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SignalRGB

Meet the Canvas

Our engine renders effects in realtime using the html canvas element, similar to the way a browser renders websites you visit.

Custom effects must be stored in a specific folder in your computer so we can find them. Regardless of which IDE you choose, each effect is a single HTML file that belongs in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\VortxEngine\app-<version>\Signal-x64\Effects\Dynamic\ while in development, they are shown at the “Installed” menu, for every new file put in said folder, SignalRGB needs to be restarted.

The <canvas> must be created in your <body> element and then correctly fetched in the <script> (represented in this example by var ctx). Methods attached to ctx such as fillStyle, fillRect, etc. can then be used to create the desired animations. A simple hue cycle example follows.

<head>
    <title>Hue Cycle</title>
    <meta description="Stock hue cycle."/>
    <meta publisher="WhirlwindFX" />
    <meta property="speed" label="Cycle Speed" type="number" min="1" max="10" default="2">
</head>
<body style="margin: 0; padding: 0;">
    <canvas id="exCanvas" width="320" height="200"></canvas>
</body>
<script>
    // Get the canvas element from the DOM
    var c = document.getElementById("exCanvas");
    var ctx = c.getContext("2d");
    var width = 320;
    var height = 200;
    var hue = 0;


    function update()
    {
      ctx.fillStyle = 'hsl('+ hue + ', 100%, 50%)';
      ctx.fillRect(0, 0, width , height);
      hue+=(speed / 4);
      if (hue > 360) { hue = hue % 360; }
      window.requestAnimationFrame(update);
    }


    window.requestAnimationFrame(update);
</script>
<head>
    <title>Hue Cycle</title>
    <meta description="Stock hue cycle."/>
    <meta publisher="WhirlwindFX" />
    <meta property="speed" label="Cycle Speed" type="number" min="1" max="10" default="2">
</head>


<body style="margin: 0; padding: 0;">
    <canvas id="exCanvas" width="320" height="200"></canvas>
</body>


<script>
    // Get the canvas element from the DOM
    var c = document.getElementById("exCanvas");
    var ctx = c.getContext("2d");
    var width = 320;
    var height = 200;
    var hue = 0;


    function update()
    {
      ctx.fillStyle = 'hsl('+ hue + ', 100%, 50%)';
      ctx.fillRect(0, 0, width , height);
      hue+=(speed / 4);
      if (hue > 360) { hue = hue % 360; }
      window.requestAnimationFrame(update);
    }


    window.requestAnimationFrame(update);
</script>

The Result

Section titled “The Result”

And there we have it, a very impressive hue cycle. It might be basic, but this little template contains everything you need to get started coding! For more detail, check out Effects Are Webpages.