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Don’t want to download the turtleSpaces client just yet? Well, you can take turtleSpaces for a bit of a spin using Myrtlebot, our turtleSpaces Twitter Bot! Myrtlebot executes whatever Logo code (not procedures yet) you tweet at her, and then returns an image of the results. In the future, we plan to allow for the recording of movies, but for now it’s just a still image. If your code runs for more than 60 seconds, it will be cut off at the 60 second mark.

turtleSpaces has a new primitive, SAVESTL, which can be used to export 3D models of the current turtleSpace.

savestl "modelname

creates a new folder in the current project folder (TSP) with the extension MDL (eg modelname.mdl), inside which contains STL format files, one for each color used in the space. These files can be used with other 3D applications (such as the pictured viewstl.com website), and can be 3D printed (although the sides of objects may need to be extruded using another application first, if the desire is for the objects to be hollow).

One of the best things about turtleSpaces is its capacity for discovery through play.

Today I was playing with spirals:

I started off by creating a simple spiral using the RARC primitive and a simple REPEAT loop. This loop uses REPCOUNT (the current repeat loop iteration) to define the radius of the arc, resulting in an ever-growing spiral.

I clicked and dragged on the window to rotate the camera around the spiral. But let’s make the spiral itself three-dimensional:

TO rain

  reset

  penup hideturtle
  fullscreen
  setbackgroundcolor blue setbackgroundshade 12
  make "count 0

  forever [

    inc "count
    setposition {-300 + random 600 300 -300 + random 600}
    make "size 0.25 + ((1 + random 20) / 20)

    begintag "teardrop
    setfillcolor pick [2 3 6 7 14]
    setfillshade -10 + random 20

    up 90
    cutsphere 10 * :size 20 20 1 13
    lower 4.5 * :size
    cone 8.9 * :size 18 * :size 20
    down 90
    ;raindrop

    endtag

    newmodel :count "teardrop
    clean

    hatch [
      setmodel :count
      showturtle
      make "speed (5 + random 10) / 10
      while ypos > -300 [
        back :speed rollright 0.25
      ]
    ]

    wait 5 + random 25
  ]

END

You can communicate with turtleSpaces over a socket (telnet) connection to port 1967.

First you need to issue the API command inside of turtleSpaces to enable API connections, or use the -enable-api flag when starting up.

Then connect to turtleSpaces from an external application or terminal. You can issue instructions to affect turtles and the environment just like you would do inside the turtleSpaces application.

The API connection executes as its own worker. You can also redirect input and output to the API instance by using setread "api and setwrite "api – but these must be issued by the API worker itself to redirect to that worker (if you use another API connection, reading and writing will be redirected to that API instance, for example).

TO snake
  
  ;setup:
  
  reset
  ;empties (erases) all containers (variables),
  ;returns the turtles to their default positions,
  ;restores their states to defaults
  
  release
  ;sets all the turtles, except for the default ones
  ;(myrtle, snappy, libby) 'free' - erasing them
  
  penup
  ;don't draw
  
  setbackgroundcolor lightblue
  
  hideturtle
  ;don't show the executing turtle (typically myrtle)
  
  stealth
  ;don't show up in output from the near primitive
  
  noaudiowait
  ;don't delay when playing sounds (the default)]
  
  print |Use keys J and K to turn snake, eat apples!|
  ;print instructions to the screen
  
  ;create the 'ground'
  setfillcolor brown
  setpos [-185 -115]
  lower 5
  quad 185 * 2 115 * 2
  
  make "score 0
  make "length 8
  ;the default snake length, in segments
  
  make "queue empty
  ;this snake implementation uses a push / pull queue
  ;to keep track of the snake's turns
  
  repeat :length [push "fd "queue]
  ;all segments start moving forward
  
  newmodel "ball [setfillcolor 12 icosphere 5]
  newmodel "head [setfillcolor 4 icosphere 6]
  newmodel "apple [setfillcolor red icosphere 4]
  ;create turtle models, where ball is a non-head segment
  
  ;create the turtles that make up the starting snake:
  repeat :length [
    nameturtle repcount
    ;create a new turtle
    ;each segment has the number of its segment as its name
    
    control repcount {"wrap "penup "back repcount "* 10 "showturtle}
    ;initialize the new turtle and move it into position
    ;{} denotes a 'softlist', a list whose contents are evaluated
    ;at execution
    
    control repcount [
      setbounds [-185 -115 185 115]
    ]
    ;sets the bounds used for wrapping. [] denotes a 'hardlist', a
    ;list whose contents are fixed and not evaluated
    
    if repcount = 1 [control 1 [setmodel "head]]
    ;if this is the first segment, give it the 'head' model
    else [control repcount [setmodel "ball]]
    ;otherwise, give it the 'ball' (segment) model
  ]
  
  ;set up the 'apple' turtle:
  nameturtle "apple
  control "apple [
    penup setmodel "apple showturtle
    
    dountil (count near position 5) = 1 [
      setpos {-180 + (10 * random 36) -100 + (10 * random 20)}
    ]
    ;set a random position until such times as the apple is not near
    ;any snake segments (turtles)
    
    ;leading parameters used in comparison operators (=, >, < etc) ;must be enclosed in {}'s if more than a single value or primitive ;because the parser evaluates right to left ] ;the main loop: forever [ norender ;don't render while we shuffle the snake forward for {"i 1 :length} [ make "move item :i :queue ;set the move variable to the :i item in the :queue switch "move case "fd [ask :i [forward 10]] case "rt [ask :i [right 90 forward 10]] case "lt [ask :i [left 90 forward 10]] ;switch / case statements execute instructions based on the ;contents of the container (variable) provided to switch ;ask creates a new worker that executes the commands using ;the specified turtle (the turtle named by :i) ;so, in this for loop we are iterating through the :queue, ;moving the turtle segments based on the item present in ;each space in the queue (fd, rt or lt) ] while workers != [] [sleep 1] ;sleep execution until the ask workers finish moving their ;turtles (the snake). This way, when we enable the render, ;we won't catch the snake mid-move. render ;enable rendering again wait 40 - :score ;wait units are 60ths of a second. The higher the score, the ;shorter the wait will be ;user control: if keyp [ ;did the user press a key? If so, do this stuff: make "input readchar ;take the output from the readchar primitive and place it ;into the input container. keyp indicates if there is a character ;already in the keyboard buffer. If readchar is called when there ;is no character in the buffer, it waits. switch "input case "j [push "lt "queue] ;if the user pressed the j key, push lt to the front of the queue case "k [push "rt "queue] ;if the user pressed the k key, push rt to the front of the queue otherwise [push "fd "queue] ;if no case has been satisfied since switch (the user pressed a key ;other than j or k), push fd to the front of the queue ] else [push "fd "queue] ;similarly, if the user hasn't pressed any key, push fd to the front ;of the queue ignore dequeue "queue ;ignore (drop) the last value off the end of the :queue ;dequeue would ordinarily return this value, ignore sends it into ;the ether ;is there something occupying the same space as the head of the snake? if (count (near 1:position 5)) > 1 [
      ;near returns the names of the turtles within the specified distance (5)
      ;count returns the count of the number of turtles returned by near
      ;if there is more than one (the head itself), we will execute the following:
      
      if memberp "apple near 1:position 5 [
        ;is it an apple?
        
        playsound "chomp
        inc "score
        ;increment the value in the score container by one
        
        (print |Yum! Score:| :score)
        ;to pass more than the default number of parameters to a primitive, wrap
        ;it in parentheses (round brackets)
        
        dountil (count near apple:position 5) = 1 [
          control "apple [setpos {-180 + (10 * random 36) -100 + (10 * random 20)}]
        ]
        ;place a new apple
        
        repeat 2 + int (:score / 10) [
          
          queue "pa "queue
          ;a pa or 'pass' will cause these new segments not to move on the next
          ;iteration, until movement commands are 'shuffled' on to their places
          ;in the queue
          
          inc "length
          ;increment the value of the length container by one
          
          nameturtle :length
          ;create a new turtle with the name contained in :length (the new length)
          
          (control :length {"hideturtle "setmodel ""ball "wrap "penup "setpos
          "query :length - 1 leftbracket "position rightbracket "setvectors
          "query :length - 1 leftbracket "vectors rightbracket})
          ;set up the new turtle and make sure it's positioned next to the
          ;previously last turtle, and is facing in the same direction
          
          control :length [setbounds [-185 -115 185 115] showturtle]
          ;set the bounds of the new turtle and show it
          
          wait 10
        ]
        ;add new segment to the snake
        
      ]
      
      ;and if it's not an apple?
      else [
        print "crash! playsound "crash finish
      ]
      ;game over, man! game over!
    ]
  ]
  
END

<span data-mce-type=“bookmark” style=“display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=“mce_SELRES_start”></span><span data-mce-type=“bookmark” style=“display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=“mce_SELRES_start”></span>

TO spiraltunnelanimation
  reset fullscreen
  setbackgroundcolor 0
  dropanchor penup
  raise 190 pullout 50
  
  repeat 2100 [
    setfillshade -15 + int (repcount / 65)
    
    setfillcolor (item 1 + remainder int (repcount / 2.35) 8
    {red orange yellow green lightgreen cyan blue magenta})
    
    voxeloid 7 12 20
    
    orbitleft 10.1 lower 0.6
  ]
  
  home lower 3000
  setmodelscale 2.5
  down 90 right 180
  make "dir 0
  snappy:setanchor [0 0 -1050]
  
  forever [
    forward 2 rollright 0.1
    if zpos > 1500 [setz -3000]
    snappy:rollleft 0.05 snappy:pullin 0.1
    
    if and :dir = 0 snappy:orbitdistance = 0 [
      make "dir 1
      snappy:right 180
      setbackgroundcolor 15
      snappy:setanchor [0 0 180]
    ]
    
    if and :dir = 1 snappy:orbitdistance = 0 [
      make "dir 0
      snappy:right 180
      setbackgroundcolor 0
      snappy:setanchor [0 0 -1050]
    ]
  ]
END

Logo is great for creating art! And 3D Logo makes it even better.

Many of these Logo artworks were inspired by examples created by Seymour Papert’s daughter Artemis Papert using the two-dimensional block-based TurtleArt application developed by LCSI Logo developer Brian Silverman. We’re grateful for both of their efforts in advancing Logo over the past several decades!

TO adobo
  reset setpenwidth 5 definecolor 16 [0 0 0]
  setpc 16 setbg 1 setbs 12 pu
  repeat 9 [
    repeat 10 [
      setpos {-120 + 20 * repcount -120 + 20 * repabove 1}
      setz -2 + 0.01 * random 400
      setfc pick [8 9 13]
      setfs -13 + random 10
      setheading -5 + random 11
      square 40 box 40
    ]
  ]
END

Let’s make a rocket ship kind of like the Saturn V used in the moon landings!

TO rocket
  
  ;step [rocket]
  
  ;uncomment step line above to 'step through'
  ;building the rocket. You will need to call
  ;rocket twice
  
  clearscreen
  penup
  
  up 90
  
  setfillcolor red
  cone 10 30 12
  ;create the nose cone
  
  ;cone takes three parameters:
  ;radius, depth (or height) and sides
  
  ;So in this case, a radius of 10 turtle
  ;units, a depth of 30 turtle units, and
  ;12 sides.

  ;the cone is created under the turtle
  
  down 180
  ;flip over
  
  setfillcolor white
  cylinder 10 50 12
  ;create the body
  
  ;cylinder takes three parameters:
  ;radius, depth and sides, like cone
  
  ;the cylinder is created under the turtle
  ;similarly to cone
  lower 50
  ;lowers the turtle, like as if going
  ;down in an elevator
  
  ;same as: down 90 forward 50 up 90
  
  setfillcolor blue
  cutcone 10 15 20 12
  ;create the base
  
  ;cutcone creates a truncated cone
  ;cutcone takes four parameters:
  ;near radius, far radius, depth and sides

  ;like cone, the cut cone is created under
  ;the turtle
  
  ;begin APOLLO inscription
  
  up 90
  raise 11
  ;going up! (like in an elevator)
  
  settypedepth 5
  settypesize 6
  slideright 3
  ;same as right 90 forward 3 left 90
  
  inscribe |  APOLLO|
  ;incribe prints text in front of the turtle
  ;without moving it.
  ;compare with typeset which prints to the right
  ;and moves the turtle.
  
  slideleft 3
  ;same as left 90 forward 3 right 90
  
  lower 11
  ;going down!
  
  down 90
  ;not the same as lower, which lowers
  ;down tilts the turtle down
  
  ;end of APOLLO inscription
  
  ;begin fins:
  lower 20
  up 90
  setfillcolor grey
  twosided
  ;light both sides of surfaces
  
  rat 40 lat 40
  ;create a triangle to the right,
  ;(Right Angle Triangle = rat)
  ;and a triangle to the left
  ;(Left-facing right Angle Triangle = lat)
  
  rollright 90
  setfillcolor lightblue
  rat 40 lat 40
  rollleft 90  down 90
  ;end fins
  
  ;begin rockets
  forward 8
  setfillcolor yellow
  cylinder 5 5 10
  back 16
  cylinder 5 5 10
  forward 8
  slideleft 8
  cylinder 5 5 10
  slideright 16
  cylinder 5 5 10
  ;end rockets
  
  ;begin fire
  setfillcolor orange
  lower 5
  cutcone 3 2 3 10
  slideleft 16
  cutcone 3 2 3 10
  slideright 8
  forward 8
  cutcone 3 2 3 10
  back 16
  cutcone 3 2 3 10
  ;end fire
  
END

Create a ‘random’ solar system and surrounding star field using these commented Logo procedures:

TO solsys
  reset
  ;reset the turtles and clear the environment
  
  fullscreen
  ;don't display text
  
  ask "snappy [pullout 1000]
  ;ask the camera turtle to pull away from
  ;myrtle 1000 turtle units
  
  penup
  ;raise the turtle's pen so she doesn't draw
  
  hideturtle
  ;go incognito
  
  stars
  ;jump to the stars procedure, which creates
  ;a starfield around our solar system
  
  setfillcolor yellow
  icosphere 75
  ;make the sun, an icosphere 75 turtle units
  ;in radius
  
  dropanchor
  ;set Myrtle's 'anchor point' or the point
  ;she orbits around to her home position.
  ;By default it is somewhat in front of it.
  
  pullout 100
  ;pull out from the anchor point 100 turtle units
  
  repeat 10 [
    ;do the following ten times, to create ten planets
    
    pullout 100
    ;pull out from the anchor point 100 more
    ;turtle units
    
    orbitleft random 360
    ;orbit to the left between 0 and 360 degrees
    ;(up to one full orbit of the anchor point)
    
    planet repcount
    ;jump to the planet procedure, passing it
    ;the current iteration of the repeat loop
    ;as its parameter - the current planet number
    
  ]
  ;this is the end of the planet creation loop
  
  snappy:forever [orbitdown 0.001]
  ;orbit around the scene
  ;snappy: is shorthand for 'ask "snappy []'
  
END

TO stars
  ;create a starfield
  
  repeat 500 [
    
    randomvectors
    ;points the turtle in a random 3D
    ;direction. 'Vectors' describe absolute
    ;directions in 3D space using numbers.
    ;We call them vectors so as to not confuse
    ;them with relative directions such as up,
    ;down, left or right. A turtle with certain
    ;vectors will always point a certain way.
    ;For now, that's all you need to know!
    
    forward 1500 + random 500
    ;move forward 1500 turtle units plus
    ;between 0 and 499 turtle units in the
    ;turtle's forward direction - its forward
    ;'vector'
    
    ;Note: 'random' generates a number between
    ;0 and one less than the number you give it.
    ;The turtle knows what you mean when you say
    ;'random' because random is a primitive - a
    ;word the turtle knows.
    
    up 90
    ;tilt the turtle up 90 degrees, one quarter of
    ;a circle or one quarter of a complete rotation.
    ;Like as if you leaned back so far you were
    ;staring up at the sky
    
    randomfillcolor
    ;random means 'pick one at random', in this
    ;case a random fill color, numbered between 1
    ;and 15 (there are 16 default colors, but 0 is
    ;transparent and not typically a useful fill
    ;color!)
    
    spot 5 + random 5
    ;make a 'star', a spot with a radius of 5
    ;turtle units plus 0 - 4 additional turtle units
    
    home
    ;go back to the home position
  ]
  ;make 500 stars
  
END

TO planet :number
  ;make a planet. The number passed to
  ;planet is used to uniquely identify
  ;its 'model' - what it looks like
  
  newmodel :number [
    randomfillcolor
    ;Remember: not black!
    
    icosphere 10 + random 25
    ;create a randomly-sized sphere
    
    randomvectors
    ;'what's your vectors, Victor?'
    
    dountil fillcolor != yellow [randomfillcolor]
    ;not yellow!
    
    spot 10 + random 30
    ;create a randomly-sizes spot.
    ;If it's bigger than the sphere
    ;then it will act as a ring
    
  ]
  ;make a random planet model with the
  ;name of the planet number stored
  ;in the :number container, which was
  ;created when the number was passed
  ;in to the planet procedure
  
  ;Models are not unique to turtles, and
  ;so they each need a unique name, regardless
  ;of whatever turtle 'wears' them. But that
  ;name can just be a number, as long as it
  ;is a unique number
  
  hatch [
    ;hatch a new turtle from this spot
    
    showturtle
    ;show the hatchling's model. Hatchlings
    ;models are hidden when they are hatched
    ;as are those of other turtles when they
    ;are newly created. Only Myrtle is shown
    ;by default
    
    put 1 + random 10 in "speed
    ;generate a random number between
    ;0 and 9, add it to 1 and put it in
    ;a container named 'speed'
    
    setmodel :number
    ;set the hatchling's 'model' or
    ;appearance to the name stored in
    ;the :number container
    
    setanchor [0 0 0]
    ;set the 'anchor' or the point a turtle
    ;orbits around to [0 0 0], the location
    ;of the sun
    
    forever [
      orbitleft :speed * 0.001
    ]
    ;orbit around the sun 'forever'
  ]
  ;this is the end of the hatchling's code
  
END