Modular Design and Toxes

Keeping your networks clean, organized, and reusable.

Toxes and Version Control (Git)

A .tox is a saved TouchDesigner component (like a Base COMP or Container COMP) that encapsulates a piece of your network.

Saving: Right-click a COMP → Save Component .tox…
External Loading: On the COMP’s Common page, set the External .tox path.
Save on Quit: Turn on Save on Quit so the .tox file updates automatically when you save your main project.
Git Best Practices: TouchDesigner .toe (project) files are binary and terrible for Git version control. The standard practice is to build your project out of modular External .tox files. You commit the .tox files to Git, allowing multiple developers to work on different modules simultaneously without merge conflicts on the main .toe file.

To make your .tox modules reusable, you shouldn’t have to dive inside them to change settings.

Right-click your COMP and select Customize Component…
In the dialog, you can create custom sliders, toggles, and menus.
Dive inside the COMP, and use a Parameter CHOP or Python expressions to map these custom parameters to the nodes inside.

When your module needs complex logic or state management, loose script nodes become messy.

Extensions are Python classes attached directly to a COMP.
Right-click a COMP → Customize Component… → Go to the Extension Code section and type a name (e.g., MyModuleExt). Click “Add”.
This attaches a Python DAT containing a class. Any functions or variables defined in this class become natively accessible as properties of that COMP.
Example: If your extension has a function def Fire(self):, you can call op('myComp').Fire() from anywhere in the project.

Use Base COMPs to group related logic.
Avoid “spaghetti” wiring across levels (don’t drag wires constantly in and out of COMPs). Use Select OPs, In/Out OPs, or Global OP Shortcuts to establish clear data highways between your modules.