DroidDeck/artwork/boot-animation-source

DroidDeck boot animation

This source accompanies the single Steam startup movie bundled by the app: app/src/main/assets/steam-startup/droiddeck-startup.webm (1920×1080, pitch black background, VP9 video with Opus audio). droiddeck-boot.html is the editable animation; the scripts and WAV below reproduce the selected render. No alternate MP4 or WebM exports are kept in the repository.

From the repository root, render the movie with:

python3 artwork/boot-animation-source/render.py 1920 1080 60 app/src/main/assets/steam-startup/droiddeck-startup.webm dark

The app stages that file into Steam's config/uioverrides/movies folder before each session. If Steam still has its built-in startup movie selected, DroidDeck sets this movie as the device's startup default before Steam starts. A custom startup movie the user selected later is preserved.

To regenerate the soundtrack, run these commands from this directory:

python3 events.py
python3 sound.py

The animation and audio are both procedurally generated; the included WAV is the soundtrack used for the bundled render.

droiddeck-boot.html holds the whole animation. Every frame is a pure function of time, so the preview page and the video render draw exactly the same thing. Open it in a browser to scrub, slow it down or step frame by frame (arrow keys).

Re-render the video

pip install playwright && playwright install chromium   # ffmpeg with libvpx-vp9 also required
python3 render.py 1280 800 60 droiddeck-boot-1280x800.webm
python3 render.py 1920 1080 60 droiddeck-boot-1920x1080.webm
python3 render.py 1920 1080 60 droiddeck-boot-1920x1080.mp4    # .mp4 = H.264 for sharing
python3 render.py 1280 800 60 droiddeck-boot-dark-1280x800.webm dark   # dark version

Each frame gets real motion blur (180° shutter, adaptive sub-frames). Output is VP9 for .webm or H.264 for .mp4, both BT.709, so the orb stays #1A9FFF after compression.

Sound

Every sound is synthesized in sound.py (no samples) and placed on the exact physics events the animation reports, so hits stay frame-accurate even after you change the timing. Key: D major.

python3 events.py         # export impact times, rocking, piece speeds from the animation
python3 sound.py          # -> droiddeck-boot-sound.wav (-18 LUFS, -1 dBFS peak)
python3 embed_sound.py    # put it in the preview page
python3 render.py ...     # muxes the wav in automatically (Opus in .webm, AAC in .mp4)

The soundtrack is built from the final chord. Each piece lands on one of its notes as a soft, muted tone (legs D, ball A with a quieter echo, bowl F#), the wobble and jump play in silence, and the lock lands with the same soft voice and plays all the notes together. Tweak the cue sheet in sound.py: the tock(...) calls under # 1. the stack, the chord list under # 4. lock, and the room reverb mix (.14 * wet).

Where to tweak

• Timing of the drops: archDrop, ballDrop, domeDrop (start time, height, bounciness e).
• The balancing act: SWAY keyframes (time, lean). Bigger values = bigger wobble. The bowl leads, the ball chases it (sway(t - .12)), the legs follow (sway(t - .10)).
• The catch-hop on the big wobble: HOP (start time, duration, sideways distance, height).
• Crouch before the jump: crouchA/B/D.
• Jump and lock-in: FL (rise time, apex height, lock time, how far pieces spread).
• Colors for each version (pieces, background, shadows, lock glow): THEMES (light, dark).
• Total length: DUR.

Install as the Steam startup movie

Put the .webm in ~/.steam/root/config/uioverrides/movies/, then pick it in Steam > Settings > Customization > Startup Movie.