Artlandia released its professional pattern application for Illustrator CS 2. SymmetryWorks 3 is pattern design on a very high level. The system is used by textile designers as well as graphic and web designers. It is based on mathematical symmetry theories, yet allows users to be fully creative.

SymmetryWorks 3 is an Adobe Illustrator plug-in. Calling it a plug-in, however, would do it injustice, as it provides for such limitness pattern building that it almost feels like an independent system inside Illutstrator. On the other hand, it does use Illustrator’s own capabilities with regards to patterns in efficient ways.

SymmetryWorks 3 has a number of new features except for compatibility with Illustrator CS 2. It allows for patterns to be built using raster images, blending units together, transparency in raster images, opacity masks, mesh object support, text patterns, and 3D effects.

Working with SymmetryWorks 3

Starting to work with SymmetryWorks involves drawing a vector path, filling it with a colour, a gradient or mesh fill, selecting a layout and clicking the SymmetryWorks “Make” button. Once the aymmetrical pattern has been drawn, the path is no longer on its own. It’s now part of the pattern, which isn’t to say you can’t alter it anymore.

Altering the original path, however, will have an impact on the complete pattern. Each pattern component can be accessed individually as well by using the Expand button, but as soon as the pattern gets expanded, it’s no longer a pattern. All the components have then become independent paths.

The seed object --which is the original path in SymmetryWorks’ jargon-- can be copied. Such copies are called replicas. Replicas are hot-linked to the original seed objects, and so they change when the originals are changed.

Paths can be copied into existing patterns, so they become part of it.

Finally, at least for this rough introduction to SymmetryWorks 3, you can have the plug-in add a control box on top of the seed. The control path serves the same purpose as the bounding box in Adobe Illustrator’s patterns. Control paths may look different for different types of symmetry, and they may have 3 to 4 anchors, of which you can move 2 or 3 freely. The others are determined uniquely by the symmetry laws which the plug-in abides by.

Pattern building with SymmetryWorks

The basics for working with SymmetryWorks are simple enough, but the many different ways with which this Illustrator plug-in can be manipulated, make it the professional tool which it is.

For example, creating a prototype control path --a variant of the above-mentioned regular control path-- and changing the clicking order in the path allows you to create dramatically different patterns.

Most patterns that you can create with the basic behaviour will look like repititive units. Manipulating the seed objects to go beyond the control path’s boundaries will create interconnected patterns. It is here that SymmetryWorks really shows off its power and its sheer limitless variability in pattern design.

Objects within a pattern can overlap, and by applying clipping masks and feather effects, transitions can be smooth from unit to unit. Clip options allow you to clip a repetition, but also to set blending options so that you can control the looks of fused units.

SymmetryWorks 3 supports paths, type, raster images, and 3D converted Illustrator paths.

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