Lissajous 3D Feedback System

License: Shareware | Author: Robert Inventor | Requirements: OpenGL capable graphics card

Lissajous 3D can make many beautiful relaxing animations. The first Lissajous patterns were made by reflecting a beam of light in mirrors attached to two tuning forks to make a dot of light that bounced around following a Lissajous curve.

Lissajous 3D trace the curves using a ribbon, or a tube, and the dot can oscillate in three or more directions, which takes the patterns into 3D. By varying frequencies, material, lighting, transparency and other options you can make new patterns of your own. Or use the randomiser to get the starting point for a new pattern.

You can use them as a screen saver, with music, or export them as images, movies or 3D animations. You can use any pictures for the patterns and background. They can twist and turn like reflections in a hall of mirrors.

You can set the patterns to respond to chords played in the companion program Tune Smithy, and the other way round, the fractal tunes can acompany the screensaver.

You can also use any music with the screen saver (mp3, wav etc) and it can select tunes at random from a folder or cd.


Many pattern transforming effects, some related to things that happen with real world Lissajous patterns, - pattern drift so they continually change shape, gravity, magnet, inversion (turn inside out), friction, etc.

Also you can make spirographs - those patterns made by rolling wheels within each other - this is the same idea but taken into 3D.

Now includes textures, transparency, colour ripples, and various forms of ribbon or tube including star cross section tubes, twisting tubes and bead effects, strings of spheres, and ribbons with ripples. Fog can be added as well depending on the distance into the shape - so you can have shapes that disappear in and out of the mist. Also you can make curves that spiral around themselves as they trace the Lissajous curve.

The patterns can be exported as movies, image frames or 3D animations in the Obj format recognised by many 3D programs.