Parameter Reference Tables

This page summarizes frequently used parameters and defaults for core public APIs. For behavior-level edge cases (units, precedence, and internal/public boundaries), see docs/reference/semantic-clarifications.md.

Triode constructor options

Option	Type	Default	Notes
`width`	`number`	`1280`	Initial canvas width.
`height`	`number`	`720`	Initial canvas height.
`canvas`	`HTMLCanvasElement`	auto-created	Provide your own canvas for embedding.
`makeGlobal`	`boolean`	`false`	Installs globals like `osc`, `stage`, `geom`, etc. Use `liveGlobals(true)` to opt in at runtime (`legacy: true` defaults this to `true`).
`autoLoop`	`boolean`	`true`	Starts internal RAF loop automatically.
`detectAudio`	`boolean`	follows `makeGlobal`	Initializes audio analyzer (`a` bins). Defaults to `false` in non-global mode unless explicitly set.
`errorPolicy`	`{ maxPerSecond?, dedupeWindowMs?, verbose?, pauseOnError? }`	`{4,1000,false,false}`	Runtime error dedupe/rate policy for `update`/`afterUpdate`/`tick`/compile contexts.
`argPolicy`	`{ invalid?, nanFallback? }`	`{ invalid: "warn", nanFallback: 0 }`	Argument coercion policy container (current runtime stores and exposes this policy for host tooling).
`arrayHelpers`	`"prototype" \	"module"`	`"prototype"`	Controls whether Array prototype helpers are installed globally.
`cssRenderers`	`"lazy" \	"eager" \	false`	`"lazy"`	CSS2D/CSS3D renderer creation mode. `lazy` defers DOM/renderer creation until requested by render options.
`numSources`	`number`	`4`	Number of source slots `s0..sN`.
`numOutputs`	`number`	`4`	Number of output slots `o0..oN`.
`webgl`	`1 \	2`	`2`	Select WebGL renderer backend.
`precision`	`"lowp" \	"mediump" \	"highp"`	platform-dependent	Shader precision hint.
`onError`	`(error, context) => void`	unset	Runtime hook for `update/afterUpdate/tick` failures.
`liveMode`	`"restart" \	"continuous"`	`"continuous"`	Eval behavior: rebuild on each run vs persistent scene reconciliation (`legacy: true` defaults this to `"restart"`).
`legacy`	`boolean`	`false`	Compatibility mode: restores legacy constructor defaults and suppresses deprecation warnings for `rotate(...)` and underscore scene methods.
`enableStreamCapture`	`boolean`	`true`	Enables `vidRecorder` capture setup.
`extendTransforms`	object/array	`{}`	Registers custom transforms at startup.
`css2DElement`	`HTMLElement`	auto	Target element for CSS2D renderer if used.
`css3DElement`	`HTMLElement`	auto	Target element for CSS3D renderer if used.
`pb`	`unknown`	`null`	Legacy/peer stream source integration input.

Scene composition methods

Method	Purpose	Typical usage
`stage()`	Create scene handle (`reuse: true` for name-based lookup)	`stage({ name: "main", key: "main" })`
`scene()`	Alias of `stage()`	`scene({ name: "main", key: "main" })`
`.box(mat?, options)`	Add default box mesh	`.box(osc().phong(), { key: "hero" })`
`.sphere(mat?, options)`	Add default sphere mesh	`.sphere(osc().lambert(), { key: "planet" })`
`.mesh(geom, mat, options)`	Add mesh geometry	`.mesh(geom.box(), osc().phong(), { key: "hero" })`
`.instanced(geom, mat, count, options)`	Add instanced mesh and return it	`.instanced(geom.box(), mat.meshPhong(), 4096, { key: "crowd" })`
`.points(geom, mat, options)`	Add points primitive	`.points([100, 100], mat.dots())`
`.lines(...)`	Add line segments	`.lines([100], mat.lines())`
`.lineStrip(...)`	Add connected line strip	`.lineStrip([200], mat.linestrip())`
`.lineLoop(...)`	Add closed line loop	`.lineLoop([200], mat.lineloop())`
`.lights(options)`	Configure runtime lights group	`.lights({ all: true })`
`.world(options)`	Configure sky/ground/fog helpers	`.world({ ground: true, fog: true })`
`.group(attrs)`	Create/attach subgroup	`stage({ key: "main" }).group({ name: "cluster", key: "cluster" })`
`.render(output, options)`	Bind scene to output pipeline	`.render(o0)`
`.out(output, options)`	Alias of `.render(...)`	`.out(o0)`
`.texture(output, options)`	Alias of `.tex(...)`	`.texture(o1)`
`.clear(amount, color)`	Set accumulation clear behavior	`.clear(0.2)`
`.autoClear(amount, color)`	Alias of `.clear(...)`	`.autoClear(0.2)`
`.obj(index)`	Alias of `.at(index)`	`.obj(0)`

Legacy aliases linestrip(...) and lineloop(...) remain available for compatibility.

Deprecation guidance:

rotate(...) still works, but warns once and points to rotateDeg(...) / rotateRad(...).
Direct underscore scene helpers (for example _mesh(...)) warn once and point to public equivalents.
Set constructor option legacy: true to suppress these compatibility warnings.

Identity note for live coding:

stage({ key: "main" }) (or scene({ key: "main" })), .group({ key: "cluster" }), and primitive options.key provide stable object reuse keys in liveMode: "continuous" when line order changes between evals.
Cross-function/cross-file structural rewrites are intentionally not inferred for identity; use explicit key when you need hard identity guarantees.
Name-based reuse is explicit: pass reuse: true on scenes/groups/primitives when you intentionally want name to resolve existing objects.
Migration helper: docs/reference/live-key-migration.md and npm run migrate:report-live-keys.

Module namespace aliases

Long-form aliases are available alongside short module names:

Canonical short	Friendly alias	Notes
`tx`	`tex`	Texture loaders/FBO/data helpers.
`gm`	`geom`	Geometry constructors/utilities.
`mt`	`mat`	Material constructors/utilities.
`cmp`	`compose`	Composition/pipeline utilities.
`rnd`	`random`	Random helpers.
`nse`	`noiseUtil`	Noise utility module alias; `noise()` remains the shader generator function.

Runtime scope note:

Use runtime-bound module APIs (H.mat, H.geom, H.tex, etc. or global helpers when enabled) instead of unscoped internal module imports, so helper calls resolve to the intended Hydra runtime instance.

Stage helper config

stage(config) is a readability-first scene bootstrap helper. It calls scene(...) under the hood and applies optional presets:

`stage` option	Type	Notes
`reuse`	`boolean`	Enables name-based scene reuse when `name` is provided.
`camera`	`false \	"perspective" \	"ortho" \	"orthographic" \	object`	Camera preset or full camera config (`type`, `eye`, `target`, camera options).
`lights`	`false \	"basic" \	"studio" \	object`	`basic` uses default lights, `studio` maps to `{ all: true }`.
`world`	`false \	"ground" \	"atmosphere" \	object`	`ground` enables ground, `atmosphere` enables ground + fog.
`clear` / `autoClear`	`number \	{ amount, color, ... }`	Configures scene accumulation clear behavior.
`output`	`unknown`	Optional output target when rendering from config.
`render` / `out`	`boolean \	{ to?, target?, css?, fx?, ... }`	If `true`, stage invokes `.render(...)`; object form maps to `render({ ... })`.
`cssRenderer`, `renderTarget`, `fx`, `layers`	varied	Forwarded to render options when auto-render is enabled.

Camera helper options

Method	Inputs	Notes
`perspective(eye, target, options)`	tuple eye/target + camera options	Good default for 3D exploration.
`ortho(eye, target, options)`	tuple eye/target + ortho bounds hints	Useful for design, line art, and grids.
`screenCoords(w, h)`	width/height	Pixel-space style coordinate framing.
`normalizedCoords()`	none	0..1 style framing helper.
`cartesianCoords(w, h)`	width/height	Centered cartesian framing helper.

Camera controls options

perspective(..., options) and ortho(..., options) accept options.controls as either:

true to enable defaults (alt modifier required for pointer/wheel orbit controls).
false to disable/dispose controls on the camera.
object config for explicit behavior.

stage({ camera: { controls: true } }) defaults modifier to "none" for helper ergonomics; direct camera helpers retain "alt" unless configured.

Control option	Type	Default	Notes
`controls.enabled`	`boolean`	`true`	Set `false` to disable controls explicitly.
`controls.modifier`	`"none" \	"alt" \	"shift" \	"meta"`	`"alt"`	Keyboard modifier for pointer/wheel input.
`controls.domElement`	`HTMLElement`	`document.body`	DOM target receiving pointer/wheel events.
top-level control attributes	`unknown`	n/a	Backward-compatible; still forwarded to orbit controls.

Transform chain material helpers

Method	Output	Notes
`.basic(options)`	MeshBasic-style Hydra material	Lighting-independent shading path.
`.lambert(options)`	MeshLambert-style Hydra material	Diffuse light response.
`.phong(options)`	MeshPhong-style Hydra material	Specular + shininess response.
`.material(typeOrOptions, options?)`	custom material properties	Use `"basic"`, `"lambert"`, `"phong"` presets or pass object props directly.
`.tex(output, options)`	Texture	Render chain to texture for reuse.
`.texture(output, options)`	Texture	Alias of `.tex(...)`.
`.texMat(output, options)`	Material	Material with rendered map attached.

Output render options

Option	Scope	Notes
`cssRenderer`	`.render(..., options)`	`"2d"`, `"3d"`, renderer aliases, or `false`.
`renderTarget`	compiled pass options	Route pass output into explicit target.
`autoClear`	output/scene/chain	`1` = clear, `<1` = accumulation fade.
`fx`	output/scene/chain	Adds post-processing passes.

Object-style render shorthand is also supported:

render({ to, target, css, fx, ... })
out({ to, target, css, fx, ... })

Mappings:

to -> render output
target -> renderTarget
css -> cssRenderer

Runtime hooks

Hook	Purpose
`update(dt)`	user animation/update function each frame interval
`onFrame((dt, time) => void)`	convenience helper to bind `update` with `time`
`afterUpdate(dt)`	post-render callback
`click`, `mousedown`, `mouseup`, `mousemove`	input event hooks routed from canvas
`keydown`, `keyup`	keyboard hooks routed from document
`onError(error, { context, time })`	centralized runtime error handling
`liveGlobals(enable?)`	toggles runtime global helper installation

Runtime control helpers

Method	Purpose
`eval(code, options?)`	Evaluate live code with per-call mode/reset/hush controls.
`reset(options?)`	Alias to `resetRuntime` with granular flags (`scene/time/hooks/outputs/sources`).
`freeze(time?)`	Pause time progression at current or explicit time.
`step(dtMs?)`	Advance a single deterministic frame step (works with frozen runtime).
`resume()`	Resume realtime clock progression after freeze.