An optical pattern generator uses a rotating component that includes a number of deflection sectors containing optical elements. Each sector deflects an incident optical beam by a substantially constant angle although this angle may vary from one sector to the next. The constant deflection angle is achieved by symmetry within the deflection sector, specifically gut-ray symmetry. The rotating component may be combined with an imaging group that produces, for example, image points, spots, or lines displaced along a line locus. The image spots can also be displaced to either side of a line, for example by introducing a tilt in the orthogonal direction or by introducing light beams at various angles to the plane of symmetry.