PENTAD - 5-Segment Creature Generator

Generates organic 3D creatures using 5 merged Gielis supershapes.

Quick Start

./run_pentad.sh           # 1 creature
./run_pentad.sh 10        # 10 creatures
./run_pentad.sh 5 --screenshot  # 5 with screenshots

What is PENTAD?

PENTAD is based on the Gielis superformula (Johan Gielis, 2003) which can describe almost all natural forms: starfish, shells, leaves, bacteria.

Each PENTAD creature consists of:

• 5 overlapping Gielis forms (supershapes)
• Fractal outgrowths at each level
• Randomly generated "DNA" with 48 parameters

The result is organic, asymmetric forms suitable for 3D printing or glass casting.

File Structure

pentad/
├── run_pentad.sh      # Run script
├── generate_pentad.py # Main script
├── lajfi/             # Support library
│   ├── gielis.py      # Superformula implementation
│   └── config.py      # Parameters
├── output/            # Generated STL files
└── examples/          # Example creatures

Output

STL files are saved to output/ with naming convention:

pentad_{NAME}_gen1_{TIMESTAMP}.stl

Example: pentad_BOKA_gen1_20260320_234100.stl

Requirements

• Blender 3.0+ (flatpak or standard installation)
• Python 3.10+

The Gielis Superformula

r(theta) = ( |cos(m*theta/4)|^n2 + |sin(m*theta/4)|^n3 ) ^ (-1/n1)

Parameters:

• m = symmetry (number of "arms")
• n1 = roundness (low = angular, high = rounded)
• n2, n3 = curvature

References

Gielis, J. (2003). A generic geometric transformation that unifies a wide range of natural and abstract shapes. American Journal of Botany, 90(3), 333-338.

Related: LAJFI

This is a standalone generator. For the full evolutionary simulation with mating, mutation, and natural selection, see LAJFI.

LAJFI uses TRIAD (3 segments) by default but can be configured for PENTAD (5) or HEPTAD (7) by editing lajfi/dna.py in that repository.

License

MIT