NUCAT
Real-time ASCII point cloud renderer — rigged 3D characters dissolved into ~20,000 animated particles with layered effects and generative chaos system.
About
NUCAT is an experimental real-time ASCII point cloud renderer that explores the deconstruction of form. It takes rigged 3D characters and "explodes" them into ~20,000 floating particles that dance, spiral, and disperse—all while maintaining the underlying skeletal animation in real-time.
The Technical Achievement
Most browser particle systems collapse at high counts. NUCAT hits 60fps with 20,000 particles via THREE.InstancedMesh — all transformations offloaded to the GPU. A custom vertex skinning sampler reads the bone matrices of a Mixamo-rigged FBX character every frame, so particles tether to the skeleton and disperse without losing the underlying animation. A centralized state machine handles concurrent effects (Hover, Wave, Spiral) independently without touching the base animation.
Chaos Mix: Generative Evolution
Not random jitter — mathematically driven entropy. The Golden Ratio (φ) drives color shifts and intensity gradients. Fibonacci timing keeps intervals organic. Probability-pattern blending creates emergent behaviors that weren't explicitly programmed.
Tech Stack
My Role
Solo developer — character design, rigging, GPU optimization, particle systems, shader programming, and generative algorithm design.
Project Type
Technical Experimentation / WebGL
Particle Count
~20,000 @ 60fps
Core Features
Cinematic Landing
Custom 3D text intro using TextGeometry and animated camera paths.
Incubation Chamber
A holographic cube enclosure featuring translucent panels with animated edges.
ASCII Customization
Dynamic swapping of Block (█), Symbol (@), and Letter geometries in real-time.
Mystique Return
Custom easing-function library that handles the "smooth fade" back to the original form.
Bloom Pipeline
UnrealBloomPass integration for that signature "Quantum Glow" aesthetic.
GPU-First Architecture
Matrix-based skeleton sampling with InstancedMesh for maximum performance.
Creative Pedigree
Designed, Rigged, and Engineered by Pablo Cordero.
Full creative ownership from concept to execution: character design, skeleton rigging, and the "out-of-body" movement philosophy. This project sits at the intersection of Linguistics (ASCII symbols), Art (3D Character Design), and Engineering (GPU Optimization).