BitArt Generator

A terminal-based pixel art generator built in Rust. Generate 64x64 pixel art from text prompts using Claude AI or math-based fallback patterns. View art directly in your terminal and export to PNG.

Features

• AI Generation — Uses Claude CLI to generate pixel art from text prompts
• Math Fallback — Hash-seeded sine wave + XOR patterns when Claude is unavailable
• Keyword Palettes — Automatic color palette selection based on prompt keywords (neon, warm, cool, nature)
• Terminal Preview — Full-color pixel art rendered with Unicode block characters
• PNG Export — Save art as 512x512 PNG (8x upscaled from 64x64)
• Interactive TUI — Built with Ratatui for a smooth terminal experience

Installation

npm (Easiest)

npm install -g bitart-generator

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew tap ezani92/bitart
brew install bitart

Cargo (From Source)

Requires Rust 1.70+:

cargo install bitart-generator

From Releases

Download the latest binary from Releases:

# macOS (Apple Silicon)
curl -L https://github.com/ezani92/bitart-generator/releases/latest/download/bitart-v0.1.0-macos-arm64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv bitart /usr/local/bin/

# macOS (Intel)
curl -L https://github.com/ezani92/bitart-generator/releases/latest/download/bitart-v0.1.0-macos-x86_64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv bitart /usr/local/bin/

# Linux (x86_64)
curl -L https://github.com/ezani92/bitart-generator/releases/latest/download/bitart-v0.1.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv bitart /usr/local/bin/

Usage

bitart

This opens the TUI. Type a prompt and press Enter to generate pixel art.

Keybindings

AI Mode (Optional)

If you have Claude Code installed, BitArt will use it to generate pixel art from your prompts. If Claude isn't available, it falls back to math-based pattern generation automatically.

# Install Claude Code CLI (optional, for AI generation)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

How It Works

1. Enter a prompt — e.g. "neon city skyline", "sunset mountains", "forest lake"
2. Generation — Tries Claude AI first; if unavailable, generates patterns using sine waves and XOR bitwise operations seeded from your prompt
3. Preview — Art is displayed in your terminal using colored ██ Unicode blocks
4. Export — Press s to save as a 512x512 PNG to ./output.png

Keyword Palettes

The math fallback selects colors based on keywords in your prompt:

Project Structure

src/
├── main.rs              # Entry point
├── generator/
│   ├── mod.rs           # Orchestrator (AI vs fallback)
│   ├── claude.rs        # Claude CLI integration
│   ├── fallback.rs      # Math-based pattern generation
│   └── palette.rs       # Keyword → color palettes
├── tui/
│   └── mod.rs           # Ratatui TUI (input, canvas, status)
└── exporter/
    └── mod.rs           # PNG export (image crate)

License

MIT