Flutter: Drawing an N-Pointed Star with CustomClipper

This article shows you how to draw an n-pointed star (5-pointed star, 6-pointed star, 10-pointed star, 20-pointed star, etc.) by using the CustomClipper class in Flutter. There is no need to install any third-party packages. We will make things from scratch.

What Is The Point?

1. Implement a reusable custom clipper by extending the CustomClipper class:

// This custom clipper help us achieve n-pointed star shape
class StarClipper extends CustomClipper<Path> {
  /// The number of points of the star
  final int points;
  StarClipper(this.points);

  // Degrees to radians conversion
  double _degreeToRadian(double deg) => deg * (math.pi / 180.0);

  @override
  Path getClip(Size size) {
    Path path = Path();
    double max = 2 * math.pi;

    double width = size.width;
    double halfWidth = width / 2;

    double wingRadius = halfWidth;
    double radius = halfWidth / 2;

    double degreesPerStep = _degreeToRadian(360 / points);
    double halfDegreesPerStep = degreesPerStep / 2;

    path.moveTo(width, halfWidth);

    for (double step = 0; step < max; step += degreesPerStep) {
      path.lineTo(halfWidth + wingRadius * math.cos(step),
          halfWidth + wingRadius * math.sin(step));
      path.lineTo(halfWidth + radius * math.cos(step + halfDegreesPerStep),
          halfWidth + radius * math.sin(step + halfDegreesPerStep));
    }

    path.close();
    return path;
  }

  // If the new instance represents different information than the old instance, this method will return true, otherwise it should return false.
  @override
  bool shouldReclip(CustomClipper<Path> oldClipper) {
    StarClipper starClipper = oldClipper as StarClipper;
    return points != starClipper.points;
  }
}

2. Now you can draw a star with ease, like this:

 SizedBox(
                height: 360,
                width: 360,
                child: ClipPath(
                  clipper: StarClipper(6),
                  child: Container(
                    height: 300,
                    color: Colors.amber,
                  ),
                ),
              ),

The Complete Example

Preview

This example produces 4 different star shapes: a 5-pointed star, a 6-point star, a 10-pointed star, and a 20-pointed star.

The Code

The full source code in main.dart with explanations:

// kindacode.com
// main.dart
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'dart:math' as math;

// This custom clipper help us achieve n-pointed star shape
class StarClipper extends CustomClipper<Path> {
  /// The number of points of the star
  final int points;
  StarClipper(this.points);

  // Degrees to radians conversion
  double _degreeToRadian(double deg) => deg * (math.pi / 180.0);

  @override
  Path getClip(Size size) {
    Path path = Path();
    double max = 2 * math.pi;

    double width = size.width;
    double halfWidth = width / 2;

    double wingRadius = halfWidth;
    double radius = halfWidth / 2;

    double degreesPerStep = _degreeToRadian(360 / points);
    double halfDegreesPerStep = degreesPerStep / 2;

    path.moveTo(width, halfWidth);

    for (double step = 0; step < max; step += degreesPerStep) {
      path.lineTo(halfWidth + wingRadius * math.cos(step),
          halfWidth + wingRadius * math.sin(step));
      path.lineTo(halfWidth + radius * math.cos(step + halfDegreesPerStep),
          halfWidth + radius * math.sin(step + halfDegreesPerStep));
    }

    path.close();
    return path;
  }

  // If the new instance represents different information than the old instance, this method will return true, otherwise it should return false.
  @override
  bool shouldReclip(CustomClipper<Path> oldClipper) {
    StarClipper starClipper = oldClipper as StarClipper;
    return points != starClipper.points;
  }
}

void main() {
  runApp(const MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  const MyApp({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      debugShowCheckedModeBanner: false,
      title: 'KindaCode.com',
      theme: ThemeData(
        primarySwatch: Colors.indigo,
      ),
      home: const MyHomePage(),
    );
  }
}

class MyHomePage extends StatefulWidget {
  const MyHomePage({Key? key}) : super(key: key);

  @override
  State<MyHomePage> createState() => _MyHomePageState();
}

class _MyHomePageState extends State<MyHomePage> {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: const Text('Kindacode.com'),
      ),
      body: Padding(
        padding: const EdgeInsets.all(20),
        child: SingleChildScrollView(
          child: Center(
            child: Column(
              children: [
                // 5-pointed star
                SizedBox(
                  height: 180,
                  width: 180,
                  child: ClipPath(
                    clipper: StarClipper(5),
                    child: Container(
                      height: 150,
                      color: Colors.green,
                    ),
                  ),
                ),

                // 6-pointed star
                SizedBox(
                  height: 180,
                  width: 180,
                  child: ClipPath(
                    clipper: StarClipper(6),
                    child: Container(
                      height: 150,
                      color: Colors.amber,
                    ),
                  ),
                ),

                // 10-pointed star
                SizedBox(
                  height: 180,
                  width: 180,
                  child: ClipPath(
                    clipper: StarClipper(10),
                    child: Container(
                      height: 150,
                      color: Colors.indigo,
                    ),
                  ),
                ),

                // 20-pointed star
                SizedBox(
                  height: 180,
                  width: 180,
                  child: ClipPath(
                    clipper: StarClipper(20),
                    child: Container(
                      height: 150,
                      color: Colors.cyan,
                    ),
                  ),
                ),
              ],
            ),
          ),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

Conclusion

We’ve drawn custom star shapes from scratch without using any 3rd plugins. If you’d like to explore more new and exciting things in modern Flutter, take a look at the following articles:

• Flutter: Drawing Polygons using ClipPath (4 Examples)
• Adding a Border to Text in Flutter
• Flutter: How to Make Spinning Animation without Plugins
• 2 Ways to Create Flipping Card Animation in Flutter
• Flutter: Create a Button with a Loading Indicator Inside
• Flutter: Add a Search Field to an App Bar (2 Approaches)

You can also take a tour around our Flutter topic page and Dart topic page to see the latest tutorials and examples.