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Show HN: Coördinator, a visual interface for turning an SVG into XY coördinates

30 points by alizauf 9y ago

alizauf 9y ago
Creator here. A little background on why I made this and how it could be used to add some whimsy to data visualizations: https://labs.spotify.com/2018/03/02/introducing-coordinator-a-new-open-source-project-made-at-spotify-to-inject-some-whimsy-into-data-visualizations/ https://labs.spotify.com/2018/03/02/introducing-coordinator-...
perilunar 9y ago
This is really cool! Thanks.
ktpsns 9y ago
The title of this entry at both Hacker News and the actual website is very misleading. For me as a scientist "XY coordinates" most likely means cartesian coordinates. In SVG (like virtually any other graphics file format), coordinates are given in a cartesian coordinate system by default. However, what is meant here is: "Turning an SVG into a dot matrix" or "Turning SVG paths into a series of dots". The purpose of the author is mainly to emphasize clarity of animations.
- rhaps0dy 9y ago
  Thank you for the clarification! It's not exactly a "dot matrix" because the dots aren't on a grid, but I think that would be a much better summary. Also a better summary than "series of dots".
- alizauf 9y ago
  The reason I made this was indeed to get Cartesian coordinates. I needed them to intersperse dot images between data-driven dot arrangements, like in this example: https://bl.ocks.org/alizauf/de25f00bf369010b265362e3e53d6629 https://bl.ocks.org/alizauf/de25f00bf369010b265362e3e53d6629 The animations interpolate the dots between different XY coordinates.
- marshray 9y ago
  The algorithm, which generates a set of discrete XY coordinates, is the interesting part of this page. Changing the size and color of the dots yields no new information about the operation of the algorithm. The dots are just a way to visualize the coordinates on a plane.
  - ktpsns 9y ago
    This may be hair-splitting, but when I say dot I mean a mathematical point. Of course it does not matter how we represent a zero-dimensional object in a graphical scene (we need some kind of representation, obviously). My point was the emphasis on "XY coordinates". It is just a suggestion to be more precise here.
Froyoh 9y ago
Ahh this hurts my eyes!

30 points by alizauf 9y ago

Creator here. A little background on why I made this and how it could be used to add some whimsy to data visualizations: https://labs.spotify.com/2018/03/02/introducing-coordinator-a-new-open-source-project-made-at-spotify-to-inject-some-whimsy-into-data-visualizations/ https://labs.spotify.com/2018/03/02/introducing-coordinator-...

perilunar 9y ago

This is really cool! Thanks.

ktpsns 9y ago

The title of this entry at both Hacker News and the actual website is very misleading. For me as a scientist "XY coordinates" most likely means cartesian coordinates. In SVG (like virtually any other graphics file format), coordinates are given in a cartesian coordinate system by default. However, what is meant here is: "Turning an SVG into a dot matrix" or "Turning SVG paths into a series of dots". The purpose of the author is mainly to emphasize clarity of animations.

rhaps0dy 9y ago
Thank you for the clarification! It's not exactly a "dot matrix" because the dots aren't on a grid, but I think that would be a much better summary. Also a better summary than "series of dots".
alizauf 9y ago
The reason I made this was indeed to get Cartesian coordinates. I needed them to intersperse dot images between data-driven dot arrangements, like in this example: https://bl.ocks.org/alizauf/de25f00bf369010b265362e3e53d6629 https://bl.ocks.org/alizauf/de25f00bf369010b265362e3e53d6629 The animations interpolate the dots between different XY coordinates.
marshray 9y ago
The algorithm, which generates a set of discrete XY coordinates, is the interesting part of this page. Changing the size and color of the dots yields no new information about the operation of the algorithm. The dots are just a way to visualize the coordinates on a plane.
- ktpsns 9y ago
  This may be hair-splitting, but when I say dot I mean a mathematical point. Of course it does not matter how we represent a zero-dimensional object in a graphical scene (we need some kind of representation, obviously). My point was the emphasis on "XY coordinates". It is just a suggestion to be more precise here.

Froyoh 9y ago

Ahh this hurts my eyes!