Introduction

This blog post proclaims the Python package “RandomMandala” and fully describes its function random_mandala that generates plots (and images) of random mandalas.

The design, implementation strategy, and unit tests closely resemble the Wolfram Repository Function (WFR) RandomMandala, [AAf1].

(Another, very similar function at WFR is RandomScribble, [AAf2].)

The Bezier mandala seeds are created using the Python package bezier, [DHp1].

For detailed descriptions of Machine Learning studies that use collections of random mandalas see the articles [AA1, AA2] and related presentation [AAv1].

Remark: This Markdown file was automatically generated from the notebook: “RandomMandala-package.ipynb”.

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Installation

To install from GitHub use the shell command:

python -m pip install git+https://github.com/antononcube/Python-packages.git#egg=RandomMandala\&subdirectory=RandomMandala

To install from PyPI:

python -m pip install RandomMandala

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Details and arguments

• The mandalas made by random_mandala are generated through rotational symmetry of a “seed segment”.
• The function random_mandala returns matplotlib figures (objects of type matplotlib.figure.Figure)
• The function random_mandala can be given arguments of the creation function matplotlib.pyplot.figure.
• If n_rows and n_columns are None a matplotlib figure object with one axes object is returned.
• There are two modes of making random mandalas: (i) single-mandala mode and (ii) multi-mandala mode. The multi-mandala mode is activated by giving the radius argument a list of positive numbers.
• If the argument radius is a list of positive reals, then a “multi-mandala” is created with the mandalas corresponding to each number in the radius list being overlain.
• Here are brief descriptions of the arguments:
  • n_rows: Number of rows in the result figure.
  • n_columns: Number of columns in the result figure.
  • radius: Radius for the mandalas, a flot or a list of floats. If a list of floats the mandalas are overlain.
  • rotational_symmetry_order: Number of copies of the seed segment that comprise the mandala.
  • connecting_function: Connecting function, one of “line”, “fill”, “bezier”, “bezier_fill”, “random”, or None. If ‘random’ or None a random choice of the rest of values is made.
  • number_of_elements: Controls how may graphics elements are in the seed segment.
  • symmetric_seed: Specifies should the seed segment be symmetric or not. If ‘random’ of None random choice between True and False is made.
  • face_color: Face (fill) color.
  • edge_color: Edge (line) color.

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Examples

Load the package RandomMandala, matplotlib, and PIL:

from RandomMandala import random_mandala, figure_to_image
import matplotlib
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.cm
from PIL import Image, ImageOps
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1 import ImageGrid
import random

Here we generate a random mandala:

random.seed(99)
fig = random_mandala()

Here we generate a figure with 12 (3×4) random mandalas:

random.seed(33)
fig2 = random_mandala(n_rows=3, n_columns=4, figsize=(6,6))
fig2.tight_layout()
plt.show()

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Arguments details

n_rows, n_columns

With the argument n_rows and n_columns are specified the number of rows and columns respectively in the figure object; n_rows * n_columns mandalas are generated:

random.seed(22)
fig=random_mandala(n_rows=1, n_columns=3)

connecting_function

The argument connecting_function specifies which graphics primitives to be used over the seed segment points:

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(6, 6), dpi=120)

k = 1
for cf in ['line', 'fill', 'bezier', 'bezier_fill', 'random', None]:
    random.seed(667)
    fig = random_mandala(connecting_function=cf,
                         figure=fig,
                         location=(2, 3, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title(str(cf))
    k = k + 1
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

With values None or "random" a random choice is made from ['line', 'fill', 'bezier', 'bezier_fill'].

radius

In single-mandala mode the argument radius specifies the radius of the seed segment and the mandala:

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(8, 4), dpi=120)
k = 1
for r in [5, 10, 15, 20]:
    random.seed(2)
    fig = random_mandala(connecting_function="line", 
                         radius=r,
                         figure = fig,
                         location = (1, 4, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title("radius:" + str(r))
    ax.axis("on")
    k = k + 1
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

If the value given to radius is a list of positive numbers then multi-mandala mode is used. If radius=[r[0],...,r[k]], then for each r[i] is made a mandala with radius r[i] and the mandalas are drawn upon each other according to their radii order:

random.seed(99)
fig3=random_mandala(radius=[8,5,3], 
                    face_color=["blue", "green", 'red'],
                    connecting_function="fill")                

Remark: The code above used different colors for the different radii.

rotational_symmetry_order

The argument rotational_symmetry_order specifies how many copies of the seed segment comprise the mandala:

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(6, 12), dpi=120)
k = 1
for rso in [2, 3, 4, 6]:
    random.seed(122)
    fig = random_mandala(connecting_function="fill", 
                         symmetric_seed=True,
                         rotational_symmetry_order=rso,
                         figure = fig,
                         location = (1, 4, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title("order:" + str(rso))
    k = k + 1
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

number_of_elements

The argument number_of_elements controls how may graphics elements are in the seed segment:

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(6, 6), dpi=120)
k = 1
for ne in [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12]:
    random.seed(2)
    fig = random_mandala(connecting_function="line",
                         symmetric_seed=True,
                         rotationa_symmetry_order=6,
                         number_of_elements=ne,
                         figure = fig,
                         location = (2, 3, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title("n:" + str(ne))
    k = k + 1
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(4, 4), dpi=120)
k = 1
for ne in [5, 10, 15, 20]:
    random.seed(26)
    fig = random_mandala(connecting_function="bezier",
                         radius=[1],
                         symmetric_seed=True,
                         rotationa_symmetry_order=6,
                         number_of_elements=ne,
                         figure = fig,
                         location = (2, 2, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title("n:" + str(ne))
    k = k + 1
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

symmetric_seed

The argument symmetric_seed specifies should the seed segment be symmetric or not:

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(4, 4), dpi=120)
k = 1
for ssd in [True, False]:
    random.seed(2)
    fig = random_mandala(connecting_function="fill", 
                         symmetric_seed=ssd,
                         figure = fig,
                         location = (1, 2, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title(str(ssd))
    k = k + 1
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

face_color and edge_color

The arguments face_color and edge_color take as values strings or list of strings that specify the coloring of the filled-in polygons and lines respectively:

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(6,3), dpi=120)
k = 1
for fc in [["0.8", "0.6", "0.2"], ["olive", "gold", "red"]]:
    random.seed(11)
    fig = random_mandala(radius=[10,6,4],
     					 connecting_function="bezier_fill", 
                         symmetric_seed=True,
                         face_color=fc,
                         figure = fig,
                         location = (1, 2, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title(str(fc))
    k = k + 1
    
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

alpha

The argument alpha controls the opacity of the plots; it takes as values None and floats between 0 and 1.

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(6,3), dpi=120)
k = 1
for al in [None, 0.2, 1.0]:
    random.seed(23)
    fig = random_mandala(radius=[10,6,4],
     					 connecting_function="bezier_fill",
                         symmetric_seed=True,
                         alpha=al,
                         color_mapper=matplotlib.cm.rainbow_r,
                         figure = fig,
                         location = (1, 3, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title(str(al))
    k = k + 1

plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

color_mapper

The argument color_mapper takes as values None and matplotlib.colors.Colormap objects. See the color mappers in the reference page “color example code: colormaps_reference.py”. If color_mapper is specified then the arguments face_color and edge_color are ignored. Here is an example using two color mappers:

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(6,3), dpi=120)
cMappers=[matplotlib.cm.rainbow_r, matplotlib.cm.Accent_r]
cMappersNames=["rainbow_r", "Accent_r"]
for k in range(2): 
    random.seed(15)
    fig = random_mandala(radius=[10,6,4],
                         connecting_function="bezier_fill",
                         symmetric_seed=True,
                         color_mapper=cMappers[k],
                         figure = fig,
                         location = (1, 2, k+1))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_title(cMappersNames[k])
    
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

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Applications

Generate a collection of images

In certain Machine Learning (ML) studies it can be useful to be able to generate large enough collections of (random) images.

In the code block below we:

• Generate 64 random mandala plots
• Convert them into PIL images using the package function figure_to_image
• Invert and binarize images
• Plot the images in an image grid

# A list to accumulate random mandala images
mandala_images = []

# Generation loop
random.seed(443)
for i in range(64):
    
    # Generate one random mandala figure
    fig2 = random_mandala(n_rows=None,
                          n_columns=None,
                          radius=[8, 6, 3],
                          rotational_symmetry_order=6,
                          symmetric_seed=True,
                          connecting_function='random',
                          face_color="0.")
    fig2.tight_layout()
    
    # Convert the figure into an image and add it to the list
    mandala_images = mandala_images + [figure_to_image(fig2)]
    
    # Close figure to save memoru
    plt.close(fig2)

# Invert image colors    
mandala_images2 = [ImageOps.invert(img) for img in mandala_images]

# Binarize images
mandala_images3 = [im.convert('1') for im in mandala_images2]

# Make a grid of images and display it
fig3 = plt.figure(figsize=(14., 14.))
grid = ImageGrid(fig3, 111,
                 nrows_ncols=(8, 8),
                 axes_pad=0.02,
                 )

for ax, img in zip(grid, mandala_images3):
    ax.imshow(img)
    ax.set(xticks=[], yticks=[])

plt.show()

Neat examples

A table of random mandalas

random.seed(124)
fig=random_mandala(n_rows=6, n_columns=6, figsize=(10,10), dpi=240)

A table of colorized mandalas

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(10, 10), dpi=120)
k = 1
random.seed(56)
for i in range(36):
    rs=list(range(1,random.choice([3,4,5,6])+1))
    rs.sort()
    rs.reverse()

    fig = random_mandala(connecting_function="bezier_fill",
                         color_mapper=matplotlib.cm.gist_earth,
   						 symmetric_seed=True,
                         radius=rs,
                         rotational_symmetry_order=random.choice([3,4,5,6,7]),
                         number_of_elements=random.choice([2,3,4]),
                         figure=fig,
                         location=(6, 6, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_axis_off()
    k = k + 1

fig.tight_layout()
plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

A table of open colorized mandalas

fig = matplotlib.pyplot.figure(figsize=(10, 10), dpi=120)
k = 1
random.seed(883)
for rso in [2 * random.random() + 2 for _ in range(36)]:
    random.seed(33)
    fig = random_mandala(connecting_function="bezier_fill",
                         radius=3,
                         face_color="darkblue",
                         rotational_symmetry_order=rso,
                         number_of_elements=8,
                         figure=fig,
                         location=(6, 6, k))
    ax = fig.axes[-1]
    ax.set_axis_off()
    k = k + 1

plt.show()
plt.close(fig)

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Acknowledgements

• Johannes Huessy for discussing different design elements.
• Mr.T for figuring out and explaining the opacity argument implementation.

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References

Articles

[AA1] Anton Antonov, “Comparison of dimension reduction algorithms over mandala images generation”, (2017), MathematicaForPrediction at WordPress.

[AA1] Anton Antonov, “Generation of Random Bethlehem Stars, (2020), MathematicaForPrediction at WordPress.

Functions

[AAf1] Anton Antonov, RandomMandala, (2019), Wolfram Function Repository.

[AAf2] Anton Antonov, RandomScribble, (2020), Wolfram Function Repository.

Packages

[DHp1] Daniel Hermes, bezier Python package, (2016), PyPy.org.

Videos

[AAv1] Anton Antonov, “Random Mandalas Deconstruction in R, Python, and Mathematica (Greater Boston useR Meetup, Feb 2022)” (2022), Anton Antonov’s channel at YouTube.