Assignment 2 – Move Like Water

Project Concept

For this project, I spent considerable time thinking about a fun and interactive way to use loops, while keeping the task manageable. Eventually, I was inspired by the idea of creating water ripples, envisioning someone walking on a dark night and stepping into a puddle, triggering a ripple effect. This concept motivated me to explore a way for users to interact with the screen, allowing them to click anywhere to generate ripples. By varying the click speed, users could create randomized but controlled loops, which would enhance the experience. I decided to limit the ripple colors to red, green, and blue (RGB), as this simple palette would still make the effect visually appealing and enjoyable for users.

 

Code I’m Proud Of

In this project, I’m proud of how I utilized two for loops to bring the ripple effect to life. The loop that progressively grows the ripples is particularly noteworthy, as it effectively simulates the natural ripple motion. Additionally, I optimized the code by using an array to handle the data efficiently, avoiding the need for multiple data types as I had initially considered. Below is the section of code that I’m most proud of:

for (let i = 0; i < ripples.length; i++) 
  {
    let ripple = ripples[i];
    stroke(ripple.col);  // Set stroke color to ripple's assigned color
    
    // Draw a circle for each ripple
    ellipse(ripple.x, ripple.y, ripple.radius * 2);
    
    // Increase the radius to create the growing effect, adjusting the speed
    ripple.radius += expansionSpeed;  // Increase radius faster
  }

 

Final Outcome

You can try out the interactive ripple effect below. Simply click or tap on the screen, and watch the ripples form. Feel free to experiment by clicking multiple times to see how the loops overlap and interact.

Reflection and Future Improvements

This project was a rewarding challenge. It allowed me to transform an idea into a tangible, interactive experience using loops. While I’m pleased with the current result, there are several areas I would like to improve in the future. I envision adding more color variations, enhancing the background for greater interactivity, and introducing additional, smaller ripples beneath the main one for a smoother, more dynamic transition. These improvements would create more intricate, overlapping ripple patterns, making the experience even more engaging and visually captivating.