’d assume.
yusina · 30d ago
I got the impression though that i is the least useful of the bunch.
siraben · 32d ago
Sharlin · 32d ago
Shame that 32 characters is a bit too few to make a raycaster. 128 would be quite enough I think.
xanlack · 32d ago
really impressive, keep up the good work
lttlrck · 31d ago
I feel so dumb. How can I make this zoom centered on the grid?

https://tixy.land/?code=Math.sin%28x*t%29%2BMath.cos%28y*t%2...

skrebbel · 31d ago
bobbylarrybobby · 30d ago
When in doubt: translate your center to the origin, do your work there, then un-translate.
nicman23 · 30d ago
is this just shaders but not?
bingrrr · 32d ago
great