I'm a newbie in this type of approach to programming since I really doesn't care for hardcore graphics generation. I design, write, run, and study parametrized climate models with python. But, at last, I have encountered myself with a visualization issue.
I was looking for something in Cairo library that allows me to map a linear gradient onto an arbitrary curve (not necessarily a circumference) such that there is a more or less smooth variation of colour (or shade) across my path. Then I have been looking for some pattern and I finally found that maybe mesh gradients in Cairo are the solution.
However, I can't create a new mesh gradient from my python script with cairo.pattern_create_mesh()!
Therefore, my questions are: How I use mesh gradients in Cairo? Is there any other simple way to do what I want with Cairo (I don't know, like a simple mapping from a line segment to a curve via parametrization, I know I ask too much)?
Mesh patterns were added in cairo 1.12 which is the latest release. Thus, most language bindings likely don't support them yet. I don't know anything about the combination of python and cairo and thus don't know any workaround.
I don't know any simple way to simulate what you need with other patterns, sorry. (Although I am not really sure how you want to do your mapping via mesh gradients either...)
Using mesh gradients in Cairo for coloring a path