Generating SVG animation of falling leaves

This is a Python script I wrote to generate a SVG animation of falling leaves.

How can I simplify my script and also make the animation look more realistic?

```
import xml.etree.cElementTree as ET
from math import sin
import random

# author Kyle Kersey

# configuation
leaf_count = 30
min_fall_duration = 10.0
max_fall_duration = 15.0
min_rotation_time = 1.0
max_rotation_time = 3.0
min_leaf_size = 0.25
max_leaf_size = 0.75
min_sway_width = 90.0
max_sway_width = 110.0
path_points = 100
DEBUG = False

root = ET.Element("svg")
root.set("xmlns","http://www.w3.org/2000/svg")
root.set("xmlns:xlink", "http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink")
root.set("version", "1.1")
root.set("width", "1000px")
root.set("height", "1000px")

# define a leaf
defs = ET.SubElement(root, "defs")
g = ET.SubElement(defs, "g")
g.set("id", "leaf")
path = ET.SubElement(g, "path")
path.set("transform", "scale(0.25)")
# the leaf shape
path.set("d", """M127.251-22.679l-26.198,49.003c-2.974,5.326-8.297,4.834-13.625,1.858l-18.97-9.851l14.14,75.266
c2.975,13.752-6.564,13.752-11.272,7.808L38.223,64.245l-5.376,18.872c-0.617,2.478-3.345,5.078-7.433,4.457l-41.855-8.82
l10.994,40.08c2.354,8.92,4.187,12.613-2.377,14.967l-14.919,7.032l72.054,58.692c2.855,2.22,4.295,6.216,3.28,9.829l-6.307,20.753
c24.806-2.863,47.054-5.434,71.859-8.297c2.205-0.028,3.646,1.199,3.63,3.741l-4.423,76.692h19.814l-4.424-76.692
c-0.016-2.542,1.426-3.77,3.631-3.741c24.805,2.863,47.053,5.434,71.859,8.297l-6.307-20.753c-1.016-3.613,0.424-7.609,3.279-9.829
l72.054-58.692l-14.919-7.032c-6.563-2.354-4.73-6.047-2.377-14.967l10.994-40.08l-41.855,8.82
c-4.087,0.621-6.815-1.979-7.433-4.457l-5.376-18.872l-33.102,37.161c-4.707,5.944-14.246,5.944-11.271-7.808l14.139-75.266
l-18.97,9.851c-5.329,2.976-10.651,3.468-13.626-1.858L127.251-22.679z""")

for a in range(0,10):
points = []
sway_width = random.randrange(min_sway_width, max_sway_width)

# create a sine wave path
wave_height = (path

Python comments:

• One thing that might speed things up a little is to change your point-tuple to a tuple instead of a list. Python tuples are smaller and faster than lists, because they're immutable.

• You might look into namedtuples. As well as being more efficient (see above), they let you name your entries so you can use b.x and b.y instead of b[0] and b[1], which is a bit nicer. Also it's clearer when they're being created as they get a constructor instead of just bare parens.

• range(0,10) is the same as range(10), but the latter looks nicer.

Animation comments (not a graphics guy, so all I can comment on is the realism):

• they all seem to be going in circles, with very few reversing despite your call to random.getrandbits(1) for reversal - perhaps more than a 50% chance is needed? (also, the call to bool() is unnecessary - nonzero is true in python)

StackExchange Code Review Q#69338, answer score: 3