Patternodes is a tool for creating graphical vector patterns, animations or illustrations. This is done using a node-based interface where you define a sequence of connected nodes that describe the design, each representing graphical elements, changes or repetitions. You might call this a sort of parametric design or visual scripting for 2d applications.
The node sequence is completely non-destructive, so you can change any step in the sequence at any time without having to redo the rest. The parameters that control each node can also be connected to other nodes, establishing complex relationships, or animated to create animations.
Patternodes is designed from the start to stimulate playful use and experimentation. Therefore the result is always shown in the preview view, repeated for patterns and updating in real time.
Earlier versions of Patternodes 2, compatible with macOS 10.10 can be found here.
Inspiration
There is a collection of projects that could work as inspiration for what you could use Patternodes for here on Behance:
"... once you get the hang of it, Patternodes is much easier to create ever more complex patterns, even animated ones, than any other pattern-creating app or plug-in I've ever reviewed."
"All in all, once you climb the initial learning curve, creating patterns with Patternodes will surely become much easier than with any other illustration application"
Recent news and updates for Patternodes 2. Follow us on Twitter @lostminds_sw for more news and updates
2020-10-26
Patternodes 2.3.6 update
A new version of the vector pattern and animation app Patternodes 2 has been released. This update expands and improves the Inside clipping functionality by adding this capability to the Group Apply function and Group Apply graphics nodes. Just like in the Transform nodes previously this lets you transform the content in clipped elements in an easy way.
Patternodes 2.3.6 changes
Apply Function and Apply Graphics now also have an Inside clipping option.
Fixes a bug where Inside clipping transform option would sometimes be hidden, even if the input graphics was clipped.
Fixes a bug where the Apply to mode selector would sometimes be incorrectly disabled in Group: Apply function nodes.
Stability improvements for changing connected node types using the Replace node menu.
More helpful feedback messages when entering incorrect license information.
Download the new version and try it out today, or update in the app.
2020-09-15
Patternodes 2.3.5 update
Another update of the vector pattern and animation app Patternodes 2 has been released. This time with some usability improvements to make it easier to work with nodes and connections, some preview bug fixes and preparations for future updates.
Patternodes 2.3.5 changes
Value field hover controls are now hidden while dragging connections.
Added new Nodes menu item to toggle node grid snap on/off.
Added new Display menu item to toggle selected node element outlines on/off.
Fixes some pixel gap issues with the finder Quick Look previews of repeating pattern .pnds files.
Fixes incorrect pivot location of elements after offsetting content inside of clipped element groups.
Added deprecation warnings to the artboard node mirroring settings that will be removed in a future update. Please use the Repeat Mirror node instead.
Download the new version and try it out today, or update in the app.
2020-09-09
Patternodes 2.3.4 update
A new update of the vector pattern and animation app Patternodes 2 has been released. This time with some improvements making it easier to work with clipped elements, some value field improvements and some bug fixes.
Patternodes 2.3.4 changes
New 'Inside clipping' transform mode for Transform and Randomize nodes makes it easy to transform the content elements with a clipping mask.
Pressing Esc while editing value fields now reverts their value.
Improvements to parsing math expressions in value fields.
Fixed a crash when adding an unconnected Make seamless node.
Some under the hood improvements to the node reference help window.
Download the new version and try it out today, or update in the app.
2020-08-27
Patternodes 2.3.3 update
A new maintenance update of the pattern creation and animation app Patternodes 2 has been released. This new version doesn't bring any big new features, but several smaller improvements and fixes.
Patternodes 2.3.3 changes
Improved quality for exported h264 compressed video files.
Some minor macOS 11 compatibility changes.
Added a setting controlling if a new document should be opened at startup.
Fixed some issues with exporting to filenames with spaces in them.
Fixed Little Snitch internet access policy so it now properly describes the purpose of update and license check connections.
Fixed incorrect error message when entering incorrect license details.
Improved technical info and error logs for support and bug reports.
Updated Sparkle updating framework.
You can find the full change log in the version history. Download the new version and try it out today, or update in the app.
If you're interested in Patternodes and want to get started with some basics there's now a tutorial with an introduction to animation in Patternodes over at Generative Hut. Just click below!
A new version of the pattern creation and animation app Patternodes 2 has been released. This new update add support for encoding exported videos in h.264 codec for improved compression, and all export settings are now saved per file. The update also fixes a couple of interface bugs and layout issues in the built in node reference.
You can find the full change log in the version history. Download the new version and try it out today, or update in the app.
2020-06-01
Patternodes 2.3.1 update
A new version of the pattern creation and animation app Patternodes 2 has been released. It seems like the performance optimizations in Patternodes 2.3.0 caused a couple of bugs with the previews flickering or not updating correctly and the new update mainly focusses on fixing those problems.
Version 2.3.1 changes and improvements
Fixes flickering or lack of updates in the main preview in some situations.
Fixes a bug where the selection markers wouldn't update properly after deleting multiple nodes.
Fixes node previews not updating correctly when graphic input is removed or the node is disabled.
Node element caching is now always on instead of being a performance option.
Adds deprecation warnings shown when using some legacy node types, along with a new option to turn these warnings off.
Improvements to the Feedback dialogue technical info logs
2020-04-30
Patternodes 2.3.0 update
A new version of Patternodes 2 has been released. This new updates adds some new features with new functionality related to animation and randomization nodes, but primarily it brings a lot of performance improvements and bug fixes. The update also fixes a couple of issues related to working on a retina mac and some problems importing legacy files from Patternodes 1.
Version 2.3.0 changes and improvements
Greatly improved performance especially for working with animations and files with many elements.
New Plateau Animated value function making it easier to make interesting animations where a value transitions between two constant levels.
New Randomize Deep Change option in Group Randomize and Randomize Color nodes for applying individual changes to all sub elements without needing to flatten the group first.
You can now rename Color nodes just like Value nodes.
New setting for default new document size.
New setting to include a set of default nodes or not in new documents.
Improvements to editing values of linked node parameters.
Connection context menu now shows total number of sub elements in multi-level groups.
Fixes
Fixes fullscreen preview being incorrectly scaled on retina screens.
Fixes a potential hang when importing some legacy Patternodes 1 files.
Fixes long delay when closing files with a lot of pattern elements.
Fixes importing legacy Patternodes 1 files Randomize and Randomize Color nodes.
Fixes a bug where the bottom pattern preview view would be the wrong size after closing the separate preview panel.
Fixes a bug where drag offset markers wouldn't be properly updated when opening or closing the separate preview panel.
Fixes incorrect total update times in the render info panel.
2020-03-16
Patternodes 2.2.91 hotfix
The original 2.2.9 update to Patternodes had a bug in it that prevented new created unconnected nodes from displaying correctly. So now there's a quick fix 2.2.91 version available that fixes this problem. Thanks to everyone who reported this problem right away so we could fix it quickly!
2020-03-12
Patternodes 2.2.9 update
Another update to the pattern creation and animation app Patternodes has been released. This time the focus is on fixing some bugs reported by users along with improving the memory management.
Version 2.2.9 changes
You can now pan around the node graph by dragging with middle mouse button.
Improved memory management.
Fixes animation export as numbered PDF files.
Fixes problem with properly loading some connections to Change node selection parameters.
Fixes Element index menu node icons being the wrong size.
Purchase process
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