Level: Intermediate: Some previous experience with javascript, or programming is recommended. No experience with TouchDesigner is needed.

Overview

Explore 3D shader programming through a Javascript interface without the complexity of GLSL. Shader Park is an open source project for creating real-time graphics and procedural animations. Follow along through multiple examples using a P5.js style live code editor. Expand upon the examples and bring them into TouchDesigner to create your own audio reactive music visualizers. Explore the Shader Park community gallery where you can fork other people’s creations or feature your own.

Who is the workshop for?

Artists interested in exploring real-time procedural 3D graphics and animations applied as music visualizations.

Developers with experience programming in javascript, a p5.js style library, or similar language is recommended. Bonus if you know shader programming.

By the end of this session a successful student will be able to:

• Create raymarched 3D shaders with Shader Park

• Intro to TouchDesigner + Shader Park plugin

• Overview of audio analysis

• Create your own audio reactive music visualizer

Session Study Topics:

• TouchDesigner

• Shader Park

• Shaders

• Raymarching

• Audio analysis

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• A copy of TouchDesigner

• A downloaded song(.mp3 .aif .aiff .wav) you’d like to turn into a music visualizer.

About the workshop leader

Torin Blankensmith and Peter Whidden formed a creative-coding organization while at college together. They hosted weekly workshops for students from various disciplines on emerging topics in computer graphics. It was in this group that the first prototype of Shader Park was developed.

Torin is a freelance creative technologist and adjunct professor at the Parsons School of Design in New York City teaching TouchDesigner and Creative Coding. Based out of NEW INC, Torin creates immersive installations, experiences, interfaces, and websites. Torin’s work explores emerging techniques in real-time graphics pulling inspiration from systems and patterns of emergent behavior in nature. This work has translated into creating large scale environments for medical professionals to alleviate stress/burnout, for patients in clinical studies aiding in neuroscience research on brain recovery, and for commercial spaces bringing sanctuary to the urban landscape.

Peter is a creative software engineer whose work spans physics, astronomy, machine learning, and computer graphics. He currently works at the NY Times R&D lab focused on emerging computer vision and graphics techniques. Previously, Pete has worked with CERN to build interactive 3D visualizations used in particle physics. He’s also developed software with the Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics and Cosmology (DIRAC) Institute which enabled the discovery of over 30 new minor planets in the Kuiper belt. Recently his artistic collaborations with Alex Miller of SpaceFiller have been featured in galleries and in a permanent installation in Seattle.

Level: Advanced

Grainflow is a package for Max / MSP that utilizes gen~ and the MC wrapper to allow users to control large numbers of sample accurate grains. This workshop will teach participants about how to use and control large numbers of grains using the Grainflow package and Max’s multichannel wrapper.

By the end of the session students should be able to: 

• Develop an understanding of granulation and granular synthesis

• Use Grainflow to build a granular file player

• Use Grainflow for live granulation.

• Build a granular time-stretching tool

• Use the MC output of Grainflow to bus grains stochastically to different effects

Study Topics 

• Introduction to Grainflow~ – parameters and controls

• Building a sound-file granulator using grainflow~

• Building a live granulator using grainflow~.

• Build a real-time time stretcher

• Build a system for statistically bussing grains into several effects.

Requirements

• A computer and internet connection

• Access to a copy of Max 8

• The Grainflow Package

About the workshop leader 

Christopher Poovey is a Dallas based electroacoustic composer, media artist, and developer.

He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of North Texas with a research focus in interactive computer music and immersive installation. Chris has developed several software packages for Max as well as a number of Max for Live devices and VST instruments built using