Turn quarter-circle tiles into a satin ribbon field, rotate them and reconnect a different pattern. Each tile contains two quarter-circle arcs that terminate at its edge midpoints. A seeded binary orientation selects the pairing. Staggered quarter-turns temporarily separate the tiles, then return every endpoint to the shared grid; a moving highlight makes the connected paths easier to follow. Optional new sound can be quoted through PopNow; the procedural artwork renders locally.

Uses PopNow for
Music & voice
Needs
Node.js · FFmpeg · Chrome

Generation is optional when you have suitable input material.

v1.0.0 · Updated Oct 26, 2026 · 132 KB · Use it for personal and client work; please don't resell or share the package.

What you get

  1. A local 20-second H.264 MP4 export and native wide/portrait projects.

  2. Editable scene source, JSON controls and mechanism tests.

  3. A decoded poster, eight-frame contact sheet, portable HTML playback project and render receipt.

Good for

  • Make a pattern-led motion poster, a textile-inspired loop study or an abstract transition
  • The pale ribbons, dark ceramic field and shallow shadows are generated from geometry

Not for

  • Connections are guaranteed only at settled orientations; tiles intentionally detach during quarter-turns.
  • This is a planar pattern animation, not a woven-fabric simulator or a manufacturing pattern.

How it works

Includes a local renderer

  1. Set the inputs

    Choose grid dimensions, a seed and ribbon width. No image source is required.

  2. Build the composition

    Validate the project, then render its native wide or portrait composition locally.

  3. Review and finish

    Watch the full MP4 and contact sheet. Add owned or approved audio only if wanted.

How the workflow runs

How Truchet Ribbon Film works

Each tile contains two quarter-circle arcs that terminate at its edge midpoints. A seeded binary orientation selects the pairing. Staggered quarter-turns temporarily separate the tiles, then return every endpoint to the shared grid; a moving highlight makes the connected paths easier to follow.

What's inside the skill

What you can change

  • Rows and columns independently change the tile grid.
  • seed changes the orientation map.
  • ribbonWidth changes the arc band thickness.

What to review before delivery

  • Tests confirm the tile count, unique tile IDs and four edge-midpoint ports in the settled states.
  • Changing the seed or column count changes actual geometry; invalid grid sizes are rejected.

See the package files

These are selected working files from this edition, with their actual role. The complete download also contains instructions and applicable license notices.

  • The scene geometry, timing and mechanism validator.

    scripts/composition.mjs
  • The editable wide example and its actual controls.

    examples/project.json
  • Changed-input, invariant and portable-rebuild checks.

    scripts/mechanism.test.mjs
  • Control ranges, artistic decisions and model boundaries.

    references/inputs.md

Why use this skill

Start with this package

The orientation map, shared edge ports and staggered rotations are already coordinated. This avoids drawing unrelated decorative arcs and calling them connected; changing a grid parameter rebuilds the tile geometry and its motion schedule.

What PopNow adds

Use PopNow for the missing Music & voice in this workflow. Keep adequate material you already own, then bring new assets back into the editing and assembly steps described here.

Compare the options

A prompt, your own skill, or this workflow?

Start with a prompt

Your agent can create from a plain request. The brief, visual rules, asset choices, output format and review process still need to be established for that project.

Write your own skill

You choose and maintain the reusable instructions, defaults, file structure and checks. This is useful when your process needs different rules or integrations.

A workflow created for PopNow

This workflow was built for PopNow. Its source files, included dependencies and applicable notices are part of the package; the scope described below belongs to this edition.

Guide reviewed Oct 25, 2026

What will this cost?

The supplied geometry renders locally. New music, ambience or narration is optional and quoted through PopNow; adequate owned audio can be mixed afterward. Computer and Agent costs depend on your setup.

Generation is optional when you have suitable input material. Free skill. New media is quoted before it runs.

The skill package

Free to install under your account's download allowance. The package license covers your own and client work; redistribution is excluded.

Existing assets and local work

Reusing suitable assets, editing files and running local assembly do not call a PopNow generation model. Your computer and any required runtime still do the work.

New AI images, clips or sound

Quoted for the actual model, inputs, count, duration and resolution. Extra alternatives, revisions or optional enhancement passes can add generation requests.

Your agent and hosting

Any subscription, hosted computer, deployment or other provider fee belongs to that service. Installing this skill does not include those services.

Check the cost of your version first

Your assistant can inspect the available models and quote the exact request first. You choose which optional passes to include and approve spending before generation.

Ask your assistant

  • Use the PopNow skill "Truchet Ribbon Film" for my project. List the inputs you can reuse, quote only the missing media, show the quoted total and flag any unpriced steps. Separate optional enhancements, and wait for my approval before starting anything paid.

How PopNow billing works

Connections using a PopNow API key, including API-key MCP connections, spend from the separate API balance in USD. A ChatGPT or Claude connection authorized through OAuth spends website credits. These balances are separate; the quote shown by your connection is the approval basis.

Download allowances and current account conditions apply. A free package does not mean unlimited free generation.

How to use it

You say

  • Use the PopNow skill "Truchet Ribbon Film" (truchet-ribbon-film) for this: Make the included 20-second scene, then show a version with one structural control changed. Keep the model limits clear and quote any optional new sound first.

Then try

  • columns and rows each accept integers from 4 to 10 and change the real tile grid.

  • Prefer a grid that leaves enough width for highlights and shadow edges.

What to have ready

  • Choose grid dimensions, a seed and ribbon width. No image source is required.
  • Node 22.12+, Chrome or Chromium, FFmpeg and ffprobe.
  • The new film examples use ASCII text. Accents and other scripts need a suitable font plus input and layout adjustments.

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Questions

Why do neighboring ribbons meet?

Both tile orientations end at the four edge midpoints, so neighboring settled tiles share endpoint coordinates. The pairing inside each tile changes.

Are the ribbons connected while a tile is rotating?

No. The lift and quarter-turn intentionally interrupt the joins. Connectivity is checked at the settled states.

Can I use a different grid in portrait?

Yes. Columns and rows independently control the grid. The included portrait project uses more rows and fewer columns instead of stretching the wide pattern.

What is already packaged in Truchet Ribbon Film?

The scene geometry, timing and mechanism validator. The editable wide example and its actual controls. Changed-input, invariant and portable-rebuild checks. Control ranges, artistic decisions and model boundaries.

Which parts of Truchet Ribbon Film can add a charge?

The supplied geometry renders locally. New music, ambience or narration is optional and quoted through PopNow; adequate owned audio can be mixed afterward. Computer and Agent costs depend on your setup. Connections using a PopNow API key, including API-key MCP connections, spend from the separate API balance in USD. A ChatGPT or Claude connection authorized through OAuth spends website credits. These balances are separate; the quote shown by your connection is the approval basis.

How does Truchet Ribbon Film differ from writing a prompt or my own skill?

The orientation map, shared edge ports and staggered rotations are already coordinated. This avoids drawing unrelated decorative arcs and calling them connected; changing a grid parameter rebuilds the tile geometry and its motion schedule.