Getting back into Touchdesigner
Getting into it.
Trying to get back into a program I haven’t touched in some years (on and off) is a bit rough. The good thing is once I started, things started to come back to me. They never left my brain, it’s just a bit rusty.
I did start with this wonderful video:
Just a quick reminder of what TouchDesigner is. I did then go on to create a playlist of all the TD videos I could find that interested me, which can be found here.
I’m definitely always gravitating towards the audio reactive tutorials, or even tutorials that I think would be really cool to make audio reactive. Other tutorials in here include just some of the basics and getting back into what each operator can do as a refresher.
I also want to keep in mind that TouchDesigner can also be the playback system for an interactive show. I think my goal with the tutorials I follow/art I create is to create that playback system that allows me to control it and isn’t just solely dependent on the noise. Taking those tutorials and building upon them to create an interactive instillation piece every time. Even if it means that installation is just my computer and a projector.
I did start off with one of my favorite forms of creating and honestly one I believe is the fundamental of generative art, and that is feedback. The feedback loop is definitely one I am very familiar with. It starts with the basics, and then you just add to it. It always amazes me how much you can just do, starting with the simple operators. Sometimes I do think that it can get a bit convoluted, and you have to take a step back, but it’s always fun seeing how much you can push it to.
One of my favorite lines that he said came from the video:
“Creativity emerges the more we experiment… sometimes we don’t even know exactly what we’re doing.”
Playing around with TouchDesigner for the first time in a while felt like coming home.
