Hermes Particle Forge

A local-first generative particle-art instrument for turning compact mathematical formulas into cinematic, interactive particle worlds.

Particle Forge is built as a single-file browser app: no account, no build step, no server requirement, and no cloud dependency. Open it, choose a curated scene, perform the system with camera/palette/trail controls, then export stills or exact recipe JSON.

Live demo: https://123mikeyd.github.io/hermes-particle-forge/

Preview

The repository includes a short motion capture at assets/demo.mp4.

Highlights

• Curated scene presets: Moonflower Engine, Butterfly Reactor, Haunted Aquarium, Dog Star Field, Strange Orchid, and Solar Phyllotaxis.
• Formula families: Trig Bloom, Aurora Jellyfish, Rose/Rhodonea Bloom, Lissajous Orchid, Golden Phyllotaxis, De Jong Attractor, Biolume Fireflies, Polar Sine Orbitals, and Lorenz Spiral Attractor.
• Performance-oriented Canvas2D renderer with up to 40,000 particles.
• Director Mode auto-tours for ambient, slow, and chaotic presentations.
• Palette, trail-material, camera-motion, mouse-warp, formula-blending, and auto-morph controls.
• Gallery mode and fullscreen mode for clean demos/screen recordings.
• Recipe JSON copy/load plus local browser save/load.
• PNG export for still artwork.
• Keyboard and mouse navigation: G gallery, F Forge 3D Port, Space pause, WASD/arrows pan, mouse wheel zoom, drag pan.

Quick start

Option 1: open index.html directly in a browser.

Option 2: serve locally.

python3 -m http.server 8765

Then visit:

http://127.0.0.1:8765/

Recommended first run

1. Pick a Scene Preset.
2. Switch to Forge 3D Port.
3. Try Director Mode → Slow Tour.
4. Toggle Hide UI / Gallery or press G.
5. Use Formula Blend + Auto Morph for hybrid math creatures.
6. Export a PNG or copy Recipe JSON when you find a good state.

Repository contents

index.html                              Standalone Particle Forge app
assets/demo.mp4                         Short V2 demo capture
docs/product-plan.md                    Product direction and long-range roadmap
docs/research-and-architecture.md       Research notes and architecture decisions
docs/formula-test-pack.md               Candidate formula scenes and benchmark ideas
docs/benchmark-001-yuruyurau-trig-bloom.html
                                        Original benchmark preserved as a standalone page
LICENSE                                 MIT license

Design principles

• Beauty before feature count.
• Local-first and private by default.
• Mathematical structure should remain readable before bloom/trails/camera effects are layered on.
• Performance is part of the art: visible particle counts, tuned defaults, and no random-looking startup state.
• Export matters: stills, recipes, and standalone HTML should be easy to keep or share.

Status

Prototype / art-tool workbench. The app is already usable as a standalone generative-art toy and as a benchmark bed for future Hermes-assisted formula generation.

Near-term roadmap:

• Compress the demo video into a lightweight README-friendly GIF/WebM.
• Split the single-file prototype into static/js, static/css, and reusable formula modules.
• Add project-file save/load beyond browser local storage.
• Add WebGL/Three.js renderer path for higher particle counts.
• Add Hermes prompt-to-formula workflow once the local API contract stabilizes.

Credits and inspiration

Created by Mike with Hermes Agent.

Inspired by compact mathematical art, ShaderToy-style fragment formulas, tweet-sized p5 sketches, and strange-attractor / polar-orbital generative art traditions.

Specific inspirations preserved in the app and docs include:

• Yuruyurau-style compact p5 trig-bloom math art.
• User-provided polar sine orbital GLSL-style formula.
• User-provided Lorenz spiral p5 formula.
• Classic mathematical families: rose/rhodonea curves, Lissajous figures, phyllotaxis, De Jong attractors, and Lorenz-style attractors.

If a compact formula lineage needs more precise attribution, open an issue or PR and the credit trail can be improved.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.