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Geometry effect

Bismuth Stairs

Bismuth Stairs is a kaleidoscope and geometry effect in FRCTL, the browser VJ studio. Stepped UV displacement with metallic iridescent terraces.

Runs live on video, images, a camera or generated art. Stack it with any other effect, and route LFOs, envelopes or any of ten audio bands to its controls so it moves with the music.

Try Bismuth Stairs free All effects

The untouched demo art: an eye inside a triangle over wavy teal, blue and peach lines — Source

The eye-in-triangle art stepped into blocky diamond terraces of rainbow neon with thin diagonal edge lines — Bismuth Stairs, default settings

What Bismuth Stairs does

Carves the frame into diamond-shaped terraces stepping out from the centre and pulls each block's pixels towards its corner, so the picture breaks into staircase tiles. A rainbow tint runs across the steps with a bright line on every edge, like a bismuth crystal. Terraces sets how many steps, Offset how hard the blocks pull, Irid the tint, and Direction which way the rainbow runs.

Using Bismuth Stairs

Where it works: Cover art and posters with a hard, metallic crystal finish, and hold frames between drops. The terraces stay put, so the blocky structure reads cleanly on a still and on a slow intro.
With the music: No motion comes built in. A beat-triggered Envelope on Offset makes the blocks snap on each hit, and B5 on Irid lets the mids brighten the rainbow terraces.
Starting point: Terraces at centre, Offset at a quarter, Irid at three-quarters, Direction on Right, then add Offset until the eye starts to step.

Controls

Terraces: Stair step density along diagonals.
Offset: Block UV pull strength.
Irid: Prismatic edge and terrace tint.
Direction: Which way the iridescent tint runs across the terraces.

Pairs well with Bismuth Stairs