> Yeah I didn't think it was frivolous, it's just difficult to think of how to go about making a UI to do something like that in one step which is general purpose enough, yet not too terribly complex and hard to use...

There are lots of ways to approach it I think, each with its strengths and weaknesses. One easy way would be to use a network of curves as a 'scaffold' for positioning smaller pattern elements (essentially a multiple 'curve array' operation) and applying some construction rules to the pattern elements deposited by the curves. In the example I've attached, wavy curves deposit circles at regular intervals and intersecting circles get deleted. A different rule could be 'find midpoint of intersecting pattern elements and draw one larger pattern element around that midpoint'. Or indeed 'sweep area around pattern element (sweep radius = 10) and modify pattern element size based on volume of other pattern elements that fall inside sweep area'. And so on.

I don't there is a single solution that will work for all imaginable pattern types, but functions like this could help take the pain out of creating certain decorative or functional structural patterns, especially if the construction remains 'live' so you can go back and alter the construction parameters at will.

-d