GLSL Creator

The GLSL Creator LOP is a powerful tool for generating, editing, and managing GLSL shaders directly within TouchDesigner. It leverages AI to assist in shader creation based on text prompts, automatically applying and saving shaders, and providing tools for debugging and refinement. This operator simplifies the shader development workflow, making it accessible to users with varying levels of GLSL expertise.

Requirements

• No additional Python packages required
• Requires a valid OpenAI API key configured in the ChatTD operator

Input/Output

Inputs

• Up to three TOP inputs (optional):
  • Used as textures within the generated GLSL shader
  • Controlled by Use Input 0, Use Input 1, and Use Input 2 parameters

Outputs

• GLSL TOP: Rendered result of the generated or loaded GLSL shader

Parameters

GLSL Creator

Current GLSL Project (Currentsave) op('glsl_creator').par.Currentsave Folder

Specifies the current project folder for saving and loading shaders. This is a relative path within the Save Folder specified on the Config page.

Default:

"" (Empty String)

Select Project (Selectproject) op('glsl_creator').par.Selectproject Pulse

Opens a file dialog to select a project folder, updating the Current GLSL Project parameter.

Default:

None

Active Call (Activecall) op('glsl_creator').par.Activecall Toggle

Indicates whether a shader generation or improvement process is currently active. Prevents concurrent AI calls.

Default:

Off

GLSL Monitor Header

CPU Cook Time (Cpucooktime) op('glsl_creator').par.Cpucooktime String

Displays the CPU cook time of the GLSL TOP.

Default:

None

GPU Cook Time (Gpucooktime) op('glsl_creator').par.Gpucooktime String

Displays the GPU cook time of the GLSL TOP.

Default:

None

Bypass Over (Killat) op('glsl_creator').par.Killat Float

Bypasses the GLSL TOP if the cook time exceeds this value.

Default:

0

Range:

0 to 1

Show Average Cook (Average) op('glsl_creator').par.Average Toggle

Toggles the display of average cook times.

Default:

Off

Op Error (Operror) op('glsl_creator').par.Operror Toggle

Indicates whether the GLSL TOP has encountered a compilation error.

Default:

None

Heavycookcheck (Heavycookcheck) op('glsl_creator').par.Heavycookcheck Pulse

Forces the GLSL TOP to cook, useful for debugging.

Default:

None

Edit GLSL Code External (Editcodeexternal) op('glsl_creator').par.Editcodeexternal Pulse

Opens the GLSL code in an external text editor.

Default:

None

Open GLSL Code DAT (Editshadercode) op('glsl_creator').par.Editshadercode Pulse

Opens the GLSL code in a TouchDesigner Text DAT viewer.

Default:

None

Generate Shader (Generateshader) op('glsl_creator').par.Generateshader Pulse

Initiates the AI-powered shader generation process based on the Shader Prompt.

Default:

None

Shader Prompt (Shaderprompt) op('glsl_creator').par.Shaderprompt String

The text prompt used to guide the AI in generating the GLSL shader.

Default:

"" (Empty String)

Agent Constraints

Agent Constraints Header

Max Tokens (Maxtokens) op('glsl_creator').par.Maxtokens Integer

The maximum number of tokens used by the AI during shader generation. Higher values allow for more complex shaders but may increase processing time and API costs.

Default:

0

Range:

0 to 1

Max Total Attempts (Maxattempts) op('glsl_creator').par.Maxattempts Integer

The maximum number of attempts to generate a shader from the initial prompt.

Default:

0

Range:

0 to 1

Max Fix Attempts (Maxfixattempts) op('glsl_creator').par.Maxfixattempts Integer

The maximum number of attempts to fix a shader that has compilation errors.

Default:

0

Range:

0 to 1

Current Attempt (Currentattempt) op('glsl_creator').par.Currentattempt Integer

The current attempt number for shader generation.

Default:

0

Range:

0 to 1

Current Uniform Attempt (Currentuniformattempt) op('glsl_creator').par.Currentuniformattempt Integer

The current attempt number for uniform setup.

Default:

0

Range:

0 to 1

Checkresults (Checkresults) op('glsl_creator').par.Checkresults Pulse

Manually checks the results of the shader compilation and applies the shader if Auto Apply is enabled.

Default:

None

Auto Check (Autocheck) op('glsl_creator').par.Autocheck Toggle

Automatically checks the shader compilation results after each generation or fix attempt.

Default:

Off

Auto Apply (Autoapply) op('glsl_creator').par.Autoapply Toggle

Automatically applies the generated shader code to the GLSL TOP if the compilation is successful.

Default:

Off

Improve Shader

Improvement Note (Improvenote) op('glsl_creator').par.Improvenote String

A text note describing the desired improvements to the current shader.

Default:

"" (Empty String)

Include Shader Still (Improveshaderimage) op('glsl_creator').par.Improveshaderimage Toggle

Includes a still of the current shader as context for the AI during the improvement process.

Default:

Off

Difference Level (Differencelevel) op('glsl_creator').par.Differencelevel Float

Controls the level of change during shader improvement. Lower values result in subtle refinements, while higher values allow for more radical transformations.

Default:

0

Improve Shader (Improveshader) op('glsl_creator').par.Improveshader Pulse

Initiates the AI-powered shader improvement process based on the Improvement Note.

Default:

None

GLSL Setup

Time (Time) op('glsl_creator').par.Time Float

The current time, passed as a uniform to the GLSL shader.

Default:

0

Color (Color) op('glsl_creator').par.Color RGBA

The color, passed as a uniform to the GLSL shader.

Default:

[object Object]

Mouse UV (Mouseuv) op('glsl_creator').par.Mouseuv UV

The mouse UV coordinates, passed as a uniform to the GLSL shader.

Default:

[object Object]

Output Resolution (Outputresolution) op('glsl_creator').par.Outputresolution Menu

Determines the output resolution of the GLSL TOP.

Default:

useinput

Options:

useinput, eighth, quarter, half, 2x, 4x, 8x, fit, limit, custom, parpanel

Resolution (Resolution) op('glsl_creator').par.Resolution XY

The custom resolution values used when Output Resolution is set to custom.

Default:

[object Object]

True Resolution (Trueres) op('glsl_creator').par.Trueres XY

Displays the actual resolution of the GLSL TOP.

Default:

[object Object]

Use Input 0 (Useinput0) op('glsl_creator').par.Useinput0 Toggle

Enables or disables the use of the first input TOP as a texture in the GLSL shader.

Default:

Off

Use Input 1 (Useinput1) op('glsl_creator').par.Useinput1 Toggle

Enables or disables the use of the second input TOP as a texture in the GLSL shader.

Default:

Off

Use Input 2 (Useinput2) op('glsl_creator').par.Useinput2 Toggle

Enables or disables the use of the third input TOP as a texture in the GLSL shader.

Default:

Off

Vector Parameters

Vector (Vec) op('glsl_creator').par.Vec Sequence

A sequence of vector parameters that can be passed as uniforms to the GLSL shader.

Default:

None

Name (Vec0name) op('glsl_creator').par.Vec0name String

The name of the vector uniform.

Default:

None

Value (Vec0value) op('glsl_creator').par.Vec0value XYZW

The values of the vector uniform.

Default:

[object Object]

Vector Block Sync (Vecsync) op('glsl_creator').par.Vecsync Pulse

Synchronizes the vector parameters between the GLSL Creator and the GLSL TOP.

Default:

None

Config

Config

Load Version (Loadversion) op('glsl_creator').par.Loadversion Menu

Selects a specific version of the shader to load from the project folder.

Default:

"" (Empty String)

Save Shader (Saveshader) op('glsl_creator').par.Saveshader Pulse

Saves the current shader code and metadata to a new version folder within the project.

Default:

None

Load Shader (Loadshader) op('glsl_creator').par.Loadshader Pulse

Loads the selected shader version from the project folder.

Default:

None

Auto Load (Autoload) op('glsl_creator').par.Autoload Toggle

Automatically loads the selected shader version when the Load Version parameter is changed.

Default:

Off

Save Folder (Savefolder) op('glsl_creator').par.Savefolder Folder

Specifies the base folder for saving and loading shader projects.

Default:

None

About

Chattd (Chattd) op('glsl_creator').par.Chattd OP

Specifies the path to the ChatTD operator, which handles communication with the AI API.

Default:

None

Show Built In Pars (Showbuiltin) op('glsl_creator').par.Showbuiltin Toggle

Toggles the display of built-in parameters in the parameter dialog.

Default:

Off

Helper Popups (Popups) op('glsl_creator').par.Popups Toggle

Enables or disables helpful pop-up messages about the operator.

Default:

On

Log Settings [ out4 ] Header

Show Logs (Showlogs) op('glsl_creator').par.Showlogs Menu

Controls the level of detail displayed in the log.

Default:

Basic

Options:

Basic, All Logs, Errors Only

Clear Log (Clearlog) op('glsl_creator').par.Clearlog Pulse

Clears the log.

Default:

None

Convert To Text (Converttotext) op('glsl_creator').par.Converttotext Toggle

Converts the log output to text format.

Default:

Off

Reverse Output (Reverse) op('glsl_creator').par.Reverse Toggle

Reverses the order of log messages.

Default:

Off

Bypass (Bypass) op('glsl_creator').par.Bypass Toggle

Bypasses the GLSL Creator operator.

Default:

Off

Version (Version) op('glsl_creator').par.Version String

The version number of the GLSL Creator operator.

Default:

None

Last Updated (Lastupdated) op('glsl_creator').par.Lastupdated String

The date the operator was last updated.

Default:

None

Creator (Creator) op('glsl_creator').par.Creator String

The creator of the operator.

Default:

None

Website (Website) op('glsl_creator').par.Website String

The creator's website.

Default:

None

Performance Considerations

• Shader complexity directly impacts GPU cook time. Optimize shader code for efficiency.
• High Max Tokens values can increase AI processing time.
• Using input textures increases GPU memory usage.

Usage Examples

Generating a New Shader

1. Create a glsl_creator LOP.
2. Enter a prompt in the Shader Prompt parameter (e.g., “create a swirling nebula effect”).
3. Set Max Tokens to a desired value (e.g., 2000).
4. Enable Auto Apply if you want the shader to be applied automatically upon successful generation.
5. Pulse the Generate Shader parameter.
6. If there are compilation errors, check the Op Error toggle. You can then enter a note in Improvement Note (e.g., “fix compilation errors”) and pulse Improve Shader to attempt a fix.

Improving an Existing Shader

1. Load an existing shader using the Load Version and Load Shader parameters.
2. Enter a note in the Improvement Note parameter describing the desired changes (e.g., “add more vibrant colors”).
3. Adjust the Difference Level to control the intensity of the changes.
4. Enable Include Shader Still if you want to provide a visual context to the AI.
5. Pulse the Improve Shader parameter.

Using Input Textures

1. Create a glsl_creator LOP.
2. Enable Use Input 0, Use Input 1, or Use Input 2 depending on how many input textures you want to use.
3. Connect TOPs to the corresponding inputs of the glsl_creator LOP.
4. Update your Shader Prompt to utilize the input textures (e.g., “create a shader that blends two input textures with a swirling effect. use sTD2DInputs[0] and sTD2DInputs[1] for the input textures”).

Managing Vector Uniforms

1. Create a glsl_creator LOP.
2. In the GLSL Setup page, locate the Vector sequence parameter.
3. Set the Name and Value for each vector uniform you want to define.
4. Pulse Vector Block Sync to synchronize these parameters with the GLSL TOP.
5. Save your shader using Save Shader to include the new uniforms.

Common Use Cases

• Generating custom visual effects for interactive installations
• Creating unique textures and patterns for 3D models
• Developing real-time graphics for live performances
• Prototyping shader ideas quickly using AI assistance
• Debugging and refining existing GLSL shaders

Performance Considerations

• Shader complexity directly impacts GPU cook time. Optimize shader code for efficiency.
• High Max Tokens values can increase AI processing time.
• Using input textures increases GPU memory usage.

Usage Examples

Generating a New Shader

# Set up shader generation
op('glsl_creator').par.Shaderprompt = "create a swirling nebula effect"
op('glsl_creator').par.Maxtokens = 2000
op('glsl_creator').par.Autoapply = 1

# Generate shader
op('glsl_creator').par.Generateshader.pulse()

# Check for errors
if op('glsl_creator').par.Operror:
    # Try to fix the shader
    op('glsl_creator').par.Improvenote = "fix compilation errors"
    op('glsl_creator').par.Improveshader.pulse()

Improving an Existing Shader

# Load existing shader
op('glsl_creator').par.Loadversion = "version_1740466694"
op('glsl_creator').par.Loadshader.pulse()

# Set up improvement
op('glsl_creator').par.Improvenote = "add more vibrant colors"
op('glsl_creator').par.Differencelevel = 0.5
op('glsl_creator').par.Improveshaderimage = 1

# Improve shader
op('glsl_creator').par.Improveshader.pulse()

Using Input Textures

# Enable input textures
op('glsl_creator').par.Useinput0 = 1
op('glsl_creator').par.Useinput1 = 1

# Connect input TOPs
op('glsl_creator').inputConnectors[0].connect(op('texture1'))
op('glsl_creator').inputConnectors[1].connect(op('texture2'))

# Update shader prompt to use inputs
op('glsl_creator').par.Shaderprompt = """
create a shader that blends two input textures with a swirling effect.
use sTD2DInputs[0] and sTD2DInputs[1] for the input textures
"""

Managing Vector Uniforms

# Set up vector uniform
op('glsl_creator').par.Vec0name = "gridDensity"
op('glsl_creator').par.Vec0valuex = 10
op('glsl_creator').par.Vec0valuey = 10

# Sync vector parameters
op('glsl_creator').par.Vecsync.pulse()

# Save shader with uniforms
op('glsl_creator').par.Saveshader.pulse()

Common Use Cases

• Generating custom visual effects for interactive installations
• Creating unique textures and patterns for 3D models
• Developing real-time graphics for live performances
• Prototyping shader ideas quickly using AI assistance
• Debugging and refining existing GLSL shaders