TouchDesigner to Lights
Stream a TouchDesigner network to Spectralite over NDI with an NDI Out TOP and drive fixtures from generative, sensor, or data-driven visuals.
Keep the generative work in TouchDesigner and let Spectralite run the rig. An NDI Out TOP publishes the image at any point in your network, and Spectralite samples that image to decide what each fixture does.
Add an NDI Out TOP
Add an NDI Out TOP to your network and wire the operator that you want to publish into its input. Then set these parameters:
- Active (
active) on, which makes the stream available and starts sending image data. - Source Name (
name) to a name that you will recognize on the network. - Output Resolution (
outputresolution) to suit the rig. Use Input works, and Half or Quarter cuts the load. - FPS (
fps) to the rate you want to send at. NDI also uses this value to decide how to compress frames.
Include Alpha (includealpha) sends the alpha channel. When it is off, alpha is 1.0. Output Pixel Format (outputpixelformat) chooses between 8 bit and 16 bit fixed encoding. Audio CHOP (audiochop) attaches a CHOP of audio to the stream. The NDI Out TOP reference lists every parameter.
Pick up the stream in Spectralite
Open Edit > Inputs > NDI. Turn on NDI input enabled and Auto-discover sources. The dialog has no source picker and nothing else to configure.
Put the video on your fixtures
The quickest way is a new layer in the Timeline panel with the built-in NDI Input effect. To control how pixels become light, use an NDI Input node in the Node Editor. Feed its output through the rest of your graph.
Publishing data as well as pictures
An NDI Out TOP carries any image you can render, including images that nobody will look at. Encode numbers as pixels, such as a ramp built from CHOP values, a noise field, or a heat map of sensor readings. Publish the TOP and sample those positions in Spectralite. Each fixture reads its own pixel, so a single stream carries a control value for every fixture.
A small texture is enough. A 64x64 TOP holds four thousand independent values, which is more than most rigs need.
Related
- Receive video from another app: shared performance and troubleshooting notes.
- Node Editor: sampling and shaping the incoming image.
- Layout Editor: control which pixel each fixture reads.
- Connect Your Software: guides for other applications.