learngenerative.art Open in urlscan Pro
76.76.21.21  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Skip to main content
Logo

Generative Art

Become a memberSign in



GENERATIVE ART WITH TOUCHDESIGNER

A beginner-friendly course, containing 12 hours of content for budding digital
artists

Created by SuperHi


UNLOCK ALL CONTENT

Become a SuperHi member to get full access to this - and all other content on
the SuperHi network for an entire year.

 * $360/year to access the full content catalog (worth over $5,000!)
 * Instant access to over 30 content collections
 * Curated by industry experts

View more


YOUR INSTRUCTOR




RIK LOMAS

Founder + CEO at SuperHi

Visit “https://twitter.com/riklomas”


Rik has taught tens of thousands of people worldwide to learn new creative
skills. In this course, he will get you comfortable and competent with making
your own digital art using TouchDesigner.


CREDITS




ARIANNA NINH

Creative Technologist at SuperHi

Arianna worked on the technical aspects of all projects

Visit “https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariannaninh”


JOHN SCHULISCH

Graphic Designer at SuperHi

John worked on the design of all projects

Visit “https://www.instagram.com/john.schulisch”


KALI BLOCK-STEELE

Product Manager at SuperHi

Kali helped tie all parts of the recording, design and technical aspects
together

Visit “https://www.linkedin.com/in/kblockst”


SUPPORT



Have a question? Drop us an email at hi@superhi.com. Members also get access to
our active, inclusive community of thousands of students on Discord.

View Membership


UNLOCK ALL CONTENT

Become a SuperHi member to get full access to this - and all other content on
the SuperHi network for an entire year.

 * $360/year to access the full content catalog (worth over $5,000!)
 * Instant access to over 30 content collections
 * Curated by industry experts

View more


YOUR INSTRUCTOR




RIK LOMAS

Founder + CEO at SuperHi

Visit “https://twitter.com/riklomas”


Rik has taught tens of thousands of people worldwide to learn new creative
skills. In this course, he will get you comfortable and competent with making
your own digital art using TouchDesigner.

Create digital artwork like a professional, and find your style in generative
digital art!

Learn how to use and combine different (existing) algorithms to turn a blank
canvas or an existing picture into dynamic works of art, without having to touch
any code or AI. Through the simplicity of a drag-and-drop interface, you can
whip up unique variations in no time while having full control over what your
art will look like. Slightly adjust your settings, and see new art come to life.

In this course, Rik Lomas will teach you the skills needed to make art, in your
own style, using the secret techniques of experts. All you’ll need is a computer
and your imagination! From classic brushstrokes, funky particles, and abstract
gradients to ancient 3D gods, don’t be afraid to get a little weird before you
get your wow, that’s the magic of generative art.




CHAPTER 01 – ALLA PRIMA

In our first project, our objective is to create generative art by manipulating
textures. Through the application of random noise, we will be able to make art
with a distinctive, cloud-like watercolor effect. Additionally, we will provide
detailed instructions on how to customize the TouchDesigner program to match any
of our specific requirements. Lastly, we will learn how to export our artistic
creations as both images and videos.

01 / 13



WELCOME TO THE COURSE



Hello and welcome to our Generative Art course! Let's discover what we have in
store on the first chapter.

View “Welcome to the course”
02 / 13



WHAT OPTIONS ARE THERE WHEN MAKING GENERATIVE ART?



Why would we use TouchDesigner over other options that are out there, such as
Adobe After Effects or Processing?

View “What options are there when making generative art?”
03 / 13



WHAT IS THE NETWORK GRAPH IN TOUCHDESIGNER?



How do we actually work with TouchDesigner? Well, we press Tab a lot and drag a
lot!

View “What is the network graph in TouchDesigner?”
04 / 13



SETTING UP A LAYOUT IN TOUCHDESIGNER



In our opinion, the default layout in TouchDesigner isn't always the best for
seeing what's going on. In this video, Rik shows how to make a split view that
he'll be using throughout the course.

View “Setting up a layout in TouchDesigner”
Go to Chapter 01 – Alla Prima



CHAPTER 02 – CIRCLE OF FIFTHS

Sometimes, we want to make something out of nothing! In this project, we'll
create our own shapes, split their color channels, distort them, and put them
back together again! We will then remap the colors to align harmoniously with a
bespoke color scheme of your own design.

01 / 13



WELCOME TO CIRCLE OF FIFTHS



What exactly can we do with this project? Let's find out! P.S. If you're
wondering about the name, it's from the musical pattern of a sequence of chords.

View “Welcome to Circle of Fifths”
02 / 13



SETTING UP CIRCLE OF FIFTHS

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Firstly, let's set up our project with our display layout, so we have a better
view when it comes to making our project.

View “Setting up Circle of Fifths”
03 / 13



CREATING NEW SHAPES USING TOPS

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


We could create our own shapes in an image program but luckily TouchDesigner has
a bunch of defaults we can use quickly!

View “Creating new shapes using TOPs”
04 / 13



BLENDING USING THE COMPOSITE TOP

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Blending and compositing may be familiar from other image editing software such
as Photoshop... here we can blend several textures together using Composite

View “Blending using the Composite TOP”
Go to Chapter 02 – Circle of Fifths



CHAPTER 03 – KURINUKI

To achieve a more brutalist style of texturing within our artwork, we’ll embark
on an enlightening exploration. In this project, we’ll draw inspiration from a
renowned Japanese ceramics technique known as Kurinuki and adapt its principles
to our own unique textures.

01 / 12



WELCOME TO KURINUKI



Chop chop chop! In chapter 3, we'll be using a Japanese ceramics technique as
inspiration for texturing a source image.

View “Welcome to Kurinuki”
02 / 12



WHAT IS KURINUKI ANYWAY?

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Before we delve into the project, we need to know exactly what Kurinuki is and
how we're using a ceramic technique to cut sharp pieces out of our texture.

View “What is Kurinuki anyway?”
03 / 12



SETTING UP THE PROJECT

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Let's go! Let's start by setting up the project from scratch! This should look
like a similar process to the first project.

View “Setting up the project”
04 / 12



RESETTING THE FEEDBACK LOOP WITH A KEYBOARD IN CHOP

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Smash that "1" key! We want to make an easy way to reset our feedback loop that
doesn't involve searching around for a button in a parameter list!

View “Resetting the feedback loop with a Keyboard In CHOP”
Go to Chapter 03 – Kurinuki



HOMEWORK 01 – CONTORT YOURSELF

Your first chance to test out your new skills! Contort Yourself lets you distort
yourself by using techniques learned from previous projects. Can you make
yourself distorted?

Go to Homework



CHAPTER 04 – VAPOR TRAIL

In this project, our focus lies in crafting a captivating piece of art through
the mesmerizing interplay of color mixing and blending. We will be using several
techniques from the TouchDesigner library, such as transform, feedback, and blur
to make beautiful artworks from simple shapes.

01 / 14



WELCOME TO VAPOR TRAIL



Time to blend! In this chapter, we'll be working with mixing and blending of
shapes and colors. Fun fact, this project was named after a song by 90s band
Ride.

View “Welcome to Vapor Trail”
02 / 14



CIRCLE MOVING IN A CIRCLE

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Let's start by making a circle move in a circular pattern by using a Circle TOP
to draw the circle, then two Pattern CHOPs to control its position.

View “Circle moving in a circle”
03 / 14



CHANGING THE PATH AND RADIUS OF THE CIRCLE USING CHOPS

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


With CHOPs, we have a lot of control over the circle. It doesn't need to be in a
circular pattern and it doesn't need to stay the same size!

View “Changing the path and radius of the circle using CHOPs”
04 / 14



HOW TO ALTER COLOR CHANNELS WITH PATTERN CHOPS

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


With a Circle TOP, we can control the individual red, green, and blue channels
that make up its color, and whenever there's a number, we can add CHOPs!

View “How to alter color channels with Pattern CHOPs”
Go to Chapter 04 – Vapor Trail



CHAPTER 05 – XAN / XOR

To give our artworks a sense of depth, we’ll dive into the world of the third
dimension. In this project, the first of our 3D projects, we will discover how
to work closely with 3D shapes, including existing models, and then alter them
to fit our own styles.

01 / 10



WELCOME TO XAN / XOR



Put your 3D glasses on, it's time to get deep. This project was named after
Alexander (Xan, for short) and the logic term, XOR (exclusive "or", for long),
which is often used in switches.

View “Welcome to Xan / Xor”
02 / 10



WHAT EXACTLY IS A SOP?

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Let's get soppy by introducing SOPs... surface operators. SOPs describe things
that live in a 3D space, from boxes and balls, to point systems.

View “What exactly is a SOP?”
03 / 10



HOW TO CONVERT 3D SHAPES INTO A 2D TEXTURE

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Our artwork doesn't live in a 3D space as it's an image or video, so how do we
convert our 3D system into a flattened 2D texture?

View “How to convert 3D shapes into a 2D texture”
04 / 10



ADDING EXTRA SHAPES INTO THE WORKSPACE

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


What other shapes can we use that are built into TouchDesigner?

View “Adding extra shapes into the workspace”
Go to Chapter 05 – Xan / Xor



CHAPTER 06 – PEAK DISTRICT

To create realistic natural art, sometimes we have to resort to unnatural
techniques, exclusive to what computers can do. In this project, through a
harmony of vibrant hues and dynamic waveforms, we can create an artwork with a
soothing ambiance.

01 / 10



WELCOME TO PEAK DISTRICT



Say hello, waves goodbye. Let's add some noise to our 3D shapes. This project
was named after a national park near Manchester, around 5 miles away from where
Rik is from.

View “Welcome to Peak District”
02 / 10



THE QUICK AND DIRTY VERSION: 2D ONLY

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


There is a simple way to create an effect similar to the final output using TOPs
only (2D version!). However, the downside is that it looks less realistic due to
its inherent flatness!

View “The quick and dirty version: 2D only”
03 / 10



SETTING UP A 3D ENVIRONMENT

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


To get our 3D version started, we need to set up our standard 3D-to-2D pipeline.

View “Setting up a 3D environment”
04 / 10



APPLYING A COLOR MAP TO A MATERIAL

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


A material is a way to describe the texture of a surface – think of wrapping
paper around a present! Here we tell our wrapping paper what design it should
have!

View “Applying a color map to a material”
Go to Chapter 06 – Peak District



CHAPTER 07 – NEGATIVE SPACE

In our artistic efforts, we often find that working with a large number of
shapes can be challenging when relying only on manual and repetitive techniques.
Through the exploration of instancing, we'll gain precise control over a
wide-ranging collection of shapes. This helps us to craft mesmerizing artworks,
that exude both coherence and complexity.

01 / 10



WELCOME TO NEGATIVE SPACE



Inspired by the work in the #36daysoftype challenge, this project takes
thousands of shapes to form letter shapes.

View “Welcome to Negative Space”
02 / 10



SETTING UP A 3D TO 2D ENVIRONMENT

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


We've done this a few times now, so let's run through this quickly! Let's make a
3D shape and render it to a 2D texture.

View “Setting up a 3D to 2D environment”
03 / 10



WHAT IS INSTANCING?

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Instancing is the ability to copy and paste our geometry based on some kind of
data. Here we are copying our sphere to every point within the grid SOP.

View “What is instancing?”
04 / 10



USING A SPRINKLE SOP TO RANDOMLY ASSIGN POINTS

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


We don't have to be defined by our grid though! We can use the incredibly useful
Sprinkle SOP to spread some randomness to our geometry.

View “Using a Sprinkle SOP to randomly assign points”
Go to Chapter 07 – Negative Space



CHAPTER 08 – LODESTONE

Introducing organic movement into our artwork not only makes it more realistic
but also brings in an element of warmth, preventing any computerized sterility.
Using TouchDesigner's particle systems, we can create shapes that exhibit life
cycles, from birth to death, and engage in collective behaviors such as flocking
and attraction to other objects. Through this interplay, our artwork goes beyond
the boundaries of artificiality, with a natural feel that will resonate with
your viewers.

01 / 13



WELCOME TO LODESTONE



Organic, dynamic movement? Yes please. Lodestone is named after the mineral
pieces which were used as the first magnetic compasses!

View “Welcome to Lodestone”
02 / 13



ADDING A 3D TO 2D RENDER

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


You might have guessed it, but the first thing we're going to do is make a 3D
shape and render it to a 2D texture.

View “Adding a 3D to 2D render”
03 / 13



COPY AND PASTING OUR GEOMETRY USING INSTANCING

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Next, let's replicate our 3D shapes to a lot of different places using our
geometry's instancing options.

View “Copy and pasting our geometry using instancing”
04 / 13



MAKING A PARTICLE SYSTEM

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


In previous projects, we use a points-based system in our artwork, however, we
want more from our shapes! We want them to be born and to die! We want them to
live their lives blowing in the wind! We want to make them particles.

View “Making a particle system”
Go to Chapter 08 – Lodestone



HOMEWORK 02 – BALL TWIST

Have you worked out the twist? If not, then now is the time! In this homework,
take a go at making a wavy twisting circle that leaves a trail behind.

Go to Homework



CHAPTER 09 – TRAIL OF DEAD

As creatives, we often go beyond the boundaries set by off-the-shelf tools. To
do this, we must dig into the foundations of our art and acquire an
understanding of its underlying medium. This project will uncover and take apart
TouchDesigner's tooling to fit our own custom needs to create a redux of our
earlier Vapor Trail project.

01 / 12



WELCOME TO TRAIL OF DEAD



And you will know us by the Trail of Dead. How do we make things that don't
exist within the tools we're using? By breaking them apart and stitching them
back together again.

View “Welcome to Trail of Dead”
02 / 12



SETTING UP OUR 3D TO 2D PIPELINE

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


As similar to the last project, we will turn out SOPs to TOPs by using a 3D to
2D pipeline.

View “Setting up our 3D to 2D pipeline”
03 / 12



MAKING A POINT SYSTEM USING INSTANCING

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


We will use instancing to make a point system from scratch.

View “Making a point system using instancing”
04 / 12



PARTICLES VS POINTS

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


We have a choice here. Do we use particles or do we use points? It really
depends on the outcome!

View “Particles vs Points”
Go to Chapter 09 – Trail of Dead



CHAPTER 10 – PAINTWORK

In our ultimate capstone project, we'll seamlessly integrate the diverse
techniques we have learned over the course of this artistic journey. Our artwork
will be composed of an impressive amount of miniature pen strokes that together
form an abstract piece, based on an existing source texture. Are you ready to
crown all of your hard work?

01 / 11



WELCOME TO PAINTWORK



It's our final chapter! Sometimes they say... hey Rik, you're spoiling all the
paintwork. Let's explore what we can do within this project.

View “Welcome to Paintwork”
02 / 11



SETTING UP THE PROJECT

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Despite this looking like a 2D project, we're actually using 3D shapes and
instancing to represent the pen strokes.

View “Setting up the project”
03 / 11



CONVERTING A POINT SYSTEM INTO A CHOP SYSTEM

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Let's convert our instancing system into a CHOP system so that we can start to
add more information into it.

View “Converting a point system into a CHOP system”
04 / 11



ADDING A BRUSH SIZE WITH NOISE

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


Not all pens will have the same size, so let's add in a brush size to each pen
with some noise to control the scale of it.

View “Adding a brush size with noise”
Go to Chapter 10 – Paintwork



HOMEWORK 03 – BOX OF BALLS

When the shapes hit your eyes and patterns falsify, that's moiré. By using 8,000
small spheres, laid in a 20x20x20 grid, we will create an interference pattern
called a 'moiré effect'. Your job is to lay out the spheres and spin the whole
thing around to create a consistently moving interference pattern!

Go to Homework



EXTRAS

We have created a range of extra projects to take your learnings even further.
Each video is self-contained and around 20-40 minutes in length. Keep in mind
that it's worth completing the course before watching these videos as they
contain assumptions based on skills taught within the course itself!

01 / 06



LONG COLLAPSE

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


In this project, we talk how about how to add a long exposure style effect to
our source images.

View “Long Collapse”
02 / 06



SHINY SHINY

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


The material we've used throughout the course is the Phong shader but what about
other materials? In this project, we talk how about to make reflective materials
with an environment light.

View “Shiny Shiny”
03 / 06



MULTI GEOM

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


We've generally been using a single shape to draw our outcomes but what if we
want to use a variety within the same render? In this project, we'll talk about
how to use multiple geometries together while still letting it be cohesive.

View “Multi Geom”
04 / 06



LOOPING SQUARES REDUX

Unlock with a SuperHi membership


In another SuperHi course, we talk how about how to create a web animation that
uses multiple rotating squares, but how would we do this within TouchDesigner?
This project covers how we think about creative coding in a TouchDesigner
setting.

View “Looping Squares Redux”
Go to Extras



CREDITS




ARIANNA NINH

Creative Technologist at SuperHi

Arianna worked on the technical aspects of all projects

Visit “https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariannaninh”


JOHN SCHULISCH

Graphic Designer at SuperHi

John worked on the design of all projects

Visit “https://www.instagram.com/john.schulisch”


KALI BLOCK-STEELE

Product Manager at SuperHi

Kali helped tie all parts of the recording, design and technical aspects
together

Visit “https://www.linkedin.com/in/kblockst”


SUPPORT



Have a question? Drop us an email at hi@superhi.com. Members also get access to
our active, inclusive community of thousands of students on Discord.

View Membership

© 2023 SuperHi, Inc.

Terms of UsePrivacy Policy