Cyclic (c4) Octopletals and related figures

Gary Teachout shows on his page Fractal Space Filling Curves 2002 a rep-8 tile, which is the limit of an L-system, which he describes as An Eight Tile Cross. This figure is easy to reverse engineer as an IFS. It turns out to be a member of the set of polyPLET fractALS (tiles in which the space group is that of the square), and it appears to be the only arrangement of 8 elements which has c4 symmetry. Hence I refer to these figures are cyclic octopletals.

There are two versions; one in which the 8 elements are directly similar to the overall figure, and in in which they are inversely similar. It is the latter (the right hand image) that Gary Teachout presents.

cis-cyclic octopletaltrans-cyclic octopletal

Additional fractals can readily be derived from these. As there is no central element it is not possible to produce a propellor in the strict sense, but equivalent fractals can be produced either using the centre 4 elements as the centre, or having no centre at all. In the former case there are 4 distinct tiles (not shown). In the latter case there are the following 2 distinct tiles.

cis-cyclic octopletal propellortrans-cyclic octopletal propellor

Similarly it is not possible to produce a teardrop in the strict sense, but equivalent tiles can be produced. (The figures in which the central 4 elements are treated as the centre are disconnected.)

cis-cyclic octopletal teardroptrans-cyclic octopletal teardrop

As the central two elements of these figures have combined c4-symmetry they can be rotated by 90° to give alternative IFSs with the same attractors.

cis-cyclic octopletal teardroptrans-cyclic octopletal teardrop

From these half-figures can be produced.

half cis-cyclic octopletal teardrophalf trans-cyclic octopletal teardrop

The cyclic octopletals are composites of the twindragon and a rep-4 square. (They are not members of the regular set of composite pletals, unless this set is much richer than I know it to be.) Composition of IFSs is non-commutative, and composition of the same rep-4 square with the twin dragon gives the following two tiles.

double cis-cyclic octopletaldouble trans-cyclic octopletal

There are many other tiles which can be obtained from various of the above. Most have self-intersecting boundaries and voids. Two, which do not have voids, are shown below.

cis-octopletaltrans-octopletal

Sources: The trans-cyclic octopletal is taken from Gary Teachout's Fractal Space Filling Curves 2002.

References:

  • Fractal Space Filling Curves 2002
  • © 2002 Stewart R. Hinsley