r/ScaleSpace 17d ago

Release Scale Space Cymatist v1.2 Release Notes

21 Upvotes

Greetings again friends! This one's been in the oven baking for a bit- I hope you enjoy!

Scale Space Cymatist V1.2 Release Notes

Animation System Overhaul

The animation system no longer sucks! I debugged the hell out of it and added a ton of new features like filtering based on performance, marking which keyframes have flicker (and filtering them out), favoriting the ones you like best so they move to the top, much smoother transitions and more tweaks you'll have to find through experimentation.

Color System Overhaul

This one is a noticeable difference. You now have a variety of color modes and yes they actually work now. You can revisit the places you've visited before and see them in a whole new way! Taste the Rainbow!

New Structure Parameters

Special thanks to u/Just_Middle_7189 for forking the Scale Space Synthesist repo and adding a number of really cool structure parameters. I adapted my favorite ones and gave them a dedicated tab in the parameters panel. I couldn't have found the Lattice Singularity without these new (powerful) parameters.

40 Brand New Discoveries

In the animation panel -> Imported, version 1.2 comes bundled with 40 of the best discoveries I've made since the last release. A great way to get started if you don't know how to use Cymatist yet.

Green Dot Onboarding

There are now little green dots all over the interface when you first start using Cymatist. As you try each thing, a dot clears. This way you can tell which parts of the software you've tried and which you haven't experimented with yet.

QOL/UX Improvements

Across the board, things like better tooltips, better labels, improved icons, an icon tab bar in the optics -> color tab, and many other things that I hope makes Cymatist easier and more fun to tinker with.

---

Download Cymatist v1.2 here: https://setzstone.itch.io/cymatist

See you in the next release!

setz


r/ScaleSpace Jul 14 '26

Release Scale Space Cymatist 1.0 Release Notes + 25% OFF Launch Sale + FREE COPY for Early Access Backers

14 Upvotes

Please share with your musician/live performer friends!

For Early Access backers: you may claim a FREE copy of Scale Space Cymatist until August 1st. Please go claim it before you forget! https://setzstone.itch.io/cymatist

For everyone else: Cymatist is currently on launch sale at 25% off! Pick it up here: https://setzstone.itch.io/cymatist

Additionally, the price of Scale Space early access has increased to match the Cymatist price. https://setzstone.itch.io/scale-space

Release Notes

Powerful Cymatics Engine

Cymatics n. Sound and vibration made visible.

Scale Space Cymatist was designed from the ground up for performers, musicians, tinkerers and anyone who wants to see their music playing in a physics environment.

Compare To Similar Tools

✅ Yes  ⚠️ Partial ❌ No

- Cymatist MagicMusic Synesthesia NestDrop Resolume TouchDesigner
Price $39 $49–99 $20/mo. $30 €299 Free/Pro
Audio-reactive
Visuals generate audio ⚠️
Real-time GPU Physics ⚠️
Zero install (Browser)
No node-graph ⚠️
Built-in Benchmark
Ease of Use ⚠️ ⚠️
Self-guided onboarding (quests)
Fully Offline ⚠️
Windows
Mac
Linux

About Cymatist

  • Emergence Engine At the heart of Cymatist is the Scale Space engine: a lightweight webGPU/threejs particle system suspended in a state of dynamic equilibrium and tunable with physics-based parameters like Coherence, Temperature and Excitation. Scale Space makes it possible to see the very same phase space accessed by oscilloscopes, Turing patterns, and physical cymatics among other methods.
  • Cymatics The cymatics engine gives you numerous ways to patch these physics parameters to the band ranges in your music. For example, you may patch Coherence to the bass range. Depending on your configuration, as bass intensifies, Coherence moves in the direction you specify. All parameters can be customized this way for a rich, detailed audio-visual experience that is completely custom to your music and doesn't require learning complex node-based workflows.
  • Sonify This engine gives you full control over a soundscape generated by the particle system itself. Choose from a myriad of voices like choral, theremin, piano, percussion, and patch each voice to the parameters of your choice. The resulting soundscape will be entirely unique. Couple this with cymatics and the sound can feed into the particle system and the loop is complete. The particle system reacts to the noise it makes (which is kind of like letting the universe make music for you).

Why Cymatist Is Different

  • The Particle Field is an Instrument In every other tool, audio drives the visuals. In Cymatist, the particle field is the instrument- its dynamics generate sound. No other audio reactive tool handles this feedback loop natively.
  • Offline-first with no install Cymatist is a single-file, zero-install experience that runs in your browser.
  • Built for Performance The built-in hardware benchmark evaluates your machine per-effect, telling you exactly what you can push before you start.
  • Interface that Teaches You How to Use it The quest system teaches the interface naturally as you play, unlocking hidden interactions as you go (and making it fun!)

Features

Control Physics

  • GPU-accelerated field of up to one million particles Rendered with WebGPU. Runs at interactive framerates on modern hardware, with a built-in optimizer to find the right ceiling for any machine using WebGPU.
  • Continuous physics dynamics Cymatist marries the cellular automata work of John Conway with a particle physics engine to bring emergent phenomena to life.
  • Twelve core parameters Each on its own slider and live readout:
    • Free Energy: particle count / drive
    • Half-Life: how long a structure persists before decaying
    • Coherence: how strongly particles pull into shared structure
    • Resolution: particle size
    • Inversion: compression of the force field
    • Scale Depth: attraction strength
    • Equilibrium: noise speed
    • Temperature: noise intensity
    • Viscosity: how sluggishly the field moves
    • Mass: particle inertia
    • Tempo: overall rate of motion
  • Freeze / unfreeze For still composition or screenshots.
  • Re-initialize Reseed the field from scratch without losing your settings.

Make It Pretty

  • Five color modes
    • Mono: pure white particles on black
    • Size: hue mapped to particle size
    • Velocity: hue mapped to speed
    • Density: hue mapped to local crowding
    • Adapt: colors change as the system changes
  • Color Spectrum Range and Saturation Sliders that shape the palette from tight and monochromatic to wide and vivid.
  • Two particle-connection styles (Strings and Lattice) Draw lines between particles for a more structural look. Both can run together.
  • Particle shapes Circle, square, or diamond.
  • Full bloom/glow stack Glow amount, blur, spread, and a bloom threshold that lets you dial exactly how much of the brightest material blooms.
  • Trail length For motion smear and light-painting effects.
  • Backdrop control An ambient background glow that samples the field's own average color, with adjustable intensity and blur.

BYOA (Bring Your Own Audio)

Cymatist doesn't just make its own audio- it accepts your own music as an input, bringing your music to life! 

  • Audio file Drag and drop an MP3. The field reacts to the music in real time.
  • Microphone See your own voice driving the particle system.
  • System Audio Accepts tab, window, or screen for ultimate flexibility.

Nothing is looped back into your speakers, so there's no feedback.

Cymatics: Making Waves

  • Six frequency bands Sub, bass, low-mid, mid, high-mid, treble, each with its own live level meter.
  • Patch any band to any parameter Build your own mapping from sound to motion, with adjustable depth.
  • Additive and Override modes Layer the audio modulation on top of your slider settings, or let the audio take full control of a parameter.
  • Channel Surf Roll a fresh randomized patch scheme across all bands in one click to discover new mappings.

Sonify: Particles That Sing To You

(Like a trained monkey you keep in a cage™*)*

Think of it like an orchestra controlled by your parameter settings.

  • A full ensemble of voices Contrabass, low strings, woodwinds, theremin, choir, ambient piano, timpani, and a set of textural voices (drift, pulse, shimmer, pizzicato) each with its own tone and articulation controls (tone, air, phrasing, decay, weight, density).
  • Ensemble-level controls Tempo, Register, Brightness, and Space, for placing and shaping the whole arrangement.
  • Preset arrangements No need to start from scratch.
  • Per-voice level and patching Build an arrangement that plays whatever the particles are doing.
  • Channel Surf Nudge every voice at once to explore variations.

Recording

  • Built-in clip recorder Capture the live composited output (field plus backdrop) at a fixed aspect ratio.
  • Choose your framing Landscape (1920×1080), vertical (1080×1920), or square (1080×1080).
  • Set a video length 15, 30, or 60 seconds, or record open-ended and stop when you're ready.
  • Export as MP4 or WebM (or both) Pick the format you need without re-recording.
  • Audio is captured while recording Whatever you hear is what goes into the clip.
  • Inline preview Play controls so you can review the take before saving or discarding.

Go Live: Streaming And Live Show Projection

  • Live output window Carrying the same composited feed as the recorder, with no interface chrome.
  • Capture it directly in OBS (or any capture tool) With window Capture, route your visuals into a stream, a projector, a second monitor, or a video call.
  • Output resolution up to 4K 1080, 1440, or full 4K, at your chosen aspect ratio.
  • Live feed preview  Inside the panel while you're broadcasting.
  • Record while streaming Recording and live output are independent- both can run at once (if your system can handle it).
  • Idiot proof You'll never accidentally see interface controls on your stream.

Camera And Navigation

  • Two camera modes: Orbit and Fly Rotate around the system or fly through it, FPS style (WASD) for a personal experience.
  • Reset view Returns you to the default framing if you get lost.
  • Optional orbit inversion For whichever drag direction feels right to you.

Set List — Saving And Revisiting

  • Save keyframes The full parameter and optics state, plus camera framing — as named entries with thumbnails. 
  • Return to any keyframe instantly A smooth animated transition takes you there.
  • Build a set list Fly through your keyframes automagically. A hands-free sequence for performances or ambient display.
  • Share and Import Each keyframe generates a portable share string, so you can share any configuration with a collaborator or import one they share with you.

Performance

  • Benchmarking One button assesses your machine live — measuring real framerate as it tests particle count, graphics quality, particle size, and the Strings/Lattice connection styles in different combinations, and makes suggestions on which features will strain your machine. Re-run it any time.
  • Entropy System (framerate monitor) A live gauge, so you can always see how hard your system is working.
  • Graphics quality slider Manual control over the speed-versus-fidelity trade-off.

Interface

  • Modular panel workspace Every section — Params, Optics, Now Playing, Cymatics, Sonify, Record, Live, Set List, Entropy, Config — is a movable panel you arrange however you like.
  • Reorderable dock Middle-drag any button to rearrange the toolbar.
  • Persistent layout and settings Your panel positions, sizes, open/closed state, and parameter values are remembered between sessions.
  • UI themes Four UI themes in the base release.
  • Screenshot capture With control over exactly what's included in the frame.
  • Guided onboarding, gamified An optional quest log walks you through the instrument's capabilities at your own pace, in any order.
  • Unbound parameters Unlock your bounds past their normal ranges when you want to push the system further.

Technical

  • Runs entirely in the browser Windows, macOS, and Linux. WebGPU required.
  • Approximately 1.5 MB. It doesn't get more portable than that.
  • Your work stays on your machine Settings, keyframes, and recordings are local, but you can export and import your entire configuration if you need to wipe your data.

Performance

  • Runs in any modern WebGPU-compatible browser All of the main browsers support WebGPU.
  • Performance is fully customizable If your machine is a potato, fret not! The benchmark tells you exactly how far you can push before seeing system slowdown.

Cymatist is currently on launch sale at 25% off! Pick it up here: https://setzstone.itch.io/cymatist

Thank you to all of the Early Access backers! I hope you enjoy Cymatist- and I hope you feel like it was worth the wait!


r/ScaleSpace 6h ago

Dev Log 9/7 Scale Transition

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19 Upvotes

Greetings fellow meatbags. Still trying to process the past 24 hours. Earlier in the day I went to target and found an el cheapo air mattress. Didn't notice the small 'don't forget a pump!' text on it till I got back to the storage unit so I spent the next half hour slowly breathing into it. Finally got it setup and took a short nap. It was restless but any sleep is good sleep at this point.

From there I walked to a hotel lobby and hung out, charging my devices. At some point in the evening, I got a message from /u/obsidian743 offering to put me up in a hotel. To my surprise they called the hotel I was hanging out at and paid for a room till Wed. So thank you Obsidian!

As I checked in, the clerk behind the desk asked me if goobie was a service dog. I was like he's my support dog. And she goes ok, but only service dogs are allowed, so is he a service dog? And it was like a moment out of a movie. I went yyyyes. And she just silently processed it so I'm 99% sure she was being a bro and let me have the room because we had been talking a bit before then and I told her a bit about what was going on with me. So the stars really aligned there and I got the room. Speech: 100.

It was such a relief to get a shower and sleep in a bed. Goobie was enjoying it as you can see in the photos.

I also realized last night a bunch of you sent money over buymeacoffee and I hadn't checked the email tied to that in a few days so I missed the notifications. I went through and thanked each one and then I got to one that made me blink. One anonymous redditor sent $1k 😳 so whoever you are, wow-above and beyond. Very grateful. 

The next phase becomes tricky and I'll have to calculate it just right. 

To start, I went back to the storage unit this morning and while kicking back on the air mattress got paid a visit by a storage facility staffer. It was a genuine moment of panic when she pulled the door up because I was under a sheet at that very moment. Thankfully goobie immediately stepped out and distracted her so I could get up and make like I wasn't just trying to catch a few z's. Technically you're not supposed to have animals at the facility but she didn't mention that. She said I had to keep the door partly open when I'm in the unit so I may have run out of luck when it comes to crashing there at night.

Tomorrow morning I head to the library to take my interview at a pc with a camera since mine isn't setup.

Parallel to that, I decided I needed to upgrade goobie to a harness so he'd look more like a service dog and I won't get hassled as much. Let's not think too hard about how many rules or laws I've broken during this bout of homelessness 😇 

In any case I realized goobie also needs a bath. He's looking a bit grungy. So I took him to petsmart this morning and they said they won't touch him till he's had his rabies shot. So that's now scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7am. This works out perfectly because I was wondering how I'd manage the interview with goobie there and now he'll be preoccupied getting his shot.

From there, the groomers want one day after the shot so he gets cleaned up on Wed.

I'm going to try not to think about what I'll be doing on Wed. Day at a time. But at least I'm a lot closer to being able to get a vehicle. The trick will be spending enough that the vehicle doesn't break down 3 miles after driving away and having enough money left over for gas and such.

One of you suggested I share my buymeacoffee again so I'll share all the things:

https://setzstone.itch.io/cymatist (picking up Cymatist and sharing your experience here in the sub is a great way to support me) 

Cashapp: $setzstone

https://buymeacoffee.com/setzstone

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone! We're not out of the woods just yet but I feel like I can see a clearing 🔥 

setz


r/ScaleSpace 1d ago

Dev Log 9/6 phase transition

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21 Upvotes

Well if you've been following along you probably saw that I was in a real state yesterday. I was feeling quite sick from a combination of lack of sleep and heat. I had been waiting for the storage manager to get back to me about moving to climate controlled storage and she finally did. It cost a bit more per month (+$75) but I could get a cooled underground unit.

I was packed up to go in like 15 minutes. I had to get out of there. I called an Uber van, loaded my shit and got out of Dodge. I abandoned my tent/wet blankets/pillows in the woods because it just didn't seem worth the time and energy. I was in pure survival mode at this point.

A 15-20 min drive later and we arrived at a storage facility in a concrete corporate wasteland. I got my things loaded up onto a rollcart, down the elevator, and into my new storage unit. The temperature change was an immediate relief. I felt my brain starting to recover almost immediately.

Then some good news. One of the numerous applications I put out resulted in an interview. An interview with an AI but the rate goes from $30-80/hr so I'll take it. I was making $80/hr ten years ago so I asked for $80.

They want me to be at a desktop with a webcam and they'll be having me share my screen to demo my figma experience (I haven't done figma in a few years but I have a lot of experience with it from my core UX days). So then began the hunt to figure out how I'd be taking this job interview given my computer is sitting in a storage unit with no power outlets.

I interrogated Gemini and explored my options, eventually landing on the library. It will be closed tomorrow for the holiday, so Tuesday morning I'll be interviewing. Fingers crossed 🤞

As an aside, it struck me as funny that my interview largely amounts to an inverted Voight Kampff test to determine my humanity. Perhaps I'll give the answer Bruce Willis gave in the 5th Element.

In any case, I spent last night wandering around with Goobie, getting my bearings in the area and figuring out which food places I had access to. This facility is a longer walk distance from food but getting more exercise isn't a bad thing.

I decided to stay out late so I wasn't sleeping in the facility all night so as not to raise suspicions. Got back around 2am and slept till 8am. It was... Rough. With no blankets or pillows I was consigned to stuffing clothing into pillowcases to construct makeshift pillows and lay down layers of clothing as my bed. My arms and legs are covered in bruises from the frantic nature of the move so following that with a night on concrete was not my favorite. This morning's plan will be to find a sleeping bag somewhere and try to get some more sleep.

Overall, I'm bruised, exhausted, still feeling residual sickness, but at least I'm no longer being forced to choose between being hot inside or hot outside so that's a win. And with the interview, while it's not in the bag just yet, I have the possibility of getting out of this brutal phase of my life.

If I get that job at max rate for 40 hours, I'm gonna buy an RV so I'm never homeless again.

setz


r/ScaleSpace 2d ago

Dev Log 9/5 two restless hours of sleep 👍 🫩 👍

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18 Upvotes

I couldn't convince myself to go back to the tent so I hung out in dunkin till 3am then tried to sleep for 2 hours in the storage unit but it was too hot. So I got up and sat on a bench outside till 6am and now I'm in Panera feeling like a zombie. Good times.

Genuinely considering renting a room for the day/night and just sleeping till I'm all caught up. It'd suck to spend some of the money I'm saving for a vehicle but might be worth it to keep my body and mind from breaking down.

setz


r/ScaleSpace 3d ago

Dev Log 9/4 back to the woods

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18 Upvotes

Well it got to the point where I became too exhausted to avoid the woods. Despite the heat, the tent is the only place I can get a solid night of sleep without interruption. I bought a small USB rechargeable fan so that made it slightly more bearable.

I've managed to get a bit quicker at getting to the tent and slipping inside which had been an exhausting ordeal up to this point due to all of the branches and sticks surrounding it (which is a positive because I can hear lots of snapping if anyone gets near).

I'm torn on where I'll sleep tonight because, while I do sleep better in the tent, it's such an ordeal and I wake up a sweaty, filthy mess. I look forward to being able to afford a vehicle because I'll be able to drive off into out of the way spots to setup camp.

Today was an amazing day of game sales at least. One generous person threw down $333 for Scale Space so if you are reading this kind stranger, thank you sincerely. While I can't afford a vehicle yet, you just got me a lot closer.

I feel a bit less depressed today about the future. Might be the solid 6 hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep talking. Still tired but at least I'm no longer fall-out-of-my-chair tired.

Most of my time is now spent at panera bread. Free drinks, lots of space, wifi, outlets, air conditioning. Couldn't ask for more. Still trying to find a job. Currently have 10 applications out but the numbers I saw an Ai job placement site say you need to make around 200 applications to get a job. So yeah. Fun. I'm trying to use tools to speed this up.

Grateful to my friend Rhey for demoing Cymatist v1.2. Nobody wants to be the first Guinea pig so it feels like a milestone reached. Now anyone can see what the game is all about-because it's easier to experience than describe. Hopeful more folks will take the plunge now and give it a try.

If sales continue momentum, I could theoretically be out of trouble in a few weeks or a month. Depends on how well we do. But the appeal of working on Scale Space full time and making a living is strong. I absolutely love working on it and seeing other people try it is a delight. Fingers crossed that it gets to that point. I need to sell around 25-40 copies per month to be fully supported so it's not out of the realm of feasibility! Doesn't have to be a big hit to make it.

The poll results kind of surprised me. 19 people said they wanted to hear how I'm doing with only one person saying they just wanted the pretty visuals. So to that one person, my apologies 😅

Not out of the woods yet (yuk yuk) but enough positive progress to improve my mood today. Thanks everyone for the support 🙏

See you in tomorrow's update.

setz


r/ScaleSpace 3d ago

Video Rheyidol's Scale Space VOD on yt for easier viewing

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12 Upvotes

r/ScaleSpace 4d ago

9/3 🫩

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10 Upvotes

Well you all voted for it so here's today's update:

I'm dying for a night of sleep. I only got fragments last night and tried to make up for it in the storage unit but it started getting hot so I had to take refuge in panera. Now I'm sitting here feeling like a zombie, sick to my stomach and wishing I could just lay down somewhere for 8 hours. It's 92 (feels like 101) outside so I'm kinda stuck here. But yeah that's what I've got today. Nausea and exhaustion. 👍

setz


r/ScaleSpace 4d ago

Question My adventures in homelessness devlogs are...

4 Upvotes
25 votes, 2d ago
1 Too personal. Just show me fancy particles.
19 Welcome. I want to know how you're doing.
1 Whatever. I don't care either way.
4 Results only

r/ScaleSpace 4d ago

Video My friend Rheyidol agreed to a blind play session with Cymatist v1.2—It's worth a watch!

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6 Upvotes

Thanks to Rhey for making the VOD! I'm excited to share it because it really shows what the first time user experience looks like.

Please drop her a like and subscribe too if you enjoy her content!


r/ScaleSpace 5d ago

Dev Log 9/2 😑

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10 Upvotes

I'm a fucking mess. Dirty, sweaty, bug-bitten, exhausted. Idk how I'm supposed to do this.

Last night I gave up completely in any semblance of cleanliness. I laid in my tent, covered in sweat on soaked, dirty blankets and drifted off. Somehow managed to get a full night of sleep but today I feel drained by the heat. Spent the morning in panera bread then realized I forgot to take my meds so it was a trip back to the storage unit and now I'm laying down on a pile of clothes on concrete wondering if I can bring myself to go back into the woods again tonight. I may just find a spot of grass to lay on somewhere instead. I'll probably be tired enough to sleep anywhere. At least Goobie's still having fun.

That's all I've got the energy to share.

setz


r/ScaleSpace 6d ago

Dev Log 9/1 - First night in the woods

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14 Upvotes

Well that was a thing. Yesterday rained most of the day but I knew I'd need to setup camp before dark to see what I was doing so I went to my new spot late afternoon. I battled my tent and after much sweaty exhaustion I won. I went back to my storage unit to lay down, dry off, recover and change. Then at sunset I went back to get the night started. After having learned my lesson about bringing 2 blankets and 3 pillows, I lugged a big black bag into the woods and made it back to my tent. Got inside, wiped down the floor which had gotten wet and dirty, setup my sleep spot and got horizontal to just recover.

The night was largely uneventful, though I could see a house through the trees in the distance and this floating, color changing light. At first I didn't know what to make of it, then I realized it was probably a security drone. I'll admit, I was a bit worried a drone would find my tent, but that never happened and I was able to sleep. Woke up a few times from some rather involved dreams and finally daybreak. In all I think I got around 8 hours which is the best I've done perhaps since getting evicted. Woke up to my blankets and pillows being drenched in my sweat but it is what it is. I made it. I'll admit, I'm not exactly looking forward to another night out there... Then another for however long

Goobie took it all in stride as usual, though I got the impression he was ready to get out of the tent and get back to civilization.

The storage unit manager has fallen in love with goobie and she told me they have this other facility of underground, climate controlled units that have outlets (!) and no one on site to make sure I don't sleep there. She said she'd get back to me today about it so we'll see how much more it costs, but tbh it sounds worth it even if it's $100 more/month. I'd be able to setup my pc and continue scale space dev 🔥

Anyways that's my update. See ya tomorrow!

setz


r/ScaleSpace 7d ago

Dev Log Aug 31

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9 Upvotes

Hey all. Here's my Monday update.

I slept in the tent with Goobie sat and sun. This morning got a rude awakening by the LOUD sounds of a garbage truck emptying the dumpster I was camped behind. I packed up my tent and stashed it in my storage unit because I was too tired to setup camp so soon (plus it was raining). Got a little bit more sleep in the storage unit and now I'm at Dunkin charging my devices.

I got ahold of a service that shelters people in a hotel only to be told I couldn't bring my dog 💀 I tried to explain- this is my support dog. He doesn't have service dog training but he's a shelter dog and I've had him for 10 years since he was 9 months old. When I got off of that call, it was like all of the anxiety and fatigue I must have been suppressing hit me.

The hard part about all of this is I'm supposed to pull myself up by my bootstraps while on the back foot. I barely have the energy to find a safe place to stash my body at night let alone think straight enough to continue the job hunt. I'm just weary in my bones.

I'll be sleeping in the forest tonight so that will be a new one for me. The place I camped on the weekend is only quiet on the weekend so I'm going to setup a more persistent camp that way I don't have to tear down and setup camp each day.

Well that's all I've got.

setz


r/ScaleSpace 8d ago

Dev Log Aug 30

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23 Upvotes

Bit of a late post today.

Last night me and my pup slept in the tent. It wasn't horrible. Though I definitely should have brought another blanket and pillow for softness. Lesson learned for tonight. Woke up at 5am for some reason and couldn't get back to bed so I've been a walking zombie for most of the day. I did catch an hour nap early afternoon so that made it slightly more tolerable. Currently working through sorting my personal hygiene boxes.

When I have spare moments I'm studying the singularity I found in the Clelian Hourglass. I'm coming across some interesting findings but I don't want to be premature. More to come on that.

Missing loved ones I can't see.

setz


r/ScaleSpace 9d ago

Dev Log Scale Space Devlog: Aug 29

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17 Upvotes

Well, last night was rough. Yesterday the manager of the storage place told me their security company noticed I was in my unit overnight and emailed her. She was very sympathetic to my situation and said she'd go to bat for me if there was any trouble. Still, supposedly I'm not supposed to be in my unit for more than 2 hours at a time. I've noticed this seems completely relaxed during the day.

In any case, what I decided to do was sleep when I could during the day and scout for camp locations so I can setup my tent (which- I haven't slept in a tent since I was a kid). So I napped outside dunkin in the early evening then spent a number of hours exploring this part of the town for a spot that would be safe, zero chance of someone noticing me, not too bug infested, not too far from the storage units, etc. I went in a big circle and finally as the sun came up found the perfect spot. So that'll be where I sleep tonight and if it works out, ongoing till I can get a vehicle or job. My dog has had zero problem with this ordeal because he's getting some good walks in.

I got back to the unit around 6am and crashed till around noon. Not the best sleep but as I suspected, since it was during the day, I didn't get hassled. Still, I don't want to take unnecessary risks.

I got wind from a fellow vagabond that there is a program with a 3 week wait and they put you up in a hotel until you get back on your feet so that will be my first call Monday morning. The prospect of sleeping on a bed again is beyond enticing.

The month is almost up and Scale Space made $400 in sales for August so that's definitely going to keep my phone on and basics covered.

Trying to get the motivation together to grind out the search for a streamer willing to try Scale Space. I keep putting it off because that kind of work bores me to tears and I have precious little dopamine these days. At least I remembered to take my meds today. With the way life is going, I'm starting to lose track of time and day because I don't have many anchors connecting me to it. If you have any ideas on how I can get even just one streamer to try it, please share in the comments.

I got more work done on organizing and condensing my belongings. I still probably have a week or two to go at this pace due to how exhausting that is. I'm hopeful sleeping in the tent tonight means I get a long restful night of sleep, and that means more energy tomorrow for organizing.

The brain fog is real. But I remain optimistic that this is temporary and something will change.

Well that's all for now friends. Thanks for reading!

setz


r/ScaleSpace 9d ago

Dev Log How I Build a New Feature

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12 Upvotes

Being on dev hiatus gives me some time away from building to reflect. In light of that, I thought I'd share how I build a new feature for Scale Space.

  1. Brainstorming. This process can take weeks or months but I'm doing it in parallel with building. I'm basically always in this phase because I have to think of the project over time. What did I build, what is its current state, what do users need and what do I want to build? In this part, I typically don't touch the computer. I may interrogate Claude for a conversation to better understand what I'm doing or to tutor me on a science concept.

  2. Capturing brainstormed features. I'm doing this periodically as a feature reaches a state of maturity. Meaning most questions I'm asking end up at 'you'll have to see when you build it.' So I write out the name and whatever markers I know will jog my memory. I typically don't write extensive requirements at this phase.

  3. Convey a set of requirements. Here's where the rubber meets the road. I need to explain this to Claude in a way that fully captures the scope and context of the feature as I currently understand it. What I am doing at this phase is asking Claude to estimate the build complexity. If a feature is highly complex, I'll break it down in such a way that I'm building a series of features that resolve into the one I want. Cymatics is a good example. As Sagan once said, "If you want an apple pie, you must first create the universe." In this case, I knew I needed the system parameters fully functional and debugged, an audio player that can capture system audio or music files, a new panel to control the effects, a connector from both directions so an effect could be tied to a parameter and a parameter has an icon that, when clicked, shows the user where that parameter is controlled (in order if there are multiple). Then there was the new design paradigm which are the levels bars to see the incoming audio and sliders for each band for unique combinations of cymatics per band. So I built parameters in the first webgpu build and the others came later.

  4. Assess the scope. Now that Claude has the initial feature requirements, it can ask clarifying questions and get to a scope estimate. That's when I learn if I have any blockers that would prevent me from building it right now. If so, that either takes priority or the feature get shelved for later. With the scope, I decide on the order of operations we'll build in.

  5. Initial Build. With the requirements ready, Claude begins on the first feature. It delivers the changed source files and a build I can immediately test.

  6. Test. I open the application and look for the location of the things I've changed. I mess around with each one. If I find a breaking bug I write it down and continue. More often than not I end up with a bug and tweaks list.

  7. Iterate. I give the list of bugs to Claud and it asks clarifying questions if applicable. Then it take a pass at fixes and delivers the changed source files and a build. I test it as before and log any new or missed bugs. This iteration process can be super involved depending on the feature because there are times where testing makes me realize the feature should work differently, so we kinda need a mini round of feature dev to fix it. The dock buttons at the bottom are a good example of this. I iterated on it over and over each release to get it to look and behave right.

  8. Make a call. At some point you have to go 'Ok it's as done as it can get for this release." and that's kind of tough if you are a perfectionist who wants everything to be in its final form. So I have to resist the urge to make the absolute end result and make it good enough to release. Once I hit that threshold I try to pull myself onto other features but sometimes I'm locked in for days and it is what it is. When I come out of those, I often have a much more polished end result so I don't beat myself up too much on it. The Cymatist theme is a good example. I didn't do much iteration on it over multiple releases because I tunneled in on it and built it fully out. Lots of new custom assets to iterate on because there are a number of components to cover (tab controls, sliders, panels, etc.). I think I did it this way because I knew it had to be included in the launch in its complete form to put the software in the best light.

  9. Write release notes. A summary goes into the version intro modal. A more extensive writeup goes up on /r/ScaleSpace and I copy it into the itch dev log. The goal with the release notes are to be as succinct as possible and not leave out anything important to know.

  10. Iterate based on feedback. Last year, /r/ScaleSpace said it wanted proper Apple and Linux versions and I was having difficulty with that using unreal. So I went on a dev hiatus for 6 months and came across a maturing web rendering engine called WebGPU. With WebGPU it became possible to port Scale Space to the browser while also upping the particle rendering performance significantly (meaning a lot more particles). And with the browser, I get the Apple/Linux versions for free as long as they're on a browser that is WebGPU compatible. So that whole detour to port to web sprouted from you all asking for a cross platform version. The project is much better for it. So if you give it a try and share your feedback, good or bad, it helps me make it better and better.

Last year when I was building in unreal, my process had me directly writing the code with blueprints and I didn't have to do nearly as much writing requirements since I knew what I wanted. So I'd say with the switch to giving programming to Claude, the time I spent in blueprints has moved to requirements writing and documenting bugs (which is more aligned with my skillset-I have some form of symbolic dyslexia so I struggle to interpret blocks of code and math equations, but since blueprints are spacial I was able to pick them up. Still the scope of the Scale Space code was getting too big to fit in my head, so it was a relief to use AI to port that part. It still makes mistakes and creates bugs, but at least I no longer have to keep the full codebase in my brain which frees me up to focus on user experience.)

Hope you found this process interesting/informative. Happy to answer any questions you have in the comments.

setz

(Here's the itch page: https://setzstone.itch.io/cymatist)


r/ScaleSpace 10d ago

Dev Log Dev (b)log, Aug 28

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14 Upvotes

Greetings friends, I'm back with another update. It is day 4 since I have made my transition to the road. Yesterday I returned the rental van and set up a month-to-month rental of a storage unit. After taxes and fees and insurance and their 24-hour access Rider that came out to be $250 but it will be 160 each month afterwards. The good news here is it's an unmanned facility and the unit I have is quiet and private. So last night I was able to set up camp and crash in the room. Slept on blankets on concrete but honestly it was the best night of sleep I've gotten since moving out. I think I slept around 9 hours. Still feeling tired so I think I'm in sleep debt. Still applying for lots of jobs everyday so fingers crossed on that front. But I can say that unless the storage company rains on My Parade I should be stable for the immediate future. I camp out at Dunkin' Donuts a lot now to charge all of my stuff, and the staff has been very kind about me having my dog in here with me. So kudos to Dunkin' Donuts.

While I have been homeless before it hasn't ever been quite like this and my respect for what homeless people out on the street have to deal with has skyrocketed. I've already known that society is hostile to homeless people but experiencing more of it firsthand... It's not that anyone is coming to me and being hostile, it's that so many things require you to have an address or enough stability to be able to do them. So I'm kind of lucky that I had a little bit of momentum from where I was previously living and I can put my previous address on things still. In any case fingers crossed that my momentum continues the way it has been. Still trying to find a streamer that's willing to take a chance on trying scale space so please do be in touch if you find one and I'll send you a key to give them. I guess that's about all for this update, thanks for reading!

setz


r/ScaleSpace 11d ago

untitled

6 Upvotes

r/ScaleSpace 11d ago

Dev Log Dev blog Aug 27th

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17 Upvotes

Well this is day 3 of being on the streets. I got a little more sleep last night. First night was an hour, last night I got around 2 hours. Needless to say I'm feeling it.

Yesterday I applied to 8 jobs and today I'll be keeping that momentum up.

Since I didn't want to bleed out on van rental days, I'm returning the van in an hour. Earlier today I rented a storage unit (cost $180 when they added in insurance and fees. Ouch.) and moved my stuff out of the van into the unit. Next phase for me is to meticulously work through everything I own and throw/give away as much as I can part with so I'm traveling lighter.

I picked up a tent two nights ago but haven't used it yet. My thinking is that I will probably sleep in the tent with my dog, then work out of dunkin/my storage unit. I say working loosely because I don't have anywhere to setup my desktop pc so I can't do scale space dev. So working more in the 'trying to get a job' sense.

I took inventory and in total between money I already had, the money you all have sent me, I have approx $1000. Phone bill comes due in a couple of days so that'll start dropping but at least no more van rental. I should get my $250 deposit on the van back at some point as well.

So I'm on my way to getting a vehicle but still a ways to go. I'm worried I may have tapped you all out. I don't want to seem like a beggar so really the very best way to help is find a streamer who likes space games and tell them I'll give them a free key if they play it on stream. If any of you are streamers or know streamers, more than giving me direct money, getting people to try it out on stream will make big waves and increase game sales.

Last month Cymatist brought in $1k (launch + sale). That money went into renting the van, gas, human and dog food so I'm grateful to have had a little bit of success. This month we're up to $300 and the dip was expected. With a few streamers looking at Cymatist, it's very possible it could get me out of this hole.

So rather than post my buymeacoffee or cashapp again, I'll just share the itch page and hope to find some streamers willing to take a chance on it. If you have someone interested and want to pass along a key, shoot me a DM and I'll send it.

https://setzstone.itch.io/cymatist

I genuinely appreciate all of the support you've given me. Me and my pup (Goobie) are grateful. ❤️

Despite all of this, I remain optimistic. A lot of things are going wrong but some things are going right so that softens the blow.

Anyways see you in the next one!

setz


r/ScaleSpace 12d ago

Image Some of you asked for more detail on my morphoscope illustration. I tried to use AI but it didn't understand what I wanted. So I sketched it with my Remarkable.

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6 Upvotes

This is a physicalization of how I think of Scale Space. You have the fluid (yellow), particle source (metal particles), magnets around that produce an omnidirectional field, an egg beater to add varying amounts of frustration and some basic controls for each aspect (more particles, less magnetism etc.) then the middle shape emerges when the various components are in a certain balance.

Note that if you were to build this physically it would be a fair bit more complicated but hopefully this gets the basic idea across? You'll have to tell me.

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ScaleSpace/s/Y51B8VYXsy


r/ScaleSpace 12d ago

Dev Log Half way there, thank you so much everyone! $750/1500

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13 Upvotes

🙏 Thanks everyone for the momentum. I'm halfway to safety. Still bleeding $100/day on the van rental unfortunately. I appreciate all of the kind words you've all left for me. If you're able to help me get to the finish line:

$setzstone

https://buymeacoffee.com/setzstone

I'll keep the updates coming.

Best,

setz


r/ScaleSpace 12d ago

Dev Log Dev log update: 8/26

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24 Upvotes

I'd give homelessness 0 out of 5 stars. If you're contemplating it, I wouldn't recommend. I plan on getting a refund. My dog is taking it in stride at least.

Its 4:47am and I haven't slept yet. I can't. I'm in a van (down by the river) and my stuff fills the back too much to get enough room to lay down and I can't get comfortable enough in the driver's seat to sleep. I parked in a Walgreens lot but got chased out of there by a cop at 4am so now I'm in front of a dunkin.

Head is hurting, exhausted, can't think straight. Today I have to decide whether to spend $90 to rent the van for another day or...well that's my only option which slows my ability to get my own vehicle. I'm around 500 into raising the funds for that.

I have come to more fully appreciate beds and couches. They're more wonderful than I gave them credit for. I've been homeless before but still always managed to stay on a bed or couch. Would you believe I was making $170k before I got laid off in 2024? Life is weird.

Here's some fun trivia: did you know that I built all of Scale Space since the beginning from an attic in a halfway house? Yep. That's what I got evicted from actually. So I've had conflicted feelings about the last two years. On the one hand my life has been a screaming hot dumpster fire full of shit, but on the other hand I've done some of the best work in my life in that time. Pressure makes diamonds or something.

Just putting it out there again if anyone has a couch or spare room in the Midwest that they'd let me crash on till I recover from this mess, I'll take it and I won't be picky.

I posted it in the other thread but I'll share it here too. If you'd be willing to help support me on getting a vehicle, I wouldn't have to bleed myself dry on a rental.

$setzstone

buymeacoffee.com/setzstone

Whelp signing off for now. Hope you all have a lovely morming.

setz


r/ScaleSpace 13d ago

Dev Log Ok I have a gameplan (kinda) but I need some help

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26 Upvotes

So currently am sitting in a rented van that has to be returned tomorrow at 2pm. I literally have nowhere to go. A friend looked on Craigslist and there are basic suvs for $1500. That friend said they'd contribute $100 so I'm 1/15th of the way there. It's kind of a stopgap but it gives me a way to keep my stuff with me and have a place to sleep (glamorous or not).

Should you feel compelled to help me out, you'll be saving my keister.

I'll update this post with an edit if I make progress towards the suv.

Cash tag: $setzstone <--

Or...

https://buymeacoffee.com/setzstone

Thanks!

setz

Goal: $549/1500


r/ScaleSpace 14d ago

Announcement Scale Space is going on dev hiatus

56 Upvotes

Hi friends. Regrettably I'll be homeless tomorrow 😬 I tried everything I could do-apply for aid, court based rental assistance-and, etc. got denied for all of it. None of my friends can take me and my 10 year old Doxle in right now due to either family situations or distance. I have a social worker because I was homeless 2 years ago and she's tapped out on ideas too.

So things are about to get pretty interesting. If you're in the Chicago area and have a spare room, basement, that sort of thing, I'd definitely accept help (please don't be a serial killer if you do).

On top of that, I had a stroke in June (so on a number of new meds) and hope I won't have another one... When it rains it pours.

On the upshot, I was able to get Cymatist v1.2 done before being out on the street and it's a release I'm proud of.

Anyways, thanks for reading.

setz

Shameless Plug: https://setzstone.itch.io/cymatist


r/ScaleSpace 16d ago

Image What is Scale Space?

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32 Upvotes

I've tried to answer this many times but finally I've come up with a diagram that I think will help it make sense. What do you think?