Touchdesigner

TouchDesigner is a visual programming environment aimed at the creation of multimedia applications. A realtime creative coding tool to make programming accessible for artists and designers also without a formal programming skills. TouchDesigner allows you to connect “everything to everything" Everything that can be digitised can become an input to a TD application and everything that can be controlled digitally can be output from TD, allowing you to connect the digital world to the real world.

Getting & installing Touchdesigner

Download Touchdesigner here:

https://derivative.ca/download

Check the system requirements & download the right version. Install it as usual.

KEy

The NON-COMMERCIAL version is free to use, but has limitations on resolution.
Sing up (free) to get the keys for install.
Check in with the HKUBlackbox if you need to borrow an educational license to unlock certain possibilities. 
Check the 'enable dongle' or 'codemeter' box during the install for this. 

Learning Touchdesigner

You can learn Touchdesigner online! The community is 'small' and helpful, to get started check out these resources:

The derivative site: 
https://derivative.ca/learn 
https://learn.derivative.ca/ 
https://learn.derivative.ca/courses/100-fundamentals/ 

Our recommendations:
These are the TDtutorial masters, they cover a super broad spectrum and help you actually understand the basics:

elekktronaut.com
bileam tschepe (elekktronaut)
youtube playlist

Very thorough & clear beginners course to get you started.


Full beginner course 


 https://interactiveimmersive.io/
The Interactive & Immersive Headquarters
youtube playlist

The Interactive and Immersive HQ has a mission: Help TouchDesigner freelancers, agencies, artists and designers achieve their artistic visions.

@acrylicode 




In this channel you will teach how to use Touchdesigner as a creative tool.

Playlist of beginner tutorials 




https://matthewragan.com/
Matthew Ragan
youtube playlist

Very clear & thorough tutorials, that really help you understand what you are doing.



 

 

 

Check out ALLTD:

beginners: https://alltd.org/category/beginner/
intermediate: https://alltd.org/category/intermediate/ 
advanced https://alltd.org/category/advanced/ 


Screenshot 2025-03-19 at 20.06.07.png

Okamirufu Vizualizer

Okamirufu Vizualizer
Youtube channel

 

This channel is for TouchDesigner Enthusiast. Tutorials using static screenshots of the network & clear explanation.

 

 

 

 

Here's a playlist on youtube full of inspiring tutorials by various makers, new ones are added on a regular bases. tips to add welcome!

Some of out favourite tutorial makers: 
https://www.youtube.com/@elekktronaut
https://www.youtube.com/@TheInteractiveImmersiveHQ
https://www.youtube.com/@paketa12 
https://www.youtube.com/@OkamirufuV
https://www.youtube.com/@acrylicode
https://www.youtube.com/@rey_nbows
https://www.youtube.com/@raganmd
https://www.youtube.com/@NotoTheTalkingBall 
https://www.youtube.com/@pppanik007 

 

 

 

more touchdesigner resources 

https://github.com/monkeymonk/awesome-touchdesigner



Stuck?

Check out help on:
The Forum: https://forum.derivative.ca/
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/senqbr2
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TouchDesigner/
Facebook community : 
TouchDesigner Artist Community (fb) 
TouchDesigner Help Group
TouchDesigner Help Group Netherlands

or contact a Blackbox host!


Cheat Sheets:

Common Python operations: https://matthewragan.com/teaching-resources/touchdesigner/touchdesigner-common-operations-cheat-sheet/

Keyboard Shortcuts: https://matthewragan.com/teaching-resources/touchdesigner/touchdesigner-keyboard-shortcuts/


Integration with Resolume

https://vjgalaxy.com/blogs/touchdesigner-tutorials/enhancing-resolume-with-real-time-vj-visuals-generators

Mediapipe for bodytracking in TD: No kinect needed!

Realtime Body tracking on Mac & Pc with just a webcam!

Camera's like Kinect can do body & facial tracking with infra red. You can read more about this on another one of our bookstack pages
But with AI, you can now also use your webcam for tracking! 

Mediapipe is Machine Learning by Google implemented through Python;
read up on the details here; https://developers.google.com/mediapipe 
And if this kind of goes above your head but you do kind of want to understand what you are doing check this out: https://www.assemblyai.com/blog/mediapipe-for-dummies/ 

You can install Mediapipe on you computer and in Touchdesigner using this step by step tutorial: http://www.magicandlove.com/blog/2021/06/02/mediapipe-in-touchdesigner-6/

But, since 2023 Torin Blankensmith has developed a plugin for TD (so no separate install of mediapipe!)
Check out the tutorial
Get the latest version of the plugin on github. 
Be aware that, although this way of using Mediapipe is much easier to setup, it is a lot heavier on your system/resources than when installing the necessary libraries yourself like described above.


.Tox


Screenshot 2025-03-21 at 09.55.17.png

.tox file is a TouchDesigner Component file,  used to save preset- components of yourTouchDesigner project. A .tox file contains one component which in turn can contain multiple components. The component file can then easily be loaded as needed in other projects. For example, when designing a custom user interface for a project, saving the UI elements as a separate .tox file would allow the parts of the user interface to be reused easily in future projects.

To create a .tox right-click on your (base) component & hit "Save Component .tox' 
Navigate to your Palette & add them there for easy acces.

On this page we'll share some custom toxes made previously in Touchdesigner (by us).
Beware, these are handmade, to fully understand what is happening, it is advised to re-build them yourself ;)

On Github:
https://github.com/hku-ect/TouchDesignerComponents 

Showcase:
On the derivative site, people have profiles & sometimes share their .tox
derivative: showcase
especially:
THETOUCHLAB


 

Add a sensor to callibrate it sensor_callibrate.tox


Library-platform of inspiring TD Toxes shared by creators:
https://olib.amb-service.net/ 
Toxes for specific fixtures to control lights can be found here

WLed WLED.tox

 

Bare_Conductive.tox
to use Bare Conductive in TD 
more info here

RadiusCheck.tox
Creates a virtual point in 3D space and checks the relation between input XYZ. Set the radius in metres Set the XYZ location feed it a live location (XYZ) Outputs Percentage within the radius Outputs InsideBounds Outputs Distance in Metres


 






examples (random selection)

 

 

Lights in Touchdesigner

You can control your fixtures straight from Touchdesigner, using an Enttec or over ArtNet

Lights in Touchdesigner

Controlling Lights from Touchdesigner

In Touchdesigner DMX data is sent to the daisy-chain of fixtures through USB (via an ENTTEC available at the uitleen) or ArtNet.


In Touchdesigner you can create 'presets' called Toxes. You can save these on your computer for easy acces:

DMX Config TOX   Example fixtures

5 channels: 

Intensity
Red
Green
Blue
Strobe

ETC_Colorsource_Par.tox

 

ETC ColorSource Spot jr (inventory Blackboxes & klein Zaal)

image.png

ETC ColorSource Par (inventory Blackboxes)

 

ColorSource Spot Deep Blue (inventory Kleine Zaal)
image.png

image.png

 

6 channels:
Red
Green
Blue
White
Amber
Uv

6CH_Par_RGBWAU.tox

 

ETC_Colorsource_Junior_6ch.tox

 

High End PAR uitleen Theater :  image.png
type & DMX traits: Elation SIXPAR 100

>>

 

 

Mid Range PAR uitleen Theater 
type & DMX traits: 5PXHEX 



7 channels:
Red
Green
Blue
White
Amber
Uv
Master Dimmer
7CH_Par_RGBWAUI.tox

High End PAR uitleen Theater :  
type & DMX traits: Elation SIXPAR 100image.png

 

Mid Range PAR uitleen Theater
type & DMX traits: 5PXHEX 

>>

14 channels
(see Briteq manual)

Moving_Head_Briteq_BT_W19L10ZOOM_14ch.tox


Moving_Head_Ayra_ero406.tox

 

  

image.png.    image.png

Briteq BT-W19L10 Zoom (uitleen Oudenoord)
WASH, type & DMX traits BT-W19L10

Ayra Ero406  WASH (not in HKU but cheap at BaxShop)

Easy DMX_Out for Artnet (use a merge to connect multiple fixtures, dive in & adjust de DMX out to use another interface)
dmx_out_Artnet.tox

Patch for the Blackbox @ Janskerkhof (to connect with OSC via ipad)



Check out the WLED page to connect TD to LEDstrips

Lights in Touchdesigner

Controlling Ledstrips with WLED (from Touchdesigner)

image.pngWLED is one of the most popular packages for controlling LED
strips with, or example, the WS2812B through cable & wifi.

The software also supports some other types, such as the WS2811 and WS2815, both on 12 volts. The first step is to flash the software on, for example, an ESP32.

website: https://kno.wled.ge/
community: https://wled.discourse.group/

Wled aansturenWl


Wled & Touchdesigner:


Here's a preset for Touchdesigner WLED.tox

https://github.com/fieldOfView/WLED-video : A tool to stream video to WLED matrix displays

https://github.com/BradyMeighan/WLED-Studio : A Python application to stream videos, images, and animations directly to your WLED-powered LED video wall.

Arduino & Touchdesigner

You can connect your arduino to TD to send & receive data

Arduino & Touchdesigner

Various tutorials connecting TD & Arduino (no firmata)


Arduino & Touchdesigner

Using Firmata

What is Firmata?

Firmata is a protocol for communicating with microcontrollers (like Arduino) from software on a computer, using a standardized messaging format over serial communication (usually USB). It allows you to control and read from Arduino pins in real-time, without needing to constantly upload new Arduino sketches.