Generative Particle System

A TouchDesigner project that evolves a static GLSL vertex displacement shader into a fully dynamic, animated visual system.

This project builds upon the foundational techniques of the GLSL Vertex Displacement project by introducing particle rendering, procedural motion, and complex texture processing to create a living, breathing piece of generative art.

This work was recognized and reposted by the official TouchDesigner Instagram account.

How It Works

This system uses the same core GLSL material from the previous project but builds a more complex generative engine around it.

1. Particle Rendering: The base 3D geometry (e.g., a sphere) is converted into a particle system using a Convert SOP, allowing for a more intricate and granular visual style.
2. Texture Pre-Processing: Before the source texture is used to displace the particles, it is processed by a switchable effects module that includes a complex feedback loop, a radial blur, and a light tunnel effect. This allows the history of the texture's state to continually influence the particle system's form.
3. Procedural Animation: A Low-Frequency Oscillator (LFO) is used to drive the dispScale uniform of the GLSL shader, creating a natural, pulsing animation without manual keyframing.
4. Post-Processing: A final feedback loop is applied to the rendered output to create additional temporal blurring and visual echoes.

Usage

Open the .toe file in TouchDesigner. The animation is procedural and will run automatically. You can swap out the image using the media_input Movie File In Top. You can explore the container_fx component to switch between different texture pre-processing effects.

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Project Links & Demos

• Project Write-up: https://stevenmbenton.com/project/generative-particle-system/