FastLED FX: 1D Effects

This folder contains one-dimensional (strip) visual effects. All effects derive from fl::Fx1d and render into a linear CRGB* leds buffer using a common DrawContext.

If you’re new to FastLED and C++: think of an effect as a small object you construct once and then call draw(...) every frame with the current time and your LED buffer.

What’s here

Cylon (cylon.h): A single dot sweeps back and forth (Larson scanner). Tunable fade_amount, delay_ms.
DemoReel100 (demoreel100.h): Classic demo with rotating patterns (rainbow, glitter, confetti, sinelon, bpm, juggle). Auto-advances every ~10 seconds.
Fire2012 (fire2012.h): Procedural fire simulation with parameters cooling and sparking, optional reverse direction and palette.
NoiseWave (noisewave.h): Smooth noise-driven red/blue waves across the strip.
Pacifica (pacifica.h): Gentle blue-green ocean waves layered for depth.
Pride2015 (pride2015.h): Ever-changing rainbow animation.
TwinkleFox (twinklefox.h): Twinkling holiday-style lights using palettes; compile-time knobs for speed/density and incandescent-style cooling.

Common usage

Include the header for the effect you want and construct it with the LED count (e.g., fl::Cylon fx(num_leds);).
Each frame (e.g., in your loop), call fx.draw(fl::Fx::DrawContext(now, leds));.
Most effects expose small parameters via constructor (e.g., Fire2012(num_leds, cooling, sparking)), or have internal timing based on now from DrawContext.

Notes and tips

Effects guard against nullptr and zero length, but you should pass a valid CRGB* and correct num_leds to see output.
Try different frame rates. Many patterns look good at ~50–100 FPS, but 30 FPS is fine for most.
For palette-based effects (e.g., TwinkleFox, Pride2015, DemoReel’s BPM), experiment with CRGBPalette16 to customize colors.
These 1D effects are lightweight to medium-weight. They depend on FastLED helpers such as CHSV, beatsin*, nblend, palettes, and random noise.

Key types referenced

fl::Fx1d: Base class for 1D effects.
fl::Fx::DrawContext: Carries now (time in ms), CRGB* leds, and optional per-frame hints.
CRGB / CHSV: FastLED’s color types.

Explore the headers to see per-effect parameters and internal logic; everything here is self-contained and ready to drop into your render loop.

Examples

Cylon (from examples/FxCylon/FxCylon.ino):

cpp

#include <FastLED.h>
#include "fx/1d/cylon.h"
using namespace fl;
#define NUM_LEDS 64
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
Cylon cylon(NUM_LEDS);
void setup() {
  FastLED.addLeds<WS2812, 2, RGB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);
}
void loop() {
  cylon.draw(Fx::DrawContext(millis(), leds));
  FastLED.show();
  delay(cylon.delay_ms);
}

DemoReel100 (from examples/FxDemoReel100/FxDemoReel100.ino):

cpp

#include <FastLED.h>
#include "fx/1d/demoreel100.h"
using namespace fl;
#define NUM_LEDS 64
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
DemoReel100Ptr fx = fl::make_shared<DemoReel100>(NUM_LEDS);
void setup() { FastLED.addLeds<WS2811, 3, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS); }
void loop() {
  fx->draw(Fx::DrawContext(millis(), leds));
  FastLED.show();
  FastLED.delay(1000/120);
}

Fire2012 (from examples/FxFire2012/FxFire2012.ino):

cpp

#include <FastLED.h>
#include "fx/1d/fire2012.h"
using namespace fl;
#define NUM_LEDS 92
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
Fire2012Ptr fire = fl::make_shared<Fire2012>(NUM_LEDS, 55, 120, false);
void setup() { FastLED.addLeds<WS2811, 5, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS); }
void loop() {
  fire->draw(Fx::DrawContext(millis(), leds));
  FastLED.show();
  FastLED.delay(1000/30);
}

Pacifica (from examples/FxPacifica/FxPacifica.ino):

cpp

#include <FastLED.h>
#include "fx/1d/pacifica.h"
using namespace fl;
#define NUM_LEDS 60
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
Pacifica pacifica(NUM_LEDS);
void setup() { FastLED.addLeds<WS2812B, 3, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS); }
void loop() {
  pacifica.draw(Fx::DrawContext(millis(), leds));
  FastLED.show();
}

Pride2015 (from examples/FxPride2015/FxPride2015.ino):

cpp

#include <FastLED.h>
#include "fx/1d/pride2015.h"
using namespace fl;
#define NUM_LEDS 200
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
Pride2015 pride(NUM_LEDS);
void setup() { FastLED.addLeds<WS2811, 3, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS); }
void loop() {
  pride.draw(Fx::DrawContext(millis(), leds));
  FastLED.show();
}

TwinkleFox (from examples/FxTwinkleFox/FxTwinkleFox.ino):

cpp

#include <FastLED.h>
#include "fx/1d/twinklefox.h"
using namespace fl;
#define NUM_LEDS 100
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
TwinkleFox fx(NUM_LEDS);
void setup() { FastLED.addLeds<WS2811, 3, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS).setRgbw(); }
void loop() {
  EVERY_N_SECONDS(SECONDS_PER_PALETTE) { fx.chooseNextColorPalette(fx.targetPalette); }
  fx.draw(Fx::DrawContext(millis(), leds));
  FastLED.show();
}