Starter

TouchDesigner — Starter

Understand the TouchDesigner environment, node families, and build your first real-time visual network.

01What is TouchDesigner? Origins, use cases, and why node-based visual programming changes how you think about real-time media. 02Installing TouchDesigner Download, licence types (free vs commercial), system requirements, and first launch. 03The Interface Network editor, palette, parameters, timeline, and how to navigate and customise the UI. 04Node Families TOPs, CHOPs, SOPs, DATs, COMPs, and MATTs — what each family does and when to use it. 05Your First Network Build a simple visual network from scratch — noise to colour to output. 06Connections & Wires How data flows between nodes, wire types, and combining multiple inputs. 07Parameters & Expressions The parameter panel, constant values, and your first Python expressions to animate values. 08Working with Time The timeline, FPS, absTime, seconds, and driving animation from the internal clock. 09Saving & Sharing Projects TOE files, external assets, the project folder structure, and sharing with collaborators. 10Troubleshooting Cook errors, dropped frames, GPU memory, and common first-project problems.