Will be presented at:
We present Animatron, a visual live coding environment designed to extend animation tools through Open Sound Control (OSC) messaging. Unlike shader-based systems that focus on pixel manipulation, Animatron uses image sequences as the building blocks for improvisational collages of animation. The key contribution we will focus on here is the introduction of hierarchical defs (definitions) to extend OSC interfaces at runtime, allowing users to define new commands and behaviours without recompilation or system restart. This hierarchical structure enables the creation of complex, reusable behaviours, tailored for live performance contexts. By leveraging OSC itself as a live coding pseudo-language, Animatron facilitates new forms of interactive, networked performances and real-time animation. We also explore the broader implications of this approach, suggesting its potential for adaptation in other live coding systems and languages, expanding possibilities for live coding interaction.