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Qmap · c14

Actor Expansion

archivedcreated 2026-03-23· last activity 2026-08-15

New in this cycle: AI Agents and Users as first-class actor types (icosahedron agents, sphere+cone users)

Goal

Add two new actor types — AI Agents and Users — with distinctive 3D meshes, realistic test data, and connection patterns that reflect modern network traffic.

What's New

  • AgentMesh — IcosahedronGeometry (20 triangular faces), grounded Y-axis spin + hover bob, geodesic/crystalline appearance
  • UserMesh — Composite sphere head + truncated cone body (person silhouette), slow grounded spin, matte finish
  • Entity factory — 'agent' and 'user' cases added to createEntity()
  • Tag helpers — at() for agent tags (Model, Framework, Owner, Autonomy), ut() for user tags (OS, Timezone, Location, Department, Role)
  • Connection weights — Agent→vendor (0.5, LLM API calls), user→app (0.5), user→agent (0.4)
  • New scenarios — aiTeamScenario (25 actors), userWorkspaceScenario (30 actors grouped by Department)
  • AI vendor URLs — OpenAI, Anthropic, Hugging Face, Cohere, Replicate

Actor Types (6 total)

TypeGeometrySpinFeel
AppDodecahedronFull tumbleComplex, interconnected
ServiceHexagonal prismGroundedStable, modular
Database3 stacked octagonsGrounded, slowLayered storage
VendorOctahedron + faviconFull tumbleExternal, precious
AgentIcosahedronGrounded + bobIntelligent, autonomous
UserSphere + coneGrounded, very slowHuman, grounded

Key Decisions

  • Users are dual-modeled — visible actor entity AND grouping context. Group by Department/Role creates user-context rugs using existing tag-based grouping (no special code needed).
  • Agent geometry (Icosahedron) — visually distinct from App's dodecahedron (20 triangular vs 12 pentagonal faces). The faceted, crystalline look conveys synthetic intelligence.
  • Hover bob for agents — subtle floating animation distinguishes agents from grounded services/users.

Built From

C13: Group Mode — the group-by-type mode, layout engine, entity system, transitions, and composable architecture carry forward.

Visual record

9 captures — heroes, page slices, and full-page renders. Click to view.

Progressive Filter — all actors on stage
Progressive Filter — all actors on stage
Frame 2 — vendors removed, layout re-flows
Frame 2 — vendors removed, layout re-flows
Frame 4 — only backend remains
Frame 4 — only backend remains
Top-down camera on the full cast
Top-down camera on the full cast
Scale Storm — 200 actors under pressure
Scale Storm — 200 actors under pressure
Region Migration — 150 actors mid-move
Region Migration — 150 actors mid-move
User Traffic scenario — the new user meshes in play
User Traffic scenario — the new user meshes in play
Group mode — actors gathered by tag
Group mode — actors gathered by tag
c14 hero

Artifacts

/experiments/c14.actor-expansion/ (local dev)

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