Hypotrochoids

Inspiration

I wanted to create album covers for music I was working on, but with no drawing skills, I needed an approach that still felt personal and distinctive. I began with simple shapes—regular polygons arranged so they shared a common segment. While this produced interesting patterns, I wanted to explore more complex forms generated by mathematical rules.

This led me to hypotrochoids, curves traced by a point attached to a circle rolling inside another circle. These curves produce intricate, often striking patterns, similar to those created by spirographs—the drawing toy that uses interlocking gears and a pen.

Interactive Generator

Presets

Here are some patterns I liked. Feel free to experiment with the parameters to create your own unique designs!