NodeBox
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 The NodeBox application showing an example script that generates colored balls. |
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| Developed by | Frederik De Bleser, Tom De Smedt |
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| Latest release | 1.9.4 / February 15, 2008 |
| Operating system | Mac OS X |
| Type | Graphic design, Animation |
| License | MIT License |
| Website | www.nodebox.net |
NodeBox is an open-source application for programming 2D animation and graphics in Python. It runs on Mac OS X.
NodeBox is inspired by technologies like OpenGL and PostScript. The syntax is similar to that of Processing. NodeBox is based on another open-source project, DrawBot.
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[edit] Supported Primitives
NodeBox can generate forms such as rectangles, ovals, stars, and arrows, but also bezier paths in general. It supports images (even PDF) and text (with line wrapping). You can specify fill and stroke colors using RGB, HSB or CMYK, all with alpha transparency.
You can deconstruct paths into contours, insert points at arbitrary positions on the path, and constructing paths based on a list of points. You can apply all these transformations to text as well.
[edit] Output
NodeBox can generate PDF documents that can easily be certified (CMYK colors, embedded fonts and images). It also generates QuickTime movies.
[edit] Libraries
NodeBox libraries support all kind of different functionality:
- SVG library for importing SVG paths
- The bezier editor for drawing paths inside of the application
- Core Image for doing Photoshop-like image manipulations (layers with blending modes, color changes, filters) using the Mac OS X Core Image library, which is hardware accelerated.
[edit] Uses
NodeBox is currently used in the field of graphic design research and artificial intelligence. Some of the projects are:
- Prism, an algorithm for creating a color palette on any subject. It uses the internet as a semantic database.
- Flowerewolf, an experimental poetry generator that uses WordNet to generate visual poetry showing similarity with the Belgian writer Paul Van Ostaijen.
- Percolator, a news aggregator and visualiser that harvests news sites and creates collages representing the matter.
- Dryad, a typeface based on tree growth using L-systems.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- NodeBox Official NodeBox website
- NodeBox Research NodeBox research site
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