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Size Coding

Interactive Lab · ~15 MIN · FREE · LOCAL ONLY

Why extreme size limits change every decision: procedural instead of stored, generated instead of authored.

Fit a production inside a 4K budget by choosing what to cut.

  • byte budgets
  • procedural generation
  • compression-friendly code
  • cutting features
  • intros vs demos

Lessons

  1. Bytes are the design brief

    In a 4K intro the entire production — code, music, textures — must fit in 4096 bytes. Nothing is stored that can be computed instead.

    TRY THIS BELOW · Tick one feature and watch the remaining bytes fall in the WHAT FITS panel.

  2. Generate, never store

    A texture becomes a formula, a melody becomes an algorithm, a model becomes a distance field. Procedural content is the only affordable content.

    TRY THIS BELOW · Compare the synth against the raymarched scene: both are generated, and both still cost bytes.

  3. Cutting is the craft

    Size coding is mostly deciding which two features actually matter. The winning entry is rarely the one with the most ideas.

    TRY THIS BELOW · Select everything, go over budget, then decide which feature leaves the stack.

4K budget

Choose the features your intro will ship with. Everything must fit inside 4096 bytes — pick at least three.

0 / 4096 BYTES

See what changed

The preview is generated from your choices above.

300 / 4096 BYTES · 3796B FREE

  • BASELINE · loader and clear screen · 300B
  • CUT · Raymarched scene · 1400B
  • CUT · Procedural synth · 900B
  • CUT · Post-processing · 350B
  • CUT · Camera choreography · 300B
  • CUT · Vector greetings · 420B
  • CUT · Particle system · 600B
  • CUT · Palette cycling · 120B
  • CUT · Custom packer stub · 700B

Educational estimates · not a compiled executable size

What fits: 0 features plus a 300B baseline use 300 of 4096 bytes, leaving 3796B.

WHAT CHANGED · A bare loader and clear screen already costs about 300B, so your 0 chosen features occupy 0B of the 4096B budget. 3796B remain. Every stored asset would eat that space, which is why size coders compute content at runtime instead of shipping it. Left out: raymarched scene, procedural synth, post-processing, camera choreography, vector greetings, particle system, palette cycling, custom packer stub. Cutting is the craft — the winning intro is rarely the one with the most ideas. All byte costs here are educational estimates, not a compiler report.

0/2 REQUIREMENTS MET

  • Three or more features chosen
  • Cut explained

COMPLETION RULE · Select three or more features that fit inside 4096 bytes, and explain what you cut.

Your plan

Everything above stays on this device. Take a copy with you.

Size Coding — SceneStart

What did you cut, and why?: —

Completion: 0/2 — Select three or more features that fit inside 4096 bytes, and explain what you cut.

SceneStart is not affiliated with any demoparty and cannot certify compliance. The party's published rules always take precedence.

Where to do the real work

SCOPE · Nothing is compiled or measured here. The budget is a teaching model with representative costs, not a real linker report.

FREE FOREVER · A future paid tier could measure real builds. The budget lab stays free.