td-pretext

Render TouchDesigner text with obstacle avoidance and GPU-instanced atlas glyphs.

1|Updated Mar 18, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/GuiGPaP/TD_starter_pack --skill td-pretext
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: td-pretext
Source: https://github.com/GuiGPaP/TD_starter_pack/tree/main/.agents/skills/td-pretext
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/GuiGPaP/TD_starter_pack --skill td-pretext

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

Native TouchDesigner text layout is difficult when text must flow around obstacles; this skill provides a complete native pipeline with obstacle avoidance and atlas-generated glyphs to ensure smooth, performant text rendering.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Text flows around obstacles: circles, silhouettes, or arbitrary shapes
  • Character-level, 60fps layout: per-character layout with atlas metrics
  • GPU-instanced rendering with atlas: using GLSL MAT
  • Pretext.js patterns ported to TD native: porting Pretext.js to pure TD
  • Text measurement utilities: evalTextSize, PIL

Quick Start

Load the TD Pretext skill in your project and run the provided sample to render obstacle-avoiding, atlas-based text in TouchDesigner.

Frequently Asked Questions about td-pretext

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I render text that flows around obstacles in TouchDesigner at 60fps?

To render obstacle-avoiding text in TouchDesigner at 60fps, this skill uses GPU-instanced rendering with GLSL and font atlas metrics. It computes per-character layout to ensure text natively flows around circular or irregular shapes.

What is GPU-instanced text layout with font atlas generation?

GPU-instanced text layout with font atlas generation is a rendering technique that pre-computes glyph metrics into an atlas. This allows per-character layout computation and rendering via GLSL, bypassing CPU bottlenecks for high-performance text displays.

Can I port Pretext.js text layout patterns to native TouchDesigner?

Yes, you can port Pretext.js patterns to native TouchDesigner. This skill encapsulates that workflow, translating Pretext.js-inspired text measurement utilities and layout computation directly into TD native operators and GLSL rendering.

How do I generate a font atlas and compute text measurement in TouchDesigner?

You generate a font atlas and compute text measurement in TouchDesigner using the skill's built-in measurement utilities like evalTextSize. These utilities evaluate text dimensions and output atlas metrics required for per-character rendering.

Does TouchDesigner support text flowing around circular or irregular shapes natively?

TouchDesigner does not natively support text flowing around arbitrary shapes without custom setup. This skill provides the necessary obstacle-aware rendering pipeline, applying atlas-based per-character layout to achieve native obstacle avoidance.

What are the limitations of atlas-based GPU rendering for text layout in TouchDesigner?

Limitations of atlas-based GPU rendering for text layout include the need to pre-generate font atlases for specific sizes and the complexity of handling dynamic font changes. Obstacle avoidance requires per-character layout computation which can be intensive for massive text blocks.