Live Coding Model

shadecore supports a form of contained live coding.

Rather than embedding a text editor or visual node graph, the system is built around three ideas:

1. Shaders define structure
2. JSON defines intent
3. MIDI defines performance

Pre-declared Control Space

Parameters and MIDI bindings are declared ahead of time, even if they are not immediately used.

This allows a performer to:

• run a shader with unused controls ready
• connect or reinterpret MIDI mappings mid-performance
• reshape behavior without restarting the engine

Playing the Shader

Once running, a shader is not static:

• values are continuously mutable
• routing can change at runtime
• outputs can be reconfigured live
• the system behaves like an instrument, not a render job

This makes shadecore suitable for:

• live shader improvisation
• exploratory performance
• recorded sessions driven by real-time interaction

Why This Is Still “Coding”

Although code edits happen outside the engine, the structure of the system is manipulated live.

In this sense, shadecore treats live coding as:

the real-time negotiation of structure, behavior, and control — not only text input