Colouring the "leaves" (self-intersections) of parametric curves

Question

I want to emphasize the self-intersections ("leaves") of parametric curves by applying a pattern or color to them.

Using cvgmt's answer to this question:

how-to-separate-the-regions-enclosed-by-curves

We define:

MeshComponents[plot_, n_, d_] :=
 Module[{mc},
  mc = RegionDistance[DiscretizeGraphics @ plot];
  mc = ImplicitRegion[mc @ {x, y} >= d, {{x, -n, n}, {y, -n, n}}];
  mc = BoundaryDiscretizeRegion[mc,
    Method -> "Semialgebraic",
    MaxCellMeasure -> 0.01];
  ConnectedMeshComponents @ mc]

We also define

$fill = PatternFilling["Diamond", ImageScaled[1/30]];

and

ColorLeaves[plot_, n_, d_, del_] :=
 Module[{mc, cl},
  mc = Delete[List /@ del] @ MeshComponents[plot, n, d];
  cl = Transpose[{Array[$fill &, Length @ mc], mc}];
  Show[Graphics[cl, Axes -> True], plot]]

Filling the leaves of an Epitrochoid is now relatively easy:

fun = 
 {a Sin[u] - b Sin[2 a u], a Cos[u] - b Cos[2 a u]} /. {a :> 3.5, b :> 1.2};

plot = ParametricPlot[fun, {u, 0, 2 Pi}];

MeshComponents[plot, 5, 0.025]

To only select the leaves we have to delete the first and third component.

ColorLeaves[plot, 5, 0.025, {1, 3}]

We use the same procedure to colour two other curves:

$fill = FaceForm[ColorData[97, "ColorList"][[2]]];

fun =
  {Cos[u] (a Sin[u]^b + 1)/a, -Sin[u] (a Cos[u]^c + 1)/a} /. {a :> 3, b :> 3, c :> 2};

plot = ParametricPlot[fun, {u, 0, 2 Pi}];

Looking at its mesh components we see that the 1st and 4th component must be deleted.

ColorLeaves[plot, 1, 0.0025, {1, 4}]

Similarly with the next plot:

fun = {Sin[u], -Cos[u]} Cos[u] (4 Sin[u]^2 - 1);

plot = ParametricPlot[fun, {u, 0, 2 Pi}];

ColorLeaves[plot, 1, 0.0025, {2}]

My question

It is cumbersome to visually inspect the mesh components for each curve and select the right ones. How can this process be automated? I need a short function which automatically detects the roundish leave-like shapes and ignores the other ones.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions and a Happy New Year for all of you

Answer 1

• It seems that https://mathematica.stackexchange.com/a/295351/72111 with RegionDisjoint work for all the cases.
• Here we test the more complex cases fun = 8 {Cos[u], Sin[u]} - 2.5 {Cos[10 u], Sin[8 u]};

Clear["Global`*"];
fun = 8 {Cos[u], Sin[u]} - 2.5 {Cos[10 u], Sin[8 u]};
$fill = PatternFilling["Diamond", ImageScaled[1/30]];

plot = ParametricPlot[fun, {u, 0, 2 \[Pi]}, PlotPoints -> 60, 
   MaxRecursion -> 2];
lines = Cases[plot, _Line, -1] // First;
data = Region`Mesh`SplitIntersectingSegments[lines];
pts = data[[1]];
splits = data[[2]];
segments = Flatten[Partition[#, 2, 1] & /@ splits, 1];
g = Graph[Range@Length@pts, UndirectedEdge @@@ segments, 
   VertexCoordinates -> pts];
faces = PlanarFaceList[g];
polys = Polygon[pts[[#]]] & /@ faces;
polys = Pick[polys, Or @@@ Outer[RegionDisjoint, polys, polys]];
polys = DeleteDuplicates[polys, RegionEqual];
Graphics[{lines, {$fill, polys}, Magenta, 
  MapIndexed[Text[Style[First@#2, 18, Bold], RegionCentroid@#1] &, 
   polys]}]

• For

fun = 8 {Cos[u], Sin[u]} - 1.5 {Cos[8 u], Sin[10 u]};

Answer 2

ClearAll[meshLeaves]

meshLeaves = GraphComputation`SinkVertexList @
  RelationGraph[UnsameQ @ ## && 
       RegionWithin[BoundingRegion[#], BoundingRegion[#2]] &, 
     MeshComponents[##]] &;

Examples:

$fill = PatternFilling["Diamond", ImageScaled[1/30]];

fun1 = {a Sin[u] - b Sin[2 a u], 
    a Cos[u] - b Cos[2 a u]} /. {a :> 3.5, b :> 1.2};

plot1 = ParametricPlot[fun1, {u, 0, 2 Pi}];

Show[Graphics[{$fill, meshLeaves[plot1, 5, 0.025]}, Axes -> True], plot1]

fun2 = {Cos[u] (a Sin[u]^b + 1)/a, -Sin[u] (a Cos[u]^c + 1)/a} /. {a :>
      3, b :> 3, c :> 2};

plot2 = ParametricPlot[fun2, {u, 0, 2 Pi}];

Show[Graphics[{$fill, meshLeaves[plot2, 1, 0.0025]}, Axes -> True], plot2]

fun3 = {Sin[u], -Cos[u]} Cos[u] (4 Sin[u]^2 - 1);

plot3 = ParametricPlot[fun3, {u, 0, 2 Pi}];

Show[Graphics[{$fill, meshLeaves[plot3, 1, 0.0025]}, Axes -> True], plot3]