TouchLED is a library to simplify the control of LEDs and DMX fixtures in TouchDesigner and to provide a consistent workflow. A visualiser enables the creation of complex mappings without additional hardware or software. For all those who are not yet familiar with TouchDesigner: You get a professional (for non-commercial purposes) free LED mapping solution with endless creative possibilities.
LEDs or fixtures are arranged in SOPs in 3D space. Each individual point simbolises a pixel or DMX parameter. The SOP input is displayed on a selectable plane in order to display video content (TOPs) on the LEDs/fixtures.
A minimal setup consists of an SOP, the Mapper component and the DMX_Universe component. The SOP specifies the shape and position of the LEDs, the mapper places a video on the LEDs and the DMX_Universe sends the data to the LEDs or fixtures. In this example, the SOP is a straight line with 10 points, e.g. a WS2812 LED strip with 10 LEDs. The Mapper maps a color gradient to the LEDs via the TOP input and the DMX universe components send the data to the controller of the LED strips via sACN.
In the following example, there are three LED strips with 10 LEDs each arranged as a triangle and a circle with 40 LEDs. The Visualizer components are also used here to simulate the behaviour of the LED strips.
When working with DMX fixtures such as spotlights or moving lights, it quickly becomes necessary to be able to operate certain DMX channels directly. For example, most fixtures have a dimmer channel that must have a value greater than zero for the fixture to light up. If the colour values of the fixtures are realized via a mapping, the dimmer values must also be set. This could also be realized via a white image, but if you also want to set the shutter value, the pan/tilt values and the zoom value, this procedure quickly becomes cumbersome and confusing. This is why there is the Static_Channels component, in which you can create and control channels.
