Depth Anything v2 is the AI model that estimates a depth map from a single flat photo, no depth camera needed. In 2026 it ships as a drop-in TouchDesigner .tox, which means you can take one ordinary photo of someone, generate its depth, and turn it into a living 2.5D scene where the camera drifts and the subject separates from the background. It is the most “wow per minute” recipe in this chapter.
Before You Start
- Grab a depth plugin. The popular one is TDDepthAnything by olegchomp: GitHub (a drop-in
.toxthat turns any TOP into a real-time depth map). There is also TDDepthAnythingRT by jetXS for a TensorRT path.- On Apple Silicon, prefer a build that runs the model on CPU/MPS, or use a pre-baked depth map exported from a desktop tool. The TouchDesigner displacement steps are GPU and run anywhere.
1. Get a Depth Map
- Add a Movie File In TOP and load your photo.
- Drop in the
TDDepthAnything.toxand feed your photo into it. - Its output is a greyscale depth map: white is near, black is far.
No NVIDIA card?
You do not need real-time depth for a still photo. Generate the depth map once (in the plugin, or any Depth Anything web demo), save it as an image, and load it as a second Movie File In TOP. The rest of the recipe is the same.
2. Displace in 3D
We turn the flat photo into geometry pushed forward and back by the depth map.
- Add a Grid SOP, set rows and columns high (around
200x200) for smooth displacement. - Add a Point SOP (or a GLSL displacement) and offset each point’s Z by the depth map value.
- Apply your colour photo as the texture in a Phong/PBR MAT.
- Render the result with a Render TOP.
POP alternative
For a softer, particle look, sample the photo and depth into a POP point cloud instead of a grid. Each pixel becomes a glowing point at its depth.
3. Add the Parallax Move
This subtle camera drift is what sells the illusion.
- Add a Camera COMP.
- Animate its X and Y position with a slow LFO CHOP (amplitude small, around
0.1). - Aim it at the centre of the scene. As the camera sways, near pixels move more than far pixels: instant parallax.
4. Make It a Gift
- Use a favourite photo of the two of you.
- Add soft depth of field so the background gently blurs as the camera moves.
- Add gentle floating particles in front for atmosphere.
- Render a 10 second loop to a movie file.
Troubleshooting
- “The displacement looks spiky.” - The depth map is noisy. Add a small Blur TOP on the depth before displacing.
- “Edges tear apart.” - This is normal at big depth jumps (the model cannot invent hidden pixels). Keep the camera move small, or inpaint the gaps with a stretched-edge background layer.
- “The plugin will not load on my Mac.” - Use the pre-baked depth map approach from step 1.
Next Steps
- Live version: Feed your webcam instead of a photo for a real-time depth-displaced mirror (needs the real-time/TensorRT build).
- Depth-keyed effects: Use the depth map to fog only the background, or to colour-grade near and far differently.
- Combine with splats: Pair with Gaussian Splatting Scenes for fully volumetric memories.
Parameter Tuning & Behavior
| Parameter | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Displace amount | Higher = dramatic 3D pop but more edge tearing; Lower = subtle, clean. |
| Depth blur | Higher = smooth surfaces; Lower = crisp but spiky. |
| Camera sway | Larger = strong parallax but reveals gaps; Smaller = gentle, believable. |
| Grid resolution | Higher = smoother displacement; Lower = faceted, lower-poly look. |
Network Architecture
[ SOURCE ] [ Movie File In TOP ] (photo)
│ │
│ ▼
│ [ TDDepthAnything.tox ] ──▶ depth map
│ │
▼ ▼ (+ Blur TOP)
[ GEOMETRY ] [ Grid SOP ] ──▶ [ Point/GLSL displace by depth ]
│ (colour photo as texture)
▼
[ RENDER ] [ Render TOP ] ◀── [ Camera COMP + slow LFO ]
│
▼
[ POLISH ] [ Depth of Field ] ──▶ [ particles ] ──▶ [ OUT ](y) Return to Trending 2026 | (y) Return to Recipes & Projects | (y) Return to TouchDesigner | (y) Return to Home