Afterglow is a live-coding environment for creating algorithmic light shows, targeting visual artists and performers who want to programmatically control lighting. It leverages the Open Lighting Architecture (OLA) and Clojure to offer high-level abstractions for color, movement, and synchronization, enabling dynamic and musically-timed light performances.

How It Works

Afterglow uses Clojure to define light show logic, abstracting DMX control into concepts like color (HSL), fixture positioning via parameterized vectors, and musical synchronization. It translates these high-level descriptions into low-level DMX commands via the OLA framework. This approach allows for expressive, code-driven control over complex lighting setups, facilitating algorithmic generation of effects and real-time manipulation.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install OLA (recommended via Homebrew on macOS: brew install ola).
• Set up a Clojure project using Leiningen and add [deep-symmetry/afterglow "0.2.4"] as a dependency.
• Alternatively, download the standalone überjar from the releases page.
• For advanced control and development, a REPL environment (e.g., Cider, Cursive) is recommended.
• Official documentation: https://github.com/Deep-Symmetry/afterglow

Highlighted Details

• Live-coding environment for light show creation.
• High-level abstractions for color (HSL), fixture positioning, and movement.
• Synchronization via MIDI clock, Traktor Beat Phase, or Pioneer Pro DJ Link.
• Integrates with Cycling ‘74’s Max via an embedded Clojure environment.
• Supports control surfaces like Ableton Push and Novation Launchpad.

Maintenance & Community

• Project sponsored by Zulip for hosting community chat.
• Active development with a comprehensive task list and ongoing feature implementation.
• Community support available via Zulip: https://deep-symmetry.zulipchat.com/

Licensing & Compatibility

• Licensed under the Eclipse Public License 2.0 (EPL-2.0).
• Permissive license suitable for commercial use and integration with closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

The project is described as "far from finished" and still in early development. Using the executable jar is less-tested than REPL-driven development. The WebGL visualizer is a proof-of-concept and may overwhelm graphics processors with many fixtures.