Welcome to your TouchDesigner learning wiki, a structured reference for visual programming with nodes and interactive media in real time.
New to TouchDesigner?
If you’ve just installed the software, start with our (y-1) Beginner Recipes. They are designed to get you making visuals in under 10 minutes without needing deep technical knowledge.
(y1) Core Concepts
The fundamentals: interface, navigation, and workflow.
- (y) Index: Core Concepts: Chapter hub and navigation.
- (y-) What is TouchDesigner: Overview of TD and its use cases.
- (y-) Interface Overview: Panels, panes, and the main UI.
- (y-) Network Editor: Working in the node graph.
- (y-) Connecting Nodes: Wiring operators together.
- (y-) Parameters: Reading and editing node parameters.
- (y-) Expressions and Parameters: Python expressions in parameters.
- (y-) Viewer Active Mode: Interacting with node viewers.
- (y-) Common Shortcuts: Essential keyboard shortcuts.
(y2) The Operators
The six operator families are the building blocks of every network.
- (y) Index: The Operators: Chapter hub and navigation.
- (y-) TOPs: 2D image & video processing (GPU).
- (y-) CHOPs: Numeric signals, audio & control data.
- (y-) SOPs: 3D geometry (CPU).
- (y-) COMPs: Containers, 3D objects & UI panels.
- (y-) DATs: Text, tables, scripts & JSON.
- (y-) MATs: Materials & shaders for 3D geometry.
- (y-) POPs: GPU point clouds and particles.
(y3) Rendering & Output
Generating and compositing visuals.
- (y) Index: Rendering & Output: Chapter hub and navigation.
- (y-) Rendering Basics: The Render TOP pipeline.
- (y-) Cameras and Lights: Setting up a 3D scene.
- (y-) Instancing: Rendering thousands of objects efficiently.
- (y-) Feedback Loops: Feeding output back into itself.
(y4) Scripting & Architecture
Python, project structure, and performance.
- (y) Index: Scripting & Architecture: Chapter hub and navigation.
- (y-) Python in TD: Writing Python inside TouchDesigner.
- (y-) The op and me objects: Navigating the network with code.
- (y-) Custom Parameters: Adding your own parameters to COMPs.
- (y-) Modular Design and Toxes: Reusable components (.tox files).
- (y-) Container and Widgets: Building custom UIs.
- (y-) Cooking: How TD decides what to compute.
- (y-) Performance Monitoring: Finding and fixing slowdowns.
(y5) Connectivity & Shaders
External I/O, protocols, and GPU programming.
- (y) Index: Connectivity & Shaders: Chapter hub and navigation.
- (y-) OSC and MIDI: Sending and receiving control messages.
- (y-) NDI and Syphon: Sharing video between applications.
- (y-) DMX and Art-Net: Lighting control protocols.
- (y-) Audio Reactivity: Driving visuals from audio signals.
- (y-) Introduction to GLSL: Writing custom GPU shaders.
(y6) Recipes & Projects
Practical examples and projects categorized by difficulty.
- (y-1) Fundamentals: Core UI, Binding, and basic audio-reactive 3D.
- (y-2) Intermediate: Shaders, PBR Materials, and basic MediaPipe tracking.
- (y-3) Advanced: Fluid simulations, advanced gesture recognition, and fractal math.
(y7) TouchDesigner Wiki Reference
- (y) Glossary: Core concepts and terminology.
- (y) Tutorials & Links Index: Chapter hub for curated resources.