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Hydra can use webcams, screen capture, video files, and images as source buffers alongside generated visuals

Procedure L1Foundations H · Creative coding & live-coded visualsJ · Audio-visual integration & sync

Hydra’s source buffers (s0–s3) accept external media beyond generated oscillators. s0.initCam() connects a webcam; s0.initCam(1) selects a specific camera by index; s0.initScreen() opens a dialog to capture a browser tab or screen area; s0.initVideo(url) loads an online video; s0.initImage(url) loads an image. Once initialized, src(s0).out() renders the external source, and it can be composited with generated visuals like any other source. This makes Hydra a hybrid tool: code-generated visuals and live camera feeds or video files can all be patched together in the same chain.

Examples

s0.initCam()
src(s0).kaleid(4).out()  // webcam kaleidoscope
s0.initVideo('https://media.giphy.com/media/AS9LIFttYzkc0/giphy.mp4')
src(s0).out()

Assessment

Initialize a webcam and a video file in two separate source buffers. Composite them using diff() into a third buffer and render it. Explain why you might use initCam(1) instead of initCam().

Prerequisites — understand these first

Sources

“show webcam output: ```javascript s0.initCam() // initialize a webcam in source buffer s0 src(s0).out() // render source buffer s0 ```”
corpus · hydra-livecoding-networked-visuals-source-repo · chunk 3

Taught in modules

Unlocks (3) — atoms that build on this