artc is a command-line tool for generating colorful, animated abstract artwork from Lua scripts. It renders visual scenes frame-by-frame and exports the result to .mp4 or .gif format for easy sharing and reuse.
Ideal for generative art, live visuals, or just creative exploration through code.
- Write expressive animations using simple Lua scripts
- Render to high-quality video (
.mp4) or looping GIFs - Fully scriptable motion, color, shape, and timing
- Deterministic results with seeding support
- CLI interface for quick iteration and automation
Here's a sample Lua script that animates 100 color-shifting circles in a spiral motion:
window(640, 480)
bg("#000000")
fps(60)
local ids = {}
function setup()
for i = 1, 100 do
local id = circle({
x = 0,
y = 0,
size = 10,
color = "#000000",
motion = "none",
speed = 0,
radius = 20
})
table.insert(ids, id)
end
end
function update(dt)
local t = time() * 0.001
for i = 1, #ids do
local offset = i * 0.2
local x = 320 + math.sin(t + offset) * 200
local y = 240 + math.cos(t + i * 0.3) * 200
local r = 127 + math.sin(t + i) * 127
local g = 127 + math.sin(t + i + 2) * 127
local b = 127 + math.sin(t + i + 4) * 127
modify(ids[i], {
x = x,
y = y,
color = hex({ r = r, g = g, b = b })
})
end
end
artc script.lua # Render the script
artc script.lua -x # Export animation to MP4 (default settings)
artc script.lua -x -F gif # Export as GIFgit clone https://github.com/KDesp73/artc
cd artc
sudo make install- gcc
- SDL2
- FFmpeg
Your Lua script must define at least:
function setup()– Called once before animation startsfunction update(dt)– Called each frame with time delta (in ms)
Check artc.lua for the full list of available functions