Selkie

In Celtic mythology, selkies are beings that can transform from seals into humans by shedding their seal skins. They often feature in stories of love and longing, where a selkie's human form is hidden away or discovered by a human.

A CLI tool for scaffolding generative art projects. Quickly create projects with p5.js, Paper.js, Three.js, WebGL/GLSL shaders, or ML5.js hand tracking.

Installation

``bash
npm install selkie
`

Usage

Create a new project with one of the available templates:

`bash
selkie -t default # p5.js canvas project
selkie -t svg # Paper.js vector/SVG project
selkie -t three # Three.js 3D project
selkie -t glsl # WebGL shader project
selkie -t ml5-hand # ML5.js hand tracking project
`

You'll be prompted for a folder name, then the project will be created with all dependencies installed.

Working on Your Sketch

Each generated project includes a dev server:

`bash
cd your-project
npm start # Opens in browser with live reload
`

Edit scripts/sketch.js to create your generative art. Press 's' to export PNG/SVG (depending on template).

Building a Single-File Bundle

When you're ready to share your sketch, build it into a single HTML file that works offline on any device:

`bash
npm run build
`

This creates dist/bundle.html - a minified, self-contained file you can:
- Open directly in any browser (no server needed)
- Share via email, USB, or any file transfer
- Upload to any static hosting

Note: The ML5 hand tracking template still requires internet for AI models.

Templates

| Template | Library | Output | Notes |
|----------|---------|--------|-------|
| default | p5.js | Canvas/PNG | Classic creative coding |
| svg | Paper.js | SVG vectors | Perfect for plotters |
| three | Three.js | WebGL 3D | 3D graphics |
| glsl | Native WebGL | Shaders | Smallest bundle (~5KB) |
| ml5-hand` | ML5.js | Hand tracking | Requires webcam + internet |

All templates include a seeded random number generator for deterministic/reproducible outputs.