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Interactive & Creative Tools

Interactive tools emphasize hands-on control through touch gestures, device motion, and creative toolsets. These toys invite you to shape, paint, sculpt, and explore through direct manipulation.
Most interactive tools support pinch/rotate gestures and arrow-key mode switching for dynamic, touch-first interactions.

Aurora Painter

Paint flowing aurora ribbons that react to your microphone in layered waves.Moods: dreamy, ethereal, luminous
Tags: aurora, ribbons, gestural
Lifecycle: featured (rank 1)Controls:
  • Ribbon density
  • Pinch/rotate gestures
  • Arrow-key mood switching
First run hint: Tap Starter first, then pinch/rotate once if you want to shape the flow.

Bioluminescent Tidepools

Sketch glowing currents that bloom with high-frequency sparkle from your music.Moods: serene, ethereal, fiery, dreamy
Tags: ocean, bioluminescent, caustics, gestural
Lifecycle: featured (rank 2)Controls:
  • Trail length
  • Glow strength
  • Current speed
  • Pinch/rotate gestures
  • Arrow-key mood switching
Wow control: Glow strength - Raise first for instant bloom

Tactile Sand Table

Heightfield sand ripples that respond to bass, mids, and device tilt.Moods: calming, grounded
Tags: sand, tilt, haptics
Lifecycle: featured (rank 3)
Capabilities: microphone, demo audio, motionControls:
  • Grain size slider
  • Damping slider
  • Gravity lock toggle
This toy responds to device motion—tilt your device to shift the sand’s gravity direction.

Pottery Wheel Sculptor

Spin and shape a 3D clay vessel with smoothing, carving, and pinching tools.Moods: focus, tactile
Tags: sculpting, pottery, 3d
Lifecycle: archivedControls:
  • Smoothing tool
  • Carving tool
  • Pinching tool
First run hint: Start with Smoothing, then try one short carve stroke to reveal form changes.

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Gestural Toys

Spiral Burst

Colorful spirals rotate and expand with every beat.Moods: energetic, pulsing, cosmic
Tags: spirals, burst, gestural
Lifecycle: featured (rank 4)Controls:
  • Mode buttons
  • Pinch/rotate gestures
  • Arrow-key mode swap

Star Field

A field of shimmering stars reacts to the beat.Moods: serene, drifting, celestial
Tags: stars, nebula, gestural
Lifecycle: archivedControls:
  • Pinch/rotate gestures
  • Arrow-key mood switching

Fractal Kite Garden

Grow branching kite fractals that sway with mids and shimmer with crisp highs.Moods: dreamy, serene
Tags: fractal, kite, generative
Lifecycle: archivedControls:
  • Pattern density slider
  • Palette switches

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Mobile-Optimized Tools

Pocket Pulse

A mobile-optimized pulse field that responds to audio and touch gestures.Moods: uplifting, focus, minimal
Tags: mobile, pulses, touch
Lifecycle: prototypeControls:
  • Quality presets
  • Touch drift

Mobile Ripples

Low-power neon ripples tuned for touch-first screens and pocket GPUs.Moods: calming, focus, glow
Tags: mobile, ripples, touch
Lifecycle: prototypeControls:
  • Quality presets
  • Touch drift

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Multi-Capability Tools

Multi-Capability Visualizer

Shapes and lights move with both sound and device motion.Moods: energetic, cosmic
Tags: motion, hybrid, immersive
Lifecycle: archived
Capabilities: microphone, demo audio, motionControls:
  • Motion input toggle
  • Audio gain slider
  • WebGL fallback notice
This toy combines audio reactivity with device motion for hybrid interactions. Requires WebGPU.

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Interactive Tool Features

Many interactive tools support pinch and rotate gestures for real-time control:
  • Pinch: Scale, zoom, or adjust density
  • Rotate: Twist, spin, or change flow direction
Supported toys:
  • Aurora Painter
  • Bioluminescent Tidepools
  • Spiral Burst
  • Star Field
On desktop, use mouse drag + modifier keys (Shift/Alt) to simulate pinch/rotate.
Interactive tools often include arrow-key mood switching to cycle through preset visual modes:
  • Left/Right arrows: Cycle forward/backward through moods
  • Up/Down arrows: Adjust intensity or speed
Supported toys:
  • Aurora Painter
  • Bioluminescent Tidepools
  • Spiral Burst
  • Star Field
Some toys respond to device motion sensors (accelerometer/gyroscope):
  • Tactile Sand Table: Tilt to shift gravity direction and sand flow
  • Multi-Capability Visualizer: Device motion drives camera and shape movement
Device motion requires user permission on iOS and recent Android versions. The toy will prompt when needed.
Mobile-optimized toys include touch drift controls to add subtle motion without constant touch input, plus quality presets to balance visual fidelity with battery life:
  • Pocket Pulse: Touch drift adds gentle pulse motion
  • Mobile Ripples: Touch drift creates continuous ripple waves
Quality presets include:
  • Low: Minimal particles/effects for maximum battery life
  • Medium: Balanced visuals for mid-tier devices
  • High: Full fidelity for flagship devices

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Getting Started with Interactive Tools

1

Enable Touch/Motion Permissions

Some tools require device motion permission. The toy will prompt when needed.
On iOS, you may need to enable motion in Settings → Safari → Motion & Orientation Access.
2

Try Gestures First

Start with pinch/rotate gestures or arrow-key mode switching to see immediate changes before diving into control panels.
3

Use Starter Presets

Featured tools include starter presets that bundle optimal settings for first-time users.
4

Adjust Quality for Mobile

Mobile toys include quality presets—use Low or Medium if you notice dropped frames or battery drain.

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Creative Workflows

Painting Workflow

Aurora Painter and Bioluminescent Tidepools support continuous sketching:
  1. Start demo audio or microphone
  2. Adjust glow/trail strength
  3. Use pinch/rotate to shape flow
  4. Switch moods with arrow keys

Sculpting Workflow

Pottery Wheel Sculptor offers tool-based sculpting:
  1. Start with Smoothing tool
  2. Make broad strokes to define shape
  3. Switch to Carving tool for details
  4. Use Pinching tool for fine adjustments

Motion-Based Workflow

Tactile Sand Table and Multi-Capability Visualizer respond to device tilt:
  1. Enable device motion permission
  2. Start audio (microphone or demo)
  3. Tilt device to shift gravity/camera
  4. Adjust damping/sensitivity as needed

Touch-First Workflow

Pocket Pulse and Mobile Ripples optimize for touch:
  1. Start with Medium quality preset
  2. Tap/drag to create ripples/pulses
  3. Enable Touch drift for continuous motion
  4. Adjust quality if performance drops

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Next Steps

Featured Toys

Explore all featured toys with starter presets

Audio Visualizers

Try audio-reactive visualizers with beat detection

WebGPU Toys

Experience advanced rendering with WebGPU

Toy Catalog

Browse the complete catalog by moods and tags

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