Chemical Spirals

A simulated chemical reaction swirls into psychedelic spirals.

Generative Art · a single painted seed plus one Phlux rule, simulated live · 96×96 grid

The rule that makes it move

This is the whole thing. Phluxel runs it on every cell, every step — the animation is what happens when you repeat it.

LET _a = {AVG,(-1:1,-1:1).R}; LET _b = {AVG,(-1:1,-1:1).G}; LET _c = {AVG,(-1:1,-1:1).B}; R = {SAT, _a + _a * (_b - _c) / 255}; G = {SAT, _b + _b * (_c - _a) / 255}; B = {SAT, _c + _c * (_a - _b) / 255}

Paste it into the Rule Editor, or pick BZ Reaction from the template list and skip the typing.

Make it yourself

1. Open Phluxel and start a new field, or click Chemical Spirals in the starter gallery to get this exact setup.
2. Turn Wrap edges on — this one is toroidal, so motion that leaves one side comes back on the other.
3. Press play. Change colours or numbers while it runs; you never have to stop and restart.
4. Export a seamless loop as GIF, APNG, MP4, a PNG sequence, or a sprite sheet.