Music lovers now have Max for Live coming later this year. But how about running custom visual patches inside your VJ app? That’s now possible using your own Jitter patches inside Cell DNA, Livid’s new, lightweight live visual tool.
Livid has released a “DevKit” with some example patches and documentation to get you rolling if you’re a Jitter user. Of course, if you’re a hardcore Jitter user, you may be happier just to build your own app anyway, but if you want to access some effects conveniently, this could be quite nice.
And once an app is opened in this way, all kinds of new things are possible:
Your patch could be a processor of video. It can use shaders. It could be an audio player – just latch the DNA knob to the volume! It could be a video synthesizer that completely ignores any of DNA’s video sources. It could even be an automator that just sends messages to various components of DNA (check the Network.pat in the Extras folder for an example of how to use messages to control DNA). The possibilities are endless, really.
DNA DevKit, via Cycling ’74 forums
Cell isn’t alone. Off the top of my head, some other possibilities for adding custom effects, filters, and other powerful options include:
- FreeFrameGL support in Resolume Avenue 3, VJAMM, Salvation for custom OpenGL-accelerated effects
- 2D/CPU-bound FreeFrame effects in Isadora, ArKaos, vvvv, Modul8
- Quartz Composer patch support in VDMX
The FreeFrame stuff is especially promising, as it could become a real standard format that works across tools.
I expect I’m forgetting about some other options. Which functionality do you use?
Previously:
Livid Cell DNA: Simple, Networkable, Multi-Headed VJ App, And Spiritual Successor to Grid?