Spiral Pattern Generator
Pick a tiling, choose how many arms it has and how far it twists, and the studio wraps it into a spiral at real-world scale: rows of tiles curl around the centre, each tile a smaller, turned copy of the one outside it. Engrave it as line art, weave the strapwork over and under, or cut it out as one round piece.
Spirals are part of Ornament Studio, so the same fabrication checks apply: your kerf, minimum bridge and sheet size are checked live. Designing is free; the $49 unlock covers every export in both.
Quick start
How to make a spiral panel
Everything below runs in the studio above; the preview and fabrication checks update as you go.
Choose a tiling
Any tileable pattern. Strapwork draws the star pattern; Tile outlines draws the polygons themselves.
Set arms and twist
With twist at 0, arms is the number of repeats around the centre. Twist curls the rows into spiral arms, one way or the other.
Size it
Set the outer radius, and the centre radius where the tiles would get too small to cut.
Pick the output
Score for engraving, Interlace for the woven strapwork, Cut lattice for a one-piece cut-out with a solid or open centre.
Export
Check the status bar reads Export-safe, then download SVG or DXF for LightBurn and RDWorks.
Before the full cut: Cut the free Calibration square first to make sure your software imports the file at the right size.
FAQ
What is a conformal spiral?
A flat repeating pattern wrapped around a centre by the complex exponential map. Rows of the tiling become rings and rays, or with a twist, logarithmic spirals. The map preserves angles, so the corners keep their angles and each tile is a smaller, turned copy of the one outside it; straight edges bend into gentle curves. One repeat direction of the tiling is sent to exactly one full turn, which is why the pattern closes up with no seam.
What do Arms and Twist do?
They are the two whole numbers that pick which repeat of the tiling becomes one full turn. With twist at 0, arms is the number of times the pattern repeats around the centre, and its rows run as rings and rays (on slanted tilings they still lean a little). Each step of twist either way tilts the wrap, curling the rows into spiral arms that turn one way or the other.
Which patterns can I spiral?
Every tileable pattern in Ornament Studio: girih star patterns, the Kashan star-and-cross, Archimedean tilings like 4.6.12 and kagome, Mamluk star tilings and the quasicrystal repeats. Draw the strapwork for an Islamic star spiral, or the tile outlines for a spiral of polygons.
Can I cut it out?
Yes. Cut lattice turns the lines into ribbons and cuts out the spaces between them, as one round piece at exactly the radius you set. Tiles shrink toward the centre, so set the centre radius where they would get too small; the centre can stay solid or be cut out. Holes too small to cut cleanly are left solid automatically. Strapwork spirals can also be woven over and under in the Interlace view.
Is it free?
Designing and previewing are free, and so is the calibration square for checking import scale. A one-time $49 purchase unlocks the SVG and DXF exports. It is the same unlock as Ornament Studio, so if you already own it, spiral exports are included.
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