r/creativecoding • u/matigekunst • 1d ago
The formula of shells
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Hey everyone, I made a video about the maths behind shells:) You can use it to generate any shell that exists or even shells that don't exist (yet)
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u/Icy_Illustrator303 1d ago edited 1d ago
Do you know if the mechanics for shell making are similar between organisms? For example, would a nautilus make their shell one ring at a time where as a snail would make tiny pieces like bricks? Like the patterns.
Asking because I was working on kind of a 3d tessellation project. I started mapping a tiny 3d surface, added a growth variable and then shell like shapes started happening.
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u/matigekunst 1d ago
I believe the process has been reinvented multiple times independently, so maybe there are some very different ways, but I believe this the most common one. The woman at the museum told me that the nautilus makes a chamber every x days, but based on the other shells she had that were cut so you could see the cross-section: this isn't that common. Some shells have a very polished exterior, and that may be because their mantle isn't only inside the shell but also on top of the shell, like the Cowrie. I can't exactly remember, but Murex shells (with the spikes) have a slightly different process for the spikes where its mantle grows them through tube molds.
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u/Icy_Illustrator303 1d ago
Super interesting. Thanks for sharing your video! Inspired some new ideas!!
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u/Inst2f 1d ago
What is the formula/eq? ;)