Procedural art

Translate direction into a controllable visual system. The code is the medium; its output still needs art review.

Choose the rendering path

Read the art contract, target device, stack, and proof renders. Follow constraints such as code-only geometry, a shared rig, or a specific engine. Choose SVG, Canvas, shaders, mesh geometry, or an established library based on behavior and export.

Extending the established vector system can be enough for a static graphic. A bitmap texture belongs with image generation when requested and allowed. Do not hide raster images in a deliverable described as entirely procedural.

Build the visual grammar

Expose parameters representing art decisions: proportions, silhouette landmarks, contour variation, palette, material response, texture scale, light, camera, composition, and motion inputs. Separate shape, rendering, and behavior only where it makes requested variation easier.

• Seed randomness when reproduction matters. Keep identity stable while changing rendering or motion.
• Preserve landmarks at intended size. Adding eyes to a generic primitive is insufficient when the brief asks for a particular creature, object, or cultural form.
• For 3D, check silhouette before material polish, then light, roughness, depth, occlusion, and camera. For 2D, check contour, values, layering, and texture scale.
• Make imperfections deliberate. Uniform noise on every surface does not reproduce a specific drawing or material.
• Use the same model across render comparisons when the question is the renderer. Changing anatomy confounds the comparison.