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Documentation Algorithmic design

Algorithmic design

Let an assistant write the script

beginner

Last updated Sep 23, 2026

You do not need to write code to make your own algorithmic design. Describe what you want, and let an assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude write the script. Popcorn gives the assistant everything it needs to know in one prompt.

Ask for a design

  1. Open the Ask AI tab of the Algorithmic design window, or choose Menu ▸ Algorithmic design ▸ Ask an assistant….
  2. Under Describe what you want, write the design in plain words, for example "concentric circles that get thinner towards the edge, black on white".
  3. Press Copy prompt (or ⌘Enter, Ctrl+Enter on Windows) and paste it into the assistant.
  4. Copy the assistant's whole answer and paste it under Paste the reply.

Popcorn keeps only the code from the reply, runs it and switches to Controls, where the sliders the assistant chose are ready to tune. Press Apply when you like it.

Change a script you have

When a script is already open, Change the current script is on. The prompt then carries the script and your slider values, so you can ask for a change: "make the lines thicker towards the bottom", "add a slider for the number of rings". The reply replaces the code, and if you are editing a script group, Update replaces its shapes.

Switch it off to start from scratch.

When the script stops

Assistants make mistakes. When a script stops, the Code tab marks the line and explains what went wrong, and the Ask AI tab offers Copy problem for AI. Paste that into the same conversation and paste the corrected reply back. Usually one round is enough.

Writing a good request

  • Say what to draw and how it should feel: "sparse", "dense", "calm", "chaotic".
  • Name the colors, or ask for black on white.
  • Ask for the sliders you want to play with: "a slider for the spacing and one for the line weight".
  • If the design should use the selected objects, say so and select them before copying the prompt.

What the prompt contains

The prompt holds the functions a script can use, a few rules for writing a good one, the size of the artboard, the kind, position and size of the selected objects, the swatch colors and, when you change a script, its code and slider values. It never contains text from your design, layer names or images. Nothing leaves Popcorn unless you paste it somewhere yourself.

Scripts from an assistant run in the same sealed sandbox as every other script. See Privacy, safety and limits.

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