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--- software:touch_designer [2025/12/02 10:17] – [Cooking, Push/Pull Logic, Performance] mh
+++ software:touch_designer [2025/12/02 10:38] (current) – [Essential Tools & Best Practices] mh
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
   * **Palette:** Contains ready‑made components; double‑click to inspect internal networks.
   * **Operator Snippets:** Help → Operator Snippets shows practical examples for most OPs.
+  * **''■''** button : Open viewer (floating window) while keeping Network Editor open
 ==== Viewer Interaction ====
-  * Viewers can be toggled **Active** (button bottom-right).
+//Buttons in the bottom right of OPs//
-//This allows panning/zooming inside the viewer without affecting the OP’s output.//
+  * **''♦''**: Toggle **Active** //(Allows panning/zooming inside the viewer without affecting the OP’s output)//
+  * **''●''**: Toggle **Display** in background
 ==== Panes & Layout ====
@@ Line 71: / Line 75: @@
 Use nulls, selects, Resolution TOP, and Cache Select to avoid unnecessary cooking.
-===== OLD VERSION =====
+==== Network Hierarchy & Navigation ====
+  * Networks behave like Unix-style folders.
+  * Path bar shows current location.
+  * Double-click a COMP to see its internal network.
-==== Nodes ====
+==== Flags, Viewers & Info ====
-The Graph Editor portion of Touch Designer is called the **Network Editor**, and a bunch of interconnected operators doing some kind of function is called a **Network**.
+  * Display flag = viewer preview.
+  * Render flag = included in rendering.
+  * **''Middle-click''** → info popup.
+  * “?” in parameter window → operator wiki page.
-The nodes are called **Operators**.
+==== Parameters & Editing Tricks ====
+  * Middle-click/hold a parameter to adjust increments. Slide Left / Right to increase/decrease
+    * Use on name of parameter to affect all values simultaneously.
+  * Drag CHOP channels into parameters:
+    * CHOP references
+    * Export bindings
+  * Drag CHOPs onto TOPs to convert.
-The Network Editor has a path bar at the top of the interface and projects in Touch Designer are similar to a Unix file hierarchy.
+===== Signal Flow & Data Types =====
-Double-clicking on a grey operator will open this component and display the nodes that build it up. (e.g. geo1 in default file)
+TouchDesigner mixes several structures:
+  * TOPs → images (resolution-dependent)
+  * CHOPs → channels (sample rate–based)
+  * SOPs → points/geometry
+  * DATs → strings/tables
-Even though the operators have 3D Previews, behind the scenes it is just data being visualized differently.
+Important relationships:
+  * Instancing: SOP point count = CHOP sample count.
+  * CHOPs depend on FPS; TOPs depend on resolution.
+===== Rendering Workflow =====
-Viewers can be toggled **Active** with the button on the bottom right. This locks their position and enables to move the content around in the preview panel to highlight details of its processing. This does not affect its output.
+==== SOP → COMP → TOP Pipeline ====
+  * SOPs exist on CPU → piped into Geometry COMP.
+  * Camera and Light COMPs define render scene.
+  * Render TOP outputs a 2D texture.
-**''MIDDLE CLICK''** on an operator opens the info dialog for that operator.
+==== Render TOP Fundamentals ====
+  * Inputs:
+    – Camera
+    – Geometry COMPs
+    – Lights
+  * End with a null TOP for stability.
-For each Operator hitting the ''?'' button in the parameter window will open up the wiki page for that operator.
+==== Cameras, Lights, Environment ====
+  * Keep one object per Geometry COMP when possible.
+  * Cameras operate like standard 3D transforms.
+  * Light types: Point, Spot, Directional.
-From the top menu Help > Operator Snippets opens up a floating window with many examples and notes on each operator and how to use them.
+==== Common Rendering Patterns ====
+  * SOP chain → Null SOP → Geometry COMP
+  * Geometry → Render TOP → Composite/FX
+  * Use Select TOPs to inspect interim results.
-The Palette also bundles a list of "premade" components that can be drag & dropped into the network. Double-clicking on them will open up their internal networks to understand how they are built.
+===== Output Pipeline =====
+==== Window COMP ====
+  * Main operator for projection/output.
+  * Settings:
+    – Monitor
+    – Opening Size
+    – Borders
+==== Perform Mode ====
+  * Enter using **''F1''**.
+  * Layouts may scale differently; test UI carefully.
-=== Keyboard Shortcuts ===
+===== Tips, Tricks & Best Practices =====
+==== Null Strategy ====
+  * Use nulls at key checkpoints.
+  * Reference nulls elsewhere to avoid breaking chains.
+==== Select Strategy ====
+  * Extract channels with Select CHOPs.
+  * Organizes complex CHOP data streams.
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+==== Resolution TOP ====
+  * Drop resolution early to speed up heavy FX.
+  * Increase resolution at end of chain.
-=== Signal Flow ===
+==== Useful Python Expressions ====
+  * ''absTime.frame'' → integer frame counter. Combine with math expression (e.g. ''* 0.5'') to control speed.
+  * ''absTime.seconds'' → time in seconds.
+  * ''me.digits'' → returns numeric suffix of OP name. Combine with math expression (e.g. ''* -5'') to increment or decrement a parameter as you copy/paste (useful for **Cache Select** building a trail effect for example).
-Data always flows from left to right.
-Connections between nodes can be still (no animation) or cooking (animation visible on the noodle).
+==== Cache & Cache Select ====
+  * Cache TOP stores multiple frames (heavy on VRAM).
+  * Cache Select references those frames without extra memory.
+  * Pair Cache + Reorder TOP for temporal RGB shifting.
-Cooking refers to the operator updating it's input/outputs because the data flow is variable.
+==== Instancing Workflow ====
+  * Match SOP points to CHOP samples.
+  * Enable instancing in Geometry COMP → Instance tab.
+  * Position, scale, rotation via CHOP channels.
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+==== Optical Flow ====
+  * Outputs motion vectors (R = X velocity, G = Y velocity).
+  * Useful for simulations, particles, reactive systems.
-=== Parameters ===
+===== Common Techniques =====
-Every node has parameters that can be manually controlled, tied to UI, scripted, etc.
+==== Feedback Loops ====
+  * Feedback TOP + Transform + Composite.
+  * Use Resolution TOP to prevent GPU overload.
-Right click on a node gives the option to open a floating parameter window.
+==== Trails ====
+  * CHOP Trail for numeric history.
+  * TOP composite trails for visual streaks.
-When editing a parameter (e.g. speed on a moviefilein) ''MIDDLE MOUSE'' click and hold on the **value** will open a hover menu where the increment can be changed. While holding, when selecting an increment, sliding left and right will decrement/increment the value by the given increment. (Also works with a ''LEFT CLICK'' and hold but the hold is a little longer).
+==== Multi-Layer Composite Setups ====
+  * Composite TOP blends layers using Over, Add, Screen, etc.
+==== CHOP-Driven Animation ====
+  * LFO, Noise, Trigger CHOPs for dynamic control.
+  * Export or reference in parameters.
+==== TOP FX Chains ====
+  * Common structure:
+    Source → Level → Blur → Edge → Composite → Null
+  * Keep heavy FX at low resolution.
+===== Creative Notes =====
+  * Repetition of simple forms builds complex visuals.
+  * Overlapping translucent layers enrich motion and depth.
+  * Vary timing, resolution, and color to create dynamic energy.
+===== OLD VERSION =====
-When a parameter has two values that you would like to increase/decrease equally this technique can be applied on the name of the parameter.
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 When using source loops into TOP Fx chains it's handy to pass them through a Resolution TOP and lower them down to half res to improve performance.
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-=== Useful python expressions ===
-  * ''absTime.frame'' will use the frame count to increment the parameter this expression is used on. Use math expression behind such as ''* 0.5'' to slow down (or speed up)
-  * ''absTime.seconds'' like the above but slower
-  * ''me.digits'' will return the digit (auto incremented) in the operator name. You can associate it with a math expression such as ''* -5'' to automatically increment or decrement a parameter as you copy/paste (useful for **Cache Select** building a trail effect for example).
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