Glacier Interference: two navy gratings drawing slow moiré bands
Glacier Interference lays two fine navy line gratings over a glacier blue ground, the second turned about three degrees and spaced a touch wider. Neither grating contains any large shapes, yet their slight mismatch draws broad diagonal bands of dark and light, far wider than any single line. On Counterflow the second grating rocks back and forth, and the bands sweep and change pitch across the frame every 7.5 seconds.
Make it yours
Change the band width
Spatial depth sets the angle between the two gratings, from about one degree at 0 to seven at 100. A smaller angle gives fewer, wider bands that drift slowly; a larger one packs in narrow bands that move fast.
Refine the lines
Pattern density is 60. Raise it toward 90 for hairline gratings whose bands look almost like soft gradients, or lower it to 30 so each individual line reads clearly beside the moiré.
FAQ
Why do two fine line patterns create such wide moiré bands?
When two gratings cross at a small angle, their lines slip in and out of alignment slowly across the frame. Where they coincide, the gaps stay open and the area looks light; where they alternate, the gaps close and it looks dark. The smaller the angle, the wider those bands.
How it works
Choose a starting point
Start from one of 16 looks such as Riley Current, Cobalt Tunnel or Moiré Twins, or pick one of 8 pattern geometries, from Halftone and Checkerboard to Moiré and Weave.
Bend the pattern
Pick a Mark shape and a Distortion field such as Lens, Pinch, Fold or Twist, set Pattern density, Mark weight, Spatial depth, Wave distortion and Color separation, then drag the artwork to position it.
Loop it and use it
Press Play to run a seamless Flow, Breathe or Counterflow loop, set the two inks, Light color and Backlight, then sign in with a free UX Pilot account to use it on the canvas or export it.