mjhjmtu

I'm trying to draw a diagram in TikZ that helps visually explain an analogy I'm trying to make in a paper. Basically, I want to start with a plane that contains many random paths of different lengths, such as that below. I created that diagram by compiling the code below in LuaLaTeX, which combines two other answers on the site (at Drawing random paths and Drawing in random locations -- you will need to use the poisson disc sampling library the latter refers to).

I want to make a few tweaks to the output. Firstly, to tidy it up, I don't want the paths to be able to turn back on themselves so easily, so as to eliminate the sharp kinks and arrowheads pointing the 'wrong' direction in some of the paths. Secondly, if possible, I want some of the paths to be loosely correlated to one another: as if certain paths had a mass that gravitationally attracted the paths around them to some degree. And I want these certain paths to be drawn in a different colour to all the other paths.

Is this possible? I'd be very grateful for any help.

RequirePackageluatex85
documentclassstandalone
usepackagetikz
usepackagepoisson
begindocument
edefmylistpoissonpointslist1050.3320

begintikzpicture

foreach x/y in mylist 
 draw[->, rounded corners=5pt] (x,y)
 foreach i in 1,...,3 
 -- ++(rnd*180:rnd)
 ;


endtikzpicture
enddocument

Something like this?

RequirePackageluatex85
documentclassstandalone
usepackagetikz
usepackagepoisson
begindocument
edefmylistpoissonpointslist1050.3320

begintikzpicture

foreach x/y in mylist 
 pgfmathsetmacromyrndrnd*360
 pgfmathsetmacromydistpow(x*x+y*y,1/3)/4
 draw[->, rounded corners=5pt] (mydist*x,mydist*y)
 foreach i in 1,...,3 
 -- ++(myrnd+rnd*60:rnd)
 ;

endtikzpicture
enddocument

I first compute a main angle and then add fluctuations to it which are between -60 and +60. To make the objects cluster, I add a function that will move things that are close to the clustering point a bit closer to it, and things that are remote even a bit further away.

Here is another proposal in which the directions are correlated, and the sharp corners are gone. They appear above because some segments are super short.

RequirePackageluatex85
documentclassstandalone
usepackagetikz
usepackagepoisson
begindocument
edefmylistpoissonpointslist1050.3320

begintikzpicture
foreach x/y in mylist 
 pgfmathsetmacromyrndrnd*60+(x+y)*120
 pgfmathsetmacromydistpow(x*x+y*y,1/3)/4
 draw[->, rounded corners=10pt] (mydist*x,mydist*y)
 foreach i in 1,...,3 
 -- ++(myrnd+rnd*60:0.2+0.8*rnd)
 ;

endtikzpicture
enddocument