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Life & fun · March 2, 2022

IM

I made a WebGL-based app that traces images using circles

I was fascinated by this [0] and this video [1]. After many struggles, I finally built this app that traces images using circles similar to what these videos had shown. The most challenging part (to me) is to find a way to convert images to vector lines. I had tried Potrace, but its output is not suitable for my use case: too many small elements share the same border. Potrace's goal is to represent the original image faithfully using vector lines. But I want to trace the image edges. After searching and trying some Potrace alternatives in vain, I finally found my keyword. Surprisingly (to…

I made a WebGL-based app that traces images using circles launched on March 2, 2022 with 93 votes, #404 of 3,153 launches that month and more than 90% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 4 years on.

Visit phqb.github.io ↗Alternativestop 13% of March 2022

In plain words

This WebGL app reconstructs images using circles arranged to trace edges rather than replicate the original. The maker built it after exploring similar visualization techniques, ultimately developing a custom edge-detection approach in Rust and WebAssembly to overcome limitations in existing vectorization tools. The app is for anyone interested in experimental image rendering and geometric art.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

In the maker’s words, at launch

I was fascinated by this [0] and this video [1]. After many struggles, I finally built this app that traces images using circles similar to what these videos had shown. The most challenging part (to me) is to find a way to convert images to vector lines. I had tried Potrace, but its output is not suitable for my use…

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