Solv.us is an open-source, web-based & code-oriented framework for VJing & controlling interactive installations. It enables you to use the power of the web and existing frameworks for it like three.js in the context of live events, both in the physical world and online.
The server is the heart of solv.us: it manages MIDI devices, media files, time, and the networking aspects of solv.us
The solv.us UI is the interface where you set up and control your project. It contains a workspace that is customizable with the elements that you need for your performance.
Stages are virtual or physical places that can contain different content and code, receiving events that it can react to. Since solv.us is a web-oriented tool, the most common form for a stage is to be a webpage.
Clients are instantiations of the stages. Think of it as the spectators to your stage.
!!!! Temporary warning: the npm build is failing, so please see 'Set up for development' and skip the following instructions.
Solv.us server runs in a Node.js environment, so make sure Node.js is installed on the computer you intend to run this server on.
Create a folder to house your server, navigate into it and download the server using npm:
mkdir myserver
cd myserver
npm init
npm install @solvus/server
Then, create a new file (e.g. index.js) where you import and setup the server:
import SolvusServer from '@solvus/server' // With ES6 imports and npm
let SolvusServer = require('./SolvusServer.js'); // Or with require and a downloaded file
let app = new SolvusServer();To start the server, in the terminal navigate to your index.js file and run it with node:
node /path/to/your/index.js
Solv.us server is by default only accessible over HTTPS. To make things easier, it will generate the necessary certificate and key on start up and save them in the root folder. Browsers will not trust this certificate since it's self-signed, so in each browser you will need to trust it manually.
If you wish to provide your own certificate and key to prevent this, save them as ./local-cert.pem and ./local-key.pem in your root folder.
To create new projects, you can use the online version of the user interface at ui.solv.us. If you don't want to rely on an internet connection, download it from the UI repository and serve it locally.
In the UI you can set up stages, create MIDI mappings and.
Head on over to the client repository and integrate solv.us into your projects!
If you want to add features or customize the server, you'll need to clone the whole repository and install its dependencies.
git clone https://github.com/solv-us/server.git
cd server
npm install
npm run start:watch
npm run build
| Directory | Purpose |
|---|---|
| /dist | Containes minified and bundled script to use in production |
| /public | The folder exposed by the server |
| /public/stage | The stages |
| /src | The source code of the server |