#vjloops #creative-pulse #NewMediaArt > [!quote] A looping visual set inspired by the idea of an abstract, digital cactus. This set began with a simple idea: an abstract, digital cactus. It started as a small creative trial, just a way to test shapes and motion, but grew into a series of loops shaped by iteration and time management. ### **Starting point** I returned to POPs in TouchDesigner, this time to explore cactus-like spikes. An extrude POP gave the shapes an immediate sense of depth and presence that felt worth developing. The textures came from Polycam’s AI texture generator and they softened the geometry with something more organic. > [!video] Digital Cactus No. 01 > <div style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/embed/479977/49b09582-4e9b-4f0d-8750-d2df2eda42f0?autoplay=true&loop=true&muted=true&preload=true&responsive=true" loading="lazy" style="border:0;position:absolute;top:0;height:100%;width:100%;" allow="accelerometer;gyroscope;autoplay;encrypted-media;picture-in-picture;" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> ### **Shaping motion and audio response** From the beginning, I had to be careful with visual density. Too much movement and the loops would feel crowded; too little and they would lose energy. I worked with pacing, subtle changes in color and variations in timing to keep the forms alive and easy to read. I also built components that could respond differently to various timings of the instruments. Each reacted to a different aspect of the audio, allowing the visuals to shift based on time rather than audio frequencies. I did this because visuals can be used on multiple tracks rather than being tied to specific track. > [!video] vibration with each bass hit > <div style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/embed/479977/a2fbfa94-f36b-4684-8e99-155445b95a97?autoplay=true&loop=true&muted=true&preload=true&responsive=true" loading="lazy" style="border:0;position:absolute;top:0;height:100%;width:100%;" allow="accelerometer;gyroscope;autoplay;encrypted-media;picture-in-picture;" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> > [!video] shape morph and color modulation with melody > <div style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/embed/479977/acd9878a-ec06-44dc-87f8-a717a50430db?autoplay=true&loop=true&muted=true&preload=true&responsive=true" loading="lazy" style="border:0;position:absolute;top:0;height:100%;width:100%;" allow="accelerometer;gyroscope;autoplay;encrypted-media;picture-in-picture;" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> ### **An unplanned outcome** While testing variations, one setup drifted not too far from the cactus forms (or perhaps even closer to cactus shape). I kept it and it grew into another piece: _Anatomy of an Unfinished Thought_. It was not something I had planned, but I liked how it carried the spirit of the original in slightly different direction. > [!figure] ![[twist.jpg]] > Screenshot of merged geometry with copy points. > [!video] Anatomy of an unfinished thought > <div style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://iframe.mediadelivery.net/embed/479977/54fd309f-c58a-44d0-b3a5-d6c8962bcb9c?autoplay=true&loop=true&muted=true&preload=true&responsive=true" loading="lazy" style="border:0;position:absolute;top:0;height:100%;width:100%;" allow="accelerometer;gyroscope;autoplay;encrypted-media;picture-in-picture;" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div> > [!tools] > - TouchDesigner > - Polycam AI texture generator ### **Closing thoughts** _VJ Loops_ started as an exercise in shape and rhythm and ended up as a small collection of its own. It also gave me a new way of thinking about how visuals and sound can grow together, not through strict synchronization but through a shared sense of **timing** and texture.