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.
TouchDesigner is where the signal flow already lives, so it makes sense to keep the generative work there and let Spectralite handle the rig. An NDI Out TOP publishes any point in your network, and Spectralite samples that image to decide what each fixture does.
Add an NDI Out TOP
Drop an NDI Out TOP into your network and wire the operator you want to publish into its input. Then set:
- Active (
active) on, which makes the stream available and starts sending image data. - Source Name (
name) to something you will recognize on the network. - Output Resolution (
outputresolution) to suit the rig. Use Input is fine, and the Half or Quarter options are an easy way to cut the load. - FPS (
fps) to the rate you want to send at. NDI uses this partly as a guide for how it compresses frames.
Include Alpha (includealpha) sends the alpha channel when you need it; with it off, alpha is 1.0. Output Pixel Format (outputpixelformat) chooses between 8 bit and 16 bit fixed encoding, and 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
Under Edit > Inputs > NDI, switch on NDI input enabled and Auto-discover sources. Nothing else to configure; the dialog carries no source picker.
Put the video on your fixtures
The quickest route is a new layer in the Timeline panel using the built-in NDI Input effect. For control over how pixels become light, use an NDI Input node in the Node Editor and feed its output through the rest of your graph.
Publishing data rather than pictures
An NDI Out TOP carries an image, so anything you can render you can send. That includes images you never intend a human to look at. A ramp built from CHOP values, a noise field, a heat map of sensor readings: encode the numbers as pixels, publish the TOP, and sample those positions in Spectralite. Each fixture reads its own pixel, which turns a single stream into per-fixture control values.
For a rig of any size, a small texture goes a long way. 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.
- Position Map Editor: control which pixel each fixture reads.
- Connect Your Software: guides for other applications.