SET ORDER

SET ORDER is an interactive installation exploring visual tension between structure and noise. Viewers are invited to shape compositions that dynamically evolve from precise clarity into disorder, examining the thresholds where form dissolves, perception destabilises, and systems collapse. The accompanying publication establishes the conceptual foundation for the installation, systematically examining the principles and limitations of digital graphic representation.

External Resources:

Live Demo

View the installation in action here.

The demo operates in autonomous mode without hardware controllers. Refer to the Usage Modes section for more information.

Table of Contents

Hardware Requirements
System Requirements
Installation & Setup
Usage Modes
Project Structure
Libraries & Dependencies
Raspberry Pi Configuration
Troubleshooting
Licence

Hardware Requirements

Essential

Computer capable of running the installation
Chrome browser (recommended for optimal performance)

Optional Components

MIDI Controller: Enables manual control of sliders
Raspberry Pi 4: For rotary switch interface
3×4 Rotary Switch: Limited to 3 positions for scene selection
USB-C Cable: Must support both power delivery and data transfer

System Requirements

Development Tools

PHP: For local server
OpenSSL/socat: For HTTPS connection (required for WebMIDI/WebUSB APIs)
mkcert: For generating local SSL certificates
screen: For debugging Raspberry Pi connections

Installation & Setup

1. Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/beispielcode/set-order/
cd set-order

2. Generate SSL Certificates

mkcert localhost

3. Start Local Server

# Terminal 1: Start PHP server
php -S localhost:8000

# Terminal 2: Create secure tunnel
socat OPENSSL-LISTEN:443,reuseaddr,cert=localhost.pem,key=localhost-key.pem,verify=0,fork TCP:localhost:8000

4. Configure MIDI Controller (Optional)

If using a MIDI controller, map your device's channels in utils/interface.js:

const controllerMap = {
  // Update these values for your specific MIDI controller
  // ...
};

5. Configure Raspberry Pi (Optional)

Hardware Connections

Switch Pin	Raspberry Pi Physical Pin	GPIO Pin
A (Common)	9	GND
1	11	GPIO 17
2	13	GPIO 27
3	15	GPIO 22

Software Setup

# Run the rotary switch script
python3 raspberry-pi/rotary_switch_usb.py

# OR set up as systemd service (see raspberry-pi/rotary_switch_usb.service)

Configure USB Connection

Open chrome://usb-internals in Chrome
Find your Raspberry Pi's Device ID and Vendor ID
Update constants in utils/switch-control.js accordingly

6. Launch Installation

Open https://localhost in Chrome
Press c to establish USB serial connection (if using Raspberry Pi)
Grant necessary permissions when prompted

Usage Modes

The installation automatically detects available hardware and operates in different modes:

To toggle alternative controls, press space.

Manual Mode

Requirements: MIDI controller + Rotary switch
Change scene: Via rotary switch
Default controls: Slider control via MIDI
Alternative controls: Auto-animation

Manual Switch Mode

Requirements: Rotary switch only
Change scene: Via rotary switch
Default controls: Auto-animation
Alternative controls: Scroll while holding 1/2/3/4 keys to emulate MIDI

Manual MIDI Mode

Requirements: MIDI controller only
Change scene: Click
Default controls: Slider control via MIDI
Alternative controls: Auto-animation

Autonomous Mode

Requirements: No external hardware
Change scene: Click
Default controls: Auto-animation
Alternative controls: Scroll while holding 1/2/3/4 keys to emulate MIDI

Project Structure

set-order/
├── assets/
│   └── css/
│       └── style.css
├── config/
│   └── config.php
├── lib/                          # Libraries
│   ├── choreography.js
│   ├── culori.js
│   ├── paper-full.js
│   ├── perlin.js
│   ├── second-order-dynamics.js
│   └── webmidi.iife.js
├── raspberry-pi/                 # Raspberry Pi scripts
│   ├── rotary_switch_usb.py
│   ├── rotary_switch_usb.service
│   ├── switch_pin_test.py
│   └── usb_test.py
├── scenes/                       # Visual environments
│   ├── scene-01-quantisation.js
│   ├── scene-02-colour.js
│   └── scene-03-interpolation.js
├── utils/                        # Core functionality
│   ├── animation-control.js
│   ├── helpers.js
│   ├── interface.js
│   ├── scene-manager.js
│   └── switch-control.js
└── index.php

Libraries & Dependencies

All libraries are included locally for offline operation.

JavaScript Libraries

Paper.js: Vector graphics scripting (extended to support p3-colors)
WebMidi.js: MIDI controller interface
Culori.js: Colour manipulation
Noise.js: Noise generation

Python Libraries (Raspberry Pi)

RPi.GPIO: GPIO control
pySerial: Serial communication

Custom Libraries

Choreography.js: JavaScript library for animating attributes in 4-dimensional space
Second-order-dynamics.js: JavaScript implementation based on @t3ssel8r's implementation

Raspberry Pi Configuration

The Raspberry Pi 4 operates as a USB gadget (usb_f_acm) to interface with the rotary switch.

Requirements

Raspberry Pi 4 with USB-C power/data cable
Gadget mode configuration for serial communication
GPIO pins configured for switch input

Debugging Commands

Check USB device recognition:

ls /dev/tty.usb*

Monitor serial connection:

screen /dev/tty.usbmodemXXXX

Test GPIO connections (Raspberry Pi):

python3 raspberry-pi/switch_pin_test.py

Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

Issue	Solution
`https://localhost` throws an error	Add `localhost.pem` certificate to browser's trusted list (`chrome://certificate-manager`)
MIDI Controller Not Detected	Ensure WebMIDI permissions are granted in browser
Raspberry Pi Connection Issues	Verify USB-C cable supports data transfer; use screen for debugging
Performance Issues	Use Chrome browser; ensure hardware acceleration is enabled
SSL Certificate Errors	Regenerate certificates with mkcert localhost
WebUSB API Not Available	Ensure using HTTPS connection and Chrome browser

License

The MIT License (MIT)

Copyright © 2025 BEISPIEL

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the “Software”), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.