Array Upgrade with Tileable Pattern tool

currently, there are tools like Array used to create a somewhat
rudimentary pattern, G’mic Array, and Fill Layer (Seexpr programming)

but, all of those tools were quite outdated,
(Clone array didn’t have live Preview, i had to put a guess in the inputbox everytime, and hit apply)

also Seexpr, i want to play with that, but after searching on the internet,
i can’t find some kind of plug & play Seexpr editor program.

looking on the Industry right now, the Gold standard of tileable
is “Substance Designer”, which is a 2d Node Based Tileable Pattern Editor,
it was so powerful that using only a primitive shape alone, you can create
a quite realistic looking surface detail & pattern.
(or the open source one is “Material Maker”)

i think Krita need a good tool for creating Patterns,
after all Artists use this all the time,
like using screen tone, clothing pattern, architectural pattern, material & Surface detail, environment, Texture, abstract background.

something like a brick wall, floor Tile, tree bark, Wood Grain, that require manual and repetitive work can be made with ease with this tool.

Workflow:

  • draw a single shape and use it for “clone”

  • clone that shape vertical and horizontal

  • Rotate cloned shape all at once, also add Random rotation mode

  • Scale cloned shape all at once, also add Random scale

  • (tileable workflow) “Tile sampler node”, which will take the shape, and make it
    “tileable” aware, hence, you can play with the transform, be crazy,
    and it’ll always be “tileable”

  • you can Live Preview of the transform whenever you change the parameter.

  • add basic Procedural patterns like perlin noise and other. useful for blending and adding details. (good to have, but not necessary)

  • add basic nodes like Mix Node, level, curve and “Blending mode” for mixing and layering multiple pattern together , using the Noise pattern as the Alpha, for blending.
    (good to have, but not necessary)

unlike substance designer which everything even a simple primitive shape had to be made using procedural parameter,
Krita can directly use shape made by painting.

it doesn’t need to be Node based though,
it can use only Parameters as well to make it simple,
it’ll become a superior version of current Array,
with Fast live preview, transform randomization and Tileable, as the main Upgrade.

being able to quickly making a custom tileable pattern is indispensable,
i think we need this, cause Array is very common even in 3d, cause making stuff by hand manually was often very repetitive and time consuming,
something like Array with fast preview can let you create a complex stuff in very short time,
significantly reduce your workflow.

no need to have the full feature of Substance designer.
even having a randomized procedural Translation, Rotation, and Scale alone
is a very powerful thing.
you can quickly populate the canvas without
having to manually copy paste, or manually tweaking the Scale.

current Clone Array workflow is a bit slow,
G’mic array capabilities were also very limited.

hence, i think this is the time to upgrade the Clone Array into a
Procedural tool with fast preview

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This needs to be a thing. An array woukd fix so many issues with drawing patterns. I ponsered doing but itwould be a slow without a preview or undo. Maybe a filter mask or mode for a brush.

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yes, exactly.
live preview is a must tbh for Array.

if we look at After effect motion graphics, Blender 3d, Maya Mash Mograph,
Array is the staple,

something like Repeater, CC Repetile in After Effect can run fast with live preview,
or Blender Geometry nodes, something like cloners and effectors, array, circular array, can
run fast with live preview, instantaneously

so i don’t think Krita somehow can’t pull that off.
i think Krita’s Array really need Upgrade.
i checked, Krita Array was originally from Krita 2.8 from 2014, which is already 12 year old,
and it never got upgraded ever since.

i think a usable Array tools in Krita is a must have.
cause i lost count how many times i want to create a repeated patterns, or something architectural like repeated pillars, windows, ornaments. and i just feel discouraged cause the Array tools don’t have live preview, and i had to painstakingly guesstimate the numbers. like crawling blindfolded.

more often i just manually copy and paste, and arrange the pattern manually, cause i’m avoiding the Array tools.