Splat

Splat is a generative art program built with Scenic and Elixir. Each time you run it, it creates a unique piece of art featuring flowing bezier curves with colorful triangles.

Quick Start

Running the Application

mix deps.get
mix run --no-halt

A window will appear displaying generative artwork. Click the blue circular button in the top-right corner to generate new artwork.

Using the MCP Server

The included MCP (Model Context Protocol) server allows external control of the Splat application:

cd mcp-server
npm install
npm start

Available MCP tools:

• start_splat - Launch the Splat application
• stop_splat - Stop the running application
• check_splat_status - Check if application is running
• generate_new_artwork - Get instructions for generating new artwork
• get_splat_info - Get detailed application information

Features

• Generative bezier curve art with mathematical precision
• Random triangles along curves with rotation and scaling
• Unique artwork every run with proper random seeding
• Interactive redraw button for new artwork generation
• Cross-platform with Scenic framework
• MCP server for external control and integration

Technical Details

Architecture

• Framework: Scenic (Elixir graphics framework)
• Graphics Driver: scenic_driver_local (OpenGL backend)
• Canvas Size: 800x600 pixels
• Input Handling: Mouse click detection for interactive button

Art Generation

• Curves: 5-8 cubic bezier curves per artwork
• Mathematics: Parametric bezier curve calculation with proper control points
• Triangles: 3-7 triangles placed along each curve with random rotation
• Colors: Mix of named colors (:red, :blue, etc.) and RGB tuples
• Randomization: Proper seeding for unique artwork on each generation

Interactive Controls

• Redraw Button: Blue circular button (25px radius) in top-right corner
• Click Detection: Distance-based collision detection for button interaction
• Visual Feedback: Console logging for successful button interactions

Development

Building a Release

For production deployment:

MIX_ENV=prod mix deps.get
MIX_ENV=prod mix compile  
MIX_ENV=prod mix release

The release will be created at _build/prod/rel/splat/bin/splat.

Project Structure

splat/
├── lib/splat/
│   ├── application.ex    # OTP application setup
│   └── scene.ex         # Main scene with artwork generation
├── config/
│   └── config.exs       # Scenic viewport configuration
├── mcp-server/          # MCP server for external control
│   ├── src/index.js     # MCP server implementation
│   └── package.json     # Node.js dependencies
├── mix.exs             # Elixir project configuration
└── README.md           # This file

Key Functions

• create_artwork_graph/0 - Builds the complete scene graph
• generate_artwork/1 - Creates multiple random bezier curves
• draw_random_bezier_with_triangles/1 - Draws a single curve with triangles
• bezier_point/5 - Calculates points along a cubic bezier curve
• draw_triangle_at_point/5 - Renders rotated triangles at curve positions
• handle_input/3 - Processes mouse clicks for button interaction

Installation

Prerequisites

• Elixir 1.18+ with OTP 27+
• Node.js 18+ (for MCP server)
• OpenGL-capable graphics driver

macOS Installation

# Install Elixir via Homebrew
brew install elixir

# Clone and setup
git clone <repository>
cd splat
mix deps.get

# For MCP server
cd mcp-server
npm install

Running

# Development mode
mix run --no-halt

# With MCP server
cd mcp-server && npm start

The application window will display colorful bezier curves with triangles. Each run generates completely unique artwork using mathematical randomization.