Hexagon pattern smaller but consistent spacing?

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

I am looking to create a hexagon pattern which gets smaller in size of hexagons, but remains the same distance from each other while getting smaller. I was looking at using Dynamo, but I don't seem to find the correct way. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thank you in advance!

[Michael-GG]

@csteenstraEXWTJ that is for sure possible with Dynamo. Are you aware of how to use it?
The Dynamo Player is available in the palette under "Transform". When being opened, you can click on "Dynamo Toolbox" to see scripts which are shipped with alias 2022.2. The following script already creates a hexagonal shape:

Obviously you probably want a slightly different results, so the script needs adjustment, or you need to create your own. I can only recommend to learn Dynamo, as it is a strong addition to the "normal" Alias tools. Let me know in case you need more help.
Cheers,
GG

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

Thank you. Yes I do need to learn Dynamo, but I'm in a big time crunch. I never had this kind of request before and though I'd love to experiment, there's simply no time. So I'm hoping there's a script where i can fade the size of hexagons from about 12mm to 2 mm with keeping a consistent 1mm distance between the shapes.

[Michael-GG]

(I'm not the greatest artist) something like this?

What shall the hexagons be consisting of? Curves? Trimmed Nurbs? Subdivs? How shall they be placed? On a Nurbs surface? On a plane?

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

Thank you. Ask their outer lines should touch with a line thickness of 1mm. Consistently as they get smaller. They're too create a pattern that will initially be projected on a complicated surface and from then be used to create individual surfaces. Ask in Nurbs.

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

This shows what it should be like, but then over a large rectangular shape, so preferably not rotating:

[Michael-GG]

That's not possible without rotation?

[Michael-GG]

You can't make the hexagons smaller, and keep the distance the same, without getting a rotation.

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

That is exactly what I keep on telling them, since it doesn't make sense. There is no logic, unless you distort the hexagons or accept rotation. Is there a Dynamo script that shows this, with rotation, big enough to fill out a rectangle of 600 mm by 600 mm with rectangles from 12 mm scaling down to 2 mm, and then with rotation? That means some will run off the edges logically, but we can delete those curves. All in curves so that we export it to Adobe Illustrator as well?

[KaiTi.L]

Hi, you can also have an influence on the Hexagons by compressing the CV distributions as shown in the picture.
Is this something you are trying to archive? I also added a further scaling node to have an influence on the "outer Hexagon".

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

Thank you, but No, they just want the line/curve pattern. Maybe in a future itterarion they may want that effect, but for the time being just the pattern. I had seen this example in the Alias Dynamo folder, but that is not what they were interested it. Simple curves.

[KaiTi.L]

To create the curve pattern you can delete all the nodes behind the Polygon.byPoints node and connect it to the send to Alias node.

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

Is that the script as is in the Dynamo Examples?

[KaiTi.L]

Yes, the name should be: Player\Nurbs-Hexagon-Pattern-2021.2.8.dyn

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

Thank you so much!! I will try that out!!

[a.minjabari242]

The most efficient / natural way things will pack together in two dimensions if they're circular (or flexible) will be in a pattern like this. Notice how this pattern forms hexagons within it. Notice also the small gaps between the circles. If you extend the items further to eliminate the gaps - that is, if the items are flexible and they expand to eliminate gaps - you end up with them all being hexagons.

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

So this is what they came up with in Grasshopper. All 2D. It was not really what I was given as a brief, but I guess it is what it is. Is something like this, or better, possible using Dynamo? I would prefer it to not only diminish to left and right, but also up and down, but at a different rate, since it is a wider surface, not a square.

[a.minjabari242]

Honestly? I would Google "hexagonal grid vector" and then work from there, but otherwise using smart guides and Cmd/Ctrl+D on a base hexagon would probably be a good way to start (construct the vertical column first, and then displace that column diagonally). Dinar Detectives

[Michael-GG]

It is possible in Dynamo for sure. But if your next question is "how?", I'm afraid you will have to learn Dynamo. Creating this would probably take a few hours of work, and this area is not my area of expertise yet.
-GG

[csteenstraEXWTJ]

Hahaha... That HOW is exactly the issue. During work time I don't have time to experiment, sadly. I am trying to learn the basics of Dynamo, but it does get complex really quickly, at least from my experience thus far. I don't "get" the logic yet. I will, but it takes longer than this project had time for.

Thank you for your answer. I will sit down and force myself to learn.. 🙂