More About Lasers and TouchDesigner

Last year Crystal Jow wrote Intro To Laser Show Projection in TouchDesigner, an info-packed introduction to the topic of working with lasers, including fundamentals of working with lasers in TouchDesigner such as understanding essential hardware options like Pangolin or Etherdream, identifying basic safety measures, and sorting out lens choices and scan rates.

Building on the groundwork of that article, let’s take another step. This piece aims to help you refine your workflow, explore new interactive possibilities, and leverage lasers as an integral component of complex, immersive performances in TouchDesigner.

From Straightforward to Sophisticated

Now that we’ve honed our skills with the basics of choosing a projector, understanding scan rates, ensuring safety, and tapping into a device such as Pangolin’s Beyond or Etherdream, let’s consider how to move beyond starter configurations and into setups that support large-scale events, intricate installations, and responsive interactive art.

Advanced Laser Projector Considerations: While standard RGB laser projectors and well-known DJ equipment brands have set the bar high with their standard offerings, experienced creators may seek out more specialized hardware to achieve unique results.

Systems like Unity Lasers, LaserCube, and Pangolin offer different performance profiles, from ultra-portable projectors suitable for micro-installations to powerful, tour-grade units with advanced modulation features. Incorporating multiple projectors, each assigned specific roles within a visual narrative, can help you create layered, multidimensional effects not covered in a single-projector setup.

Refining the Laser CHOP Workflow

The Laser CHOP is your gateway to sophisticated laser rendering. Beyond simply converting geometry into beam paths, it allows for fine-tuning parameters to achieve a variety of aesthetic outcomes. Experimentation with sample rates, point distribution, and color modulation can bring complexity and fluidity to your imagery. Instead of settling for static line art, consider driving the Laser CHOP with procedural generative patterns, data streams from sensors, or audio-reactive techniques that shift line density and shape according to real-time sound input.

A great example trick is to use a Trace SOP on a video or camera feed to create a SOP outline of elements in the texture that can feed into the Laser CHOP. If you setup your environment effectively, this can make for a great live video feed effect.

Expanding Safety and Regulatory Knowledge

Crystal’s article addressed fundamental safety measures—avoiding direct audience contact with beams, increasing scan rates for reduced exposure, and using wider lenses to diffuse intensity. For professionals aiming to integrate lasers into large events or permanent installations, more advanced strategies and regulatory awareness are crucial.

Pursuing specialized training not only ensures best practices but also opens doors to working on bigger, more ambitious projects with top-tier clients.

There are vendors and manufacturers in every region globally who offer specific training for Safety for Laser Lightshows. You can find laser safety training and certification from companies such as ILDA (International Laser Display Association) which can open doors to larger, more ambitious projects by ensuring that your safety protocols are robust and compliant.

Comprehensive Safety Zones & Control

Beyond simple no-go areas, consider programmable “safety masks” within your laser control software. These virtual barriers can dynamically adjust beam output based on audience position or performer location. One method could be to use TouchDesigner to integrate motion tracking systems (e.g., Kinect, LIDAR, or camera-based blob tracking) to automatically dim or redirect laser output when someone enters a designated safety perimeter.

If you’re using a texture based workflow, when you’re setting up the room with your lasers, you can physical add black masks to the areas of the texture where you are certain you don’t want any laser to output to. This can be a quick and easy way to mask out areas of crowd/audience traffic.

In addition to checking local regulations, seek out region-specific guidelines from organizations like the FDA (U.S.), Health Canada, or the European Union’s CE standards.

Advanced Interactivity

Lasers can be more than a visual “add-on.” They can serve as interactive elements that respond to performers, audience movements, or other environmental cues.

Enhance immersion by incorporating real-time data sources into your system. For example, use a depth sensor to let performers sculpt laser shapes mid-set, or integrate MIDI or OSC control so a VJ can manipulate beams in response to live music. The synergy between TouchDesigner’s modular building blocks and external input devices lets you create installations where lasers dance and transform based on human presence, gestures, or biometric data.

Layered Media Experiences

Consider blending lasers with projection mapping, LED walls, and kinetic sculptures. TouchDesigner excels at mixing varied media inputs, and lasers can function as a punctuation mark, highlighting architectural edges or drawing attention to key performers on stage.

A scene might begin as a subtle wash of projected visuals and evolve into a crescendo of laser lines that accentuate a dancer’s movements or frame a vocalist in shifting geometric halos. By orchestrating multiple technologies in sync, you transform your set from a mere light show into a narrative-driven experience.

Real-World Examples and Inspirations

By studying the work of leading studios and artists who push lasers into entirely new territories you can push your vision and knowledge base further.

Creative studios such as Christopher Bauder’s inventive WHITEvoid and the artist collective TUNDRA have helped define the genre of multi-layered kinetic installations.

Known for installations that combine lasers, kinetic elements, and synchronized soundscapes on oftentimes impressive scale, their work demonstrate that lasers, when thoughtfully orchestrated, can become narrative devices—visual instruments rather than mere special effects.

Likewise, show designers such as Stufish seamlessly blend lasers into large-scale architectural stage sets that evolve throughout a performance.

Further Learning

There is much to be learned in the vibrant landscape of laser lightshows (and projection mapping)! Check out this recent tutorial from Crystal where she shows you how to use Pangolin CHOP lasers in TouchDesigner:

The internet provides many pathways and rabbit holes to follow for new and interesting information and learning. Product manufacturers such as Pangolin’s Education blog and the ILDA’s Lasershow Safety site offer learning portals to help guide you along the pathway to success.

The path beyond the basics involves consistently experimenting, refining, and learning. By diving deeper into advanced hardware configurations, experimenting with generative techniques, integrating interactivity, and exploring more nuanced safety and regulatory frameworks, you can transform a standard laser show into a profoundly moving experience.

When you leverage these more advanced concepts—mixing layers of media, embracing procedural design, and orchestrating safety and control at unprecedented scales – you can build upon existing skillsets and find yourself equipped to create richer, more meaningful laser performances that captivate, enlighten, and inspire.