Behind the scenes of a collaborative art project that grows with the internet.
A technical deep-dive into how Lumitree's WebGL shader worlds work — signed distance functions, raymarching algorithms, and how complex 3D scenes with lighting and shadows fit in under 50KB.
A deep dive into the technical architecture behind Lumitree — how we generate unique interactive artworks with Canvas 2D, WebGL shaders, and Web Audio API, all in under 50KB with zero dependencies.
Lumitree is a collaborative art project where visitors plant seeds that grow into unique interactive micro-worlds. No login, no accounts, no ads — just a gift to the internet.
Each Lumitree micro-world uses a different visual technique — particles, shaders, L-systems, cellular automata. Here's what we learned about creative coding under tight constraints.
From 64KB intros to 50KB micro-worlds — how the Demoscene tradition of constrained creative coding lives on in browser-based generative art.
Lumitree blurs the line between human creativity and AI generation. A visitor types a dream, AI builds a world, and the tree grows. So who made the art?
Lumitree visitors type what they want to see, and a world appears. The prompts they choose reveal something beautiful about human imagination — we dream in light, water, and music.
Every micro-world on Lumitree must fit in 50KB with zero dependencies. That sounds limiting — until you realize constraints are the secret engine of all great art.
Some branches on Lumitree don't just move — they sing. A look at how the Web Audio API turns browser tabs into instruments, and why sound is the most underused dimension of web art.
Lumitree is shaped by hundreds of anonymous visitors, each planting a branch from their imagination. What patterns emerge when strangers collectively dream? A reflection on collaborative creation, digital commons, and the surprising tenderness of the internet.