I Built a Gesture Controlled Fluid Simulation (And Accidentally Fought GitHub)

HydraFlow is a real-time fluid simulation controlled by hand gestures using Python. Users can manipulate a 10,000-particle system with actions like open palms, pinches, and fists to create various effects. The project features multiple visual modes, audio-reactive effects, and even a racing mode controlled by hand movements. The developer integrated MediaPipe for hand tracking, turning the webcam into a control interface. Development was initially smooth, but a major obstacle arose with GitHub's 100MB file size limit. The developer had to remove large build files from the git history and add a .gitignore. This process resulted in a cleaner repository, solving the file size limitation. Key lessons learned include the importance of .gitignore and the distinct nature of build files. The motivation behind building HydraFlow was to move beyond the limitations of mouse control and showcase the interactive and dynamic possibilities. The project is available on GitHub and encourages users to experiment. Ultimately, HydraFlow transformed from a simple experiment into a complex chaos simulator. The developer believes building ambitious and unusual projects is a worthwhile endeavor.