Re: Conical gradients

On 01/24/2014 05:48 PM, Tab Atkins Jr. wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 24, 2014 at 12:48 AM, Jasper van de Gronde
> <th.v.d.gronde@hccnet.nl> wrote:
>> I once suggested generalizing radial gradients to also allow conical and/or
>> "spiral" gradients. Essentially the idea is that radial gradients give you
>> the radius part of polar coordinates, while conical gradients are
>> essentially based on the angle part. A scheme that combines the two would
>> allow for a kind of spiral gradient.
>
> Radial and conical gradients are "inverses" of each other in a sense,
> and you don't want to try overloading a single syntax construct to do
> both of them.
>
> (Radials position colors on a line, and color ellipses based on where
> they touch the line.  Conicals position colors on an ellipse, and
> color lines based on where they touch the ellipse.)

I wouldn't say they are each other's inverse exactly. To clarify, this 
was the original idea (with some examples):
http://www.svgopen.org/2011/papers/20-Separating_gradients_from_geometry/#d4e65
As in that paper I used an increased separation of concerns it is not 
completely comparable to the current SVG spec, but the essence is that 
you can have a smooth (and useful) transition between, borrowing your 
terminology, having colours positioned on a line and having them 
positioned on an ellipse (line <-> spiral <-> ellipse).

Whether in practice you want to create a spiral gradient is another 
matter of course, but since it would be relatively easy to define (and 
implement) a kind of "polar" gradient that encompasses radial, spiral 
/and/ conical gradients, it seems a shame not to at least consider it.

Received on Friday, 24 January 2014 17:49:29 UTC