The MathMap Language

MathMap is a language for transforming existing images and producing entirely new images. Think of it as the ultimate image and animation filter. This flexibility, however, comes at a price: Using MathMap to create a new transformation isn't as simple as using some pre-built image manipulation filter. Instead, you have to precisely describe what MathMap should do. This usually requires a bit of math knowledge (for most tasks, high-school math is more than sufficient) and it is necessary to know the MathMap language.

This document is a gentle introduction to the MathMap language. Very little mathematical knowledge is assumed, and almost no programming skills are needed--although they certainly would come in handy.

Please take the time to read through this introduction. Try out the examples we give and play around with them. Change them a little and see what happens. That way, you will quickly gain a feeling for what you can achieve with MathMap and in which ways. If you do this, we are confident that you will soon create your own image filters and maybe even get hooked on MathMap.

This tutorial deals with the following topics:

  • Basic Principles
  • The Cartesian Coordinate System
  • Input Images
  • The Polar Coordinate System
  • Conditionals
  • Variables
  • User Values
  • Tuples and Tags
  • Animations
  • Some Useful Functions
  • Further Information