ASCII Wave Animation

This page demonstrates real-time procedural ASCII art generation using mathematical wave functions. The flowing animation behind this text is computed in JavaScript and rendered at 60fps.

How It Works

Multiple sine waves combine to create complex patterns
Wave intensity maps to ASCII character density
Time-based animation creates flowing motion
Responsive design adapts to any screen size

Technical Details:
The animation uses requestAnimationFrame for smooth rendering. Characters are selected from a density spectrum: spaces and dots for low intensity, progressing through punctuation to dense symbols like @ and # for peak values.

Mathematical Foundation

Three sine waves create the pattern:

Horizontal flow: sin(x * π * 4 + time * 0.02)
Vertical flow: sin(y * π * 3 + time * 0.015)
Diagonal pattern: sin((x + y) * π * 2 + time * 0.008)

These waves combine and normalize to create the organic, flowing movement that resembles natural phenomena like ocean currents or wind patterns.

Implementation

The generator calculates exact character dimensions for the 4px font size, ensuring full screen coverage. It dynamically adjusts the grid based on viewport dimensions and updates the entire pattern each frame.

This approach balances performance with visual quality, creating an immersive backdrop that doesn't interfere with text readability.