Lindenmayer.jl · Lindenmayer
Hacker News
February 16, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Lindenmayer.jl is a powerful Julia package designed to create Lindenmayer systems (L-Systems), which are recursive mathematical models used to simulate biological growth patterns and generate complex fractals. Developed by Hungarian biologist Aristid Lindenmayer in 1968, L-Systems have since been applied to study plant cell behavior, model organism morphology, and produce self-similar fractals like the Sierpinski triangle and Hilbert curve. The package leverages Luxor.jl for rendering, allowing users to define custom drawing rules and visualize intricate patterns.
The package enables users to define L-Systems with a set of replacement rules and an initial state. For example, the Sierpinski triangle is created using two rules: "F" becomes "G+F+Gt," and "G" becomes "F-G-F." The system evolves iteratively, transforming symbols like F and G into sequences of commands that control a turtle-like drawing mechanism. This mechanism interprets characters such as "+" for clockwise rotation, "-" for counterclockwise rotation, and "t" for color shifts, enabling the creation of visually stunning fractals.
Lindenmayer.jl's drawLSystem() function evaluates and renders these systems, with customizable parameters like line thickness, angle adjustments, and starting positions. The package supports a wide range of turtle commands, allowing for precise control over drawing behavior. This makes it an invaluable tool for researchers, developers, and artists exploring recursive patterns in fields like computer graphics, artificial intelligence, and mathematical modeling. By combining simplicity of use with powerful generative capabilities, Lindenmayer.jl offers a unique approach to visualizing natural growth processes and fractal geometry
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Originally published on Hacker News on 2/16/2026