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Workshop

DMX-RTK-LED: Los Angeles Workshop & Open House For Intermediate

TouchDesigner PROs: Enjoy the LA Meetup last month? Learn more in-depth, specifically about: DMX Integration, RayTK, plus Addressable LEDs!

Calling all Los Angeles TouchDesigner Programmers new and old!

Did you enjoy the TD Meetup last month? Did you miss it and want to learn more? Some of the presenters are holding a workshop to expand on the specific topics they presented:
  • 9:30am - Doors open
  • 10:00am - DMX: Integrating Industry Standard Software and Hardware with TD
  • Lunch Break (Not Provided, but BrewPub downstairs will be open)
  • 1:00pm - RayTK: Realtime RayMarching in TouchDesigner without writing any GLSL!
  • Coffee Break (smoke em if you got em... outside)
  • 4:00pm - LEDs: TD and Addressable LED Hardware / Best Practices
  • Beer Break (or more coffee for the brave)
  • 7:00pm - Free Time and Open House - Invite your friends!

$200 for the whole day. Contact WorkShops@theLightHouse.io for scholarship / financial support or group & corporate buys. Very limited seating so act fast!

You must bring your own laptop (MacOS or Windows) with TouchDesigner already installed (Latest Version recommended - Commercial License not required)

We will NOT be going over TouchDesigner Basics, so please be experienced with at least the basics of how to use the program and what you want to learn more about. There are plenty of great resources on the web to brush up before you come:

If you can't attend, but still want to support our efforts to re-start the real-world regular array of events, please consider donating to our Patreon (big-time or small - only once, or for all... time) and act now for "early-bird" status before the new year... 

DMX: Integrate Lighting Hardware and TD

Presented by Pete Thornbury - Lighting Designer and Programmer

Learn about how to use TouchDesigner with real equipment from the Lighting Industry. You will get hands-on experience controlling moving lights, as well as getting a guided tour of how to send data to - and get data from a lighting console. Some topics that will be covered:

  • Quick Intro to DMX - What is it and why are we still using a protocol from the '90s?
  • Unlearn IPv4 Networking - Everything requires an IP address - learn why less is more...
  • Real Production Experience - Who's toes will you be stepping on and how to tread lightly.
  • Lighting Consoles - Learn about the big four... er three lighting controller manufacturers.
  • Moving Lights - See some examples of how they work and what you could do with them.

Optionally, we will also install the free GrandMA OnPC software on your computer and get TouchDesigner talking to it, so that you can use its (free) 3D real-time lighting visualization system to try out specific models of moving light for yourself, or even load a show file from an actual large scale production and try your hand at some custom effects on a real rig!

RayTK: RealTime RayMarching via Nodes

Presented by Tommy Etkin - TD Programmer and Creator of RayTK

 RayMarching is a different way of approaching 3D rendering that eschews traditional geometry and instead defines everything with raw math! "Signed Distance Functions" represent a novel new way of thinking about space, and provide for many otherwise impossible scenes and effects.

RayTK is a library of components that act as a separate rendering system that uses raymarching and shaders instead of traditional TouchDesigner rendering. It supports things like infinitely repeating geometry, fractals, reflections and more.

Comprised of standard TouchDesigner components, RayTK operators can be wired together like traditional TouchDesigner operators to define complex shaders without writing any code. It can be incorporated into your existing workflows to create unique scenes with all the standard techniques that you're used to using in TouchDesigner like animation, midi mapping, and so on.

RayTK is free and open source! You will walk out knowing the fundamentals of RayMarching and having just enough RayTK knowledge to get lost in your own multi-dimensional creations without ever having to leave the comfort of the TouchDesigner node-based editor!

LEDs: Addressable LED Hardware for TD

Presented by Rina Shkrabova - Engineer and Coder / CEO WearWorks

You may know how to TOPto CHOP and spit out RGBs to LEDs... but what happens after the DMXout? Special guest Rina Shkrabova will draw from her years of experience designing, fabricating, speccing, installing, coding, soldering and even manufacturing addressable LED hardware to teach you everything you need to know to get TD talking to any LED controller out there - including her own! You will learn:

  • What even is an "Addressable LED" and how to identify them.
  • Different types of LED chips, form factors, voltages and how to choose.
  • Power Distribution! - What to be scared of and what not to be scared of.
  • Controllers - from the cheap to expensive, pros and cons. And meet the "LitBit"!

 There will be production grade "LitBit" LED controllers available for everyone to try - and even take home at a heavy discount - designed / manufactured by Rina's WearWorks and already hooked up to some LEDs so you can see for yourself how they actually perform. You will also get a custom C++ DLL based system to record data straight out of TD to an SD card for stand-alone playback (a one-of-a-kind unique feature among controllers)

LightHouse at the Brewery Arts Complex

The LightHouse is an Experiential Studio Space perched on top of the Brewery Arts Complex near DownTown Los Angeles. Members, Residents, and Supporters of The LightHouse have included many people and organizations based in the fields of Video and Light based Art.

The space - though somewhat dormant during the pandemic - is dedicated to research, development, production, exhibition, instruction, and celebration of all things photonic; and with this workshop, we hope to kick off a new year of regular events, openings and opportunities. Hack-A-Thons, MeetUps, AR / XR Shoots, WorkShops, Residencies and even BBQ Mixers are all in the works.

In fact - stick around after the final class to show off what you've learned and hang out in a Free Open House Starting at 7pm... Invite Your friends!

Experience level