TouchDesigner Essentials for Art & Installation

This 12-week course is designed for digital media artists seeking to progress from beginner to intermediate users of TouchDesigner for creating interactive art and installations. The 70-hour training includes a mix of on-site and online sessions, with the first and final weeks held in person at the Digital Learning Hub and Rotondes, respectively. Weekly online classes will run from March 20 to June 7, with additional project coaching introduced from week 8.

There will be a full presentation of the course by the trainer, Nima Gazestani, with demo of TouchDesigner, during the Multiplica Lab at Rotondes on 22nd February 2026. More information here.

Below is the detailed structure of the course.

WEEK 1 · ONSITE · Digital Learning Hub · 2 days · 14h  · Course overview and demo of interactive visuals using Computer Vision techniques Working with TOPs on the concept of time. Tools for Methods linked to physical/digital experiences. Capacitive sensors and 3D scanning for an interactive art installation.

WEEK 2 · Online · Monday 18:30–21:30 · 3h · Discovery of the TouchDesigner interface. Introduction to the TouchDesigner workspace, operator families, navigation, and core workflow concepts. Learn the interface and create your first simple visual.

WEEK 3 · Online · Monday 18:30–21:30 · 3h · CHOPs (Channel Operators) & TOPs (Texture Operators). Use Channel Operators and Texture Operators to organize your work, reuse components, and add custom controls to visual systems.

WEEK 4 · Online · Monday 18:30–21:30 · 3h · Feedback. Build interactive, mouse-controlled visuals using feedback loops to create motion trails, temporal effects, and evolving images.

WEEK 5 · Online · Monday 18:30–21:30 · 3h · 3D Basics. Create and animate simple three-dimensional scenes using geometry, lights, and a camera.

WEEK 6 · Online · Monday 18:30–21:30 · 3h · Particles. Design particle systems that react to sound and mouse input for dynamic, audio-visual interactions.

WEEK 7 · Online · Monday 18:30–21:30 · 3h · Instancing. Create large numbers of objects at once and control them efficiently using data-driven techniques.

WEEK 8 · Online · Monday & Thursday 18:30–21:30 · 6h · Audio-Reactive Instancing. Make instanced visuals move, transform, and change in response to music and audio analysis.

WEEK 9 · Online · Monday & Thursday 18:30–21:30 · 6h · Point Clouds. Manipulate three-dimensional point cloud models using visual effects and interactive controls.

WEEK 10 · Online · Monday & Thursday 18:30–21:30 · 6h · POPs (Point Operators). Build advanced GPU-driven particle effects using Point Operators for complex, high-performance motion systems.

WEEK 11 · Online · Monday & Thursday 18:30–21:30 · 6h · Texture Instancing. Animate textures across many three-dimensional objects and control them programmatically using Python.

WEEK 12 · ONSITE · Rotondes · 2 days · 14h · TouchDesigner Project. Design and present a project that combines multiple techniques learned throughout the course. A project brief can be provided, however, the exercise is also open to learners' own creative projects and initiatives. Details to be defined with the trainer during the course.

• Discovery of the TouchDesigner interface
• CHOPs (Channel Operators) & TOPs (Texture Operators)
• Feedback
• 3D Basics
• Particles
• Instancing
• Audio-Reactive Instancing
• Point Clouds
• POPs (Point Operators)
• Texture Instancing
• TouchDesignerProject

On completion of this course, learners will be able to

• navigate the TouchDesigner interface and organise a project using operator families.
• build real-time visual compositions using TOPs and CHOPs.
• create interactive visuals using feedback workflows and input-driven controls.
• construct and animate basic 3D scenes using geometry, lighting, and cameras
• understand the Audio Analysis component logic and create sound-reactive 3d visual systems
• produce an original TouchDesigner project that combines instancing and particle-based techniques.

This course combines instructor-led demonstrations with guided, hands-on practice in TouchDesigner. Learners complete weekly practical exercises to apply core workflows, receive feedback during coaching sessions, and develop a final integrated project. The course follows a mixed modality structure: the first and last sessions are on-site (Digital Learning Hub and Rotondes), while weeks 2–11 are delivered online. From week 8 onward, a second weekly coaching session is added.