Finding the right tool for visual performance and VJing is always a challenge. Pre-built systems give you a few choices, but one doesn’t have the right kind of effects, and one doesn’t have the right routing, and one doesn’t have the interface or control you want, and none lets you use custom patches. Modular systems like Jitter and vvvv are fantastic, but require that you reinvent the wheel a bit by building video playback from scratch. What if there were something in between?
For those of you who like creating your own visual patches but would like a way to organize them in a modular, reusable fashion, v001 could be a revelation. Throw together some video processing (or 3D, or even MSP audio) patches, and quickly combine them, reuse them, save presets, assign MIDI and game controllers — all far more quickly than you could in Jitter alone. My friend Anton Marini (aka vade), the creator, showed me the results a couple of months ago and totally blew my mind.
v001: Open, Modular Framework for Visual Artists [from the v001 page at vade.info: Description, download, video tutorial]
v001 Wiki
I’ve routinely wound up in a position where I have lots of interesting Jitter patches — some with live video input, some with 3D — and no good way to combine them. So this is huge.
The results are still in early stages, but that means now is the perfect time to get involved, help out Anton, submit bug reports, and even direct the development of this open source project.
Incidentally, if you’re wondering why Anton chose Jitter over the already open-source Pd/GEM/PiDiP, I think it’s a reasonable choice. Jitter integrates more nicely with Mac and (particularly) Windows, whereas Pd still favors Linux pretty heavily, and both the Pd and Max platforms have some unique features that make each worthwhile. On Mac, v001 can take advantage of new Core Image support for even easier custom filter construction, but I’ll be testing the software on both Mac and Windows. (Anton’s a Mac guy, so I’ll have to see if I can stomp out any potential Windows bugs.)
Let’s Give it a Shot
I know there are a fair number of Jitter users out there, so to give us a little virtual hang, I’ve set up a thread on Create Digital Noise:
v001: Let’s try out this new open Jitter framework!
Stop by and let us know how you’re making out. No question too n00b-like (believe me, because I’ll be on the forum!).
Oh, and Anton, I swear I’ll resurface after finishing this current project. Have some likely VJ gigs coming up, so that may force me to get this together!