Author Topic: A Text Based Knot Cypher  (Read 17418 times)

DerekSmith

  • IGKT Member
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1572
  • Knot Botherer
    • ALbion Alliance
A Text Based Knot Cypher
« on: March 21, 2008, 09:57:43 AM »
Frank Brown has worked on a system for communicating a knot diagram using a string of text characters.

 bai caj abd bbg cbh dbj bck ccg dcl cdo 

 for example, is the cypher for the overhand knot diagram.



Easy to communicate, and unambiguous in its description of the diagram.

Each three letter block represents one cell in the diagram.  The first letter denotes the column starting top left with 'a'. The second letter denotes the row, top row again starts with 'a'.  The third letter denotes a picture 'tile' from a set defined on the wiki.

Reading the cypher, the first three letters bai signify tile 'i', a quarter turn, in column 'b' row 'a'.  the crossing tiles are self evident.  the tile 'd' in column 'a' row 'b' denotes the working end of the knot, and the arrow tile 'o' in the set cdo denotes the SP.

If you would like to read more about Franks cypher and even download a Windows program which allows you to key in this cypher and recreate the diagram or draw a diagram to create a new cypher then go to the new wiki.

http://knotcyphers.pbwiki.com/The-FCB-Cypher

The next version will have facility to use multiple cords and be able to reverse the 'handedness' of a diagram.

It has gone about as far as it can in the glorious isolation of the creation bench, time now for some new minds to add their thoughts to its development either here or over on the wiki.

Derek

DerekSmith

  • IGKT Member
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1572
  • Knot Botherer
    • ALbion Alliance
Re: A Text Based Knot Cypher
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2008, 11:11:22 AM »
Example of the Reef knot diagram



and its cypher

 hai iaj gbi hbg ibh jba fcd gcg hcl icf gdf hdi idh jdp fem geg heh iel gfk hfl

Because all the tiles have a centre face connection, it forces the diagram to take on a diagonal slant in order to represent the structure of the crossings.

This can be a little disturbing to start with, but I have got used to it now.

Attached is the little text file that the windows program produces with the full cypher which can be loaded into the program to recreate the diagram

Derek

DerekSmith

  • IGKT Member
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1572
  • Knot Botherer
    • ALbion Alliance
Re: A Text Based Knot Cypher
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2008, 08:49:14 PM »
For anyone who has decided to download the Cypher utility, here is another sample to look at.

Derek

DerekSmith

  • IGKT Member
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1572
  • Knot Botherer
    • ALbion Alliance
Re: A Text Based Knot Cypher
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2008, 10:48:26 AM »
Just a taster of V4's multi cord utility.

Here is the Reef in two cords.



Derek

DerekSmith

  • IGKT Member
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1572
  • Knot Botherer
    • ALbion Alliance
Re: A Text Based Knot Cypher
« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2008, 01:37:24 PM »
Most of us are aware of the limitations of 'laying out' a knot in order to be able to create a 2D drawing of a knot which is a 3D entity. The diagram cannot help when it comes to explaining how the knot should be dressed, but it can at least show the basic structure of a reasonable number of relatively 'simple' knots (or parts of the structure of the more complex decorative designs).

So if you need to explain a structure to someone, why not try out Frank Browns Cypher and the new Windows drawing program (FREE) from the Knotcyphers wiki here http://knotcyphers.pbwiki.com/The+FCB+Cypher

The drawing program can create diagrams using up to 3 cords and writes the cypher for the diagrams - 'on the fly'.  Saving the cypher into a small text file just takes a couple of clicks, but if someone sends you a cypher file, simply load it into the FCB4.exe utility and it immediately redraws the diagram for you.

What knot does this cypher describe?

 ebc cci dce ech fce gcj cdf edf gdh bem ceh dee eeg gel cff efh cgk egl

 fdi hdj feh hef dfi ffg gfe hfh ifp dgh fgf hgf dhk ehe fhh ghe hhl fib

Version 4 of the program can now be downloaded from the wiki, if you either paste the cypher strings into the cord boxes, or load the little cypher file attached, you should see the diagram drawn for you.

Derek

DerekSmith

  • IGKT Member
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1572
  • Knot Botherer
    • ALbion Alliance
Re: A Text Based Knot Cypher
« Reply #5 on: April 06, 2008, 03:09:44 PM »
If this is the Rolling hitch



then what variant is this?



Derek

DerekSmith

  • IGKT Member
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1572
  • Knot Botherer
    • ALbion Alliance
Re: A Text Based Knot Cypher
« Reply #6 on: May 22, 2008, 10:35:20 AM »
The drawing program has just had a couple of enhancements.

First is auto load, if you drag and drop a .cyp file onto the FCB41.exe icon or its shortcut, then the program auto opens and auto loads the file.

Second is the inclusion of a 'spar' to improve the visualisation of hitches.  The 'spar' can be pulled down and positioned anywhere on the drawing space.



The new version 4.14 can be downloaded from the wiki here http://knotcyphers.pbwiki.com/The+FCB+Cypher