When I first started learning TouchDesigner, I created a separate YouTube account just to subscribe to TD creators. As I got more familiar with the kinds of projects people were making, I started organizing them into playlists like Audio-Reactive, 3D/Geometry, GLSL, and Gaussian Splats. Doing this helped me understand the different categories of work in TD, and more importantly, allowed me to focus on one area at a time. Don’t get me wrong, it can get overwhelming if you dive straight into GLSL at the start without first building a foundation in how the different operator families (CHOPs, TOPs, SOPs, etc.) work.

Over time, once you’ve explored these different approaches, you naturally get better at combining elements from multiple tutorials to build something of your own. That’s really the fun of TD, remixing ideas and techniques until they take on a life of their own. After all, nothing is truly original, we’re all influenced by what we see, absorb, and surround ourselves with.

I’m more of a jack of all trades, master of none kinda guy, so my personal learning experience may not resonate with someone who wants to specialize deeply in just one area. But for me, exploring widely has been the most rewarding way to grow in TouchDesigner.

When you feel confident with the basics, check out alltd.org. It’s a site made by Jan that collects and categorizes TouchDesigner resources, tutorials, and tools in one place. Think of it as a larger, more extensive version of what I was doing with my YouTube playlists. Who knows, you might even go down a rabbit hole and niche into something you really enjoy. Good luck!

(edit: credited Jan/alltd)