Strange attractors guide

Help

Short answers to what goes wrong most often.

The view says it needs WebGL

The browser did not give the page WebGL. Turn on hardware acceleration in its settings, or try another current browser.

It is slow

The number next to Frames per second shows how smoothly it runs. Lower Steps per frame or Max points, or set Bloom strength to 0.

The shape is a white blob

The points are drawn so that overlapping ones add up, and the glow spreads them further. Lower Point size, Max points or Bloom strength, or move Distance further away. Aizawa and Thomas are small shapes, so their points look big next to them.

How do I zoom?

Scroll or pinch over the view, or open Camera and move Distance; the slider shows the distance either way, from 5 to 200. A scroll over the view does not scroll the page; scroll over the panel or the text below.

The old shape is still there after I moved a parameter

The points already drawn stay until new ones replace them. Move Max points to clear the trail at once. Picking the attractor again also clears it, but puts its parameters back.

The shape shrank to a dot or a ring

Some parameter values are not chaotic: the path settles on one point or one loop. Move the parameter back, or pick the attractor again.

The path keeps jumping back

When the numbers run away, because of a large Step size (dt) or a parameter far from its start, the path starts again from its starting point. Lower the step size, or move the parameter back.

A new colour did not change the whole shape

Velocity, Position and Solid colour only the points drawn after you choose. The rest change as the trail replaces them. Age recolours every point each frame.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Yes. Every attractor, slider and colour is there. On a phone, or on any touch screen or window under 900 pixels wide when the page opens, Max points opens at 20k and stops at 100k, and the view is drawn at no more than 1.5 times the screen's pixels. Drag with one finger to turn the view.

Copy did nothing

Some browsers do not let a page put a picture on the clipboard. The message then says Copy failed; use Save PNG instead.

Is anything uploaded?

No. The shapes are worked out and drawn on your device.

Are there keyboard shortcuts?

The tool has none of its own. Anywhere in the lab, Ctrl K, or Cmd K on a Mac, opens the list of all tools.