Getting started
A platform that lets you control your TouchDesigner custom parameters live from the web — phone, tablet, laptop. You create live panels for your custom parameters and control them remotely, in real time. You can also invite others to control specific panels. It also allows you to have several different sets of values for your custom parameters on the web, so you can switch between them easily.
Yes. See Play Show is currently free to use. If we introduce paid features in the future, we'll give you notice and existing free features won't disappear without warning.
Click "Get started" on the homepage. You can log in with Google, GitHub, or Apple. That's it — no password to remember.
No, nothing to install. But you'll need the See Play Show TouchDesigner component, which is a small .tox file you can download from the site. Drop it into your TouchDesigner project and you're ready to connect.
About 2 minutes. Create a project, download the component, paste your token, push your custom parameters — and you have a working live panel.
Projects, shows, and versions
A project is the container for your TouchDesigner work on See Play Show. Each project gets a unique token that connects your TouchDesigner file to the cloud. You can decide the scope of each project. You can have one or many. But it's good practice to have one or more projects per client.
A token is a unique key that links your TouchDesigner file to your project on See Play Show. You copy it from the website and paste it into the See Play Show component in TouchDesigner. You can use the same key from multiple TouchDesigner projects and simply switch between 'shows', i.e. select the show which relates to the particular TouchDesigner project you are working on.
Yes. On the project detail page, you can regenerate the token. Be aware that the old token will stop working immediately, so you'll need to update it in your TouchDesigner file.
Yes. Each project has its own token. You can create multiple projects, depending on how you like to organize your work.
A show is a set of custom parameters from your TouchDesigner project, pushed to the cloud. It includes the parameter structure, pages, names, ranges, and values.
In the See Play Show component in TouchDesigner, go to the Show tab, give your show a name, and pulse "Create show". Your custom parameters are now in the cloud.
By default it looks in the parent folder. If your custom parameters are elsewhere, change the path in the component's Show tab to point to where they are.
Yes, though this is mainly useful if you have multiple TouchDesigner files and want to use the same project token with them.
Each version is a snapshot of your custom parameter values. When you first create a show, that's version 1. Change some values and pulse "Create new version" — now you have version 2, and so on.
In TouchDesigner, the component lets you switch between versions from a dropdown. On the web, the show control page also has a version selector. The dropdown shows which version TouchDesigner is currently connected to.
Versatility. You might want different colour schemes for different occasions, or several options to show a client or art director. Each version is a saved set of values you can switch to instantly.
Yes. Change values on the web panel, then save as a new version. It'll appear in TouchDesigner as well.
Yes. You can save over the current version, or save as a brand new version — your choice.
Live panels
A live panel is a web-based control interface for a selection of your parameters. When you go live, anyone with access to that panel can change parameter values in real time, and those changes are reflected in your TouchDesigner project.
Yes. A creator panel is created for you by default when you make a show but it contains no parameters. You can then customise it — choose which parameters to include, rename them, change the layout.
Open the panel and click "Customize". You can add parameters individually, or shift-click to add several at once.
Yes. You might want one panel with full access for yourself, another with just a start/stop button for an operator, and a third with a subset of controls for a client. Each panel can contain different parameters and have a different look.
No. When you're in the customise view, you're only changing the layout and look of the panel. The values shown are just for preview — your TouchDesigner project is unaffected.
On the show control page, head to the live panel section and hit "Go Live". Your TouchDesigner file needs to be running and connected for live control to work and you need to have at least one parameter in your live panel.
Yes. If you change a value and like it, save it. If you don't, just move on.
Customisation
Yes. By default, every parameter takes the full width of the row. You can change individual parameters to half width or quarter width. There's also a quick option in the bottom bar to switch the whole layout to two columns.
Yes. Number fields can be displayed as a horizontal slider (the default), a vertical slider, or a knob. Edit the parameter settings to change the style.
Yes. If a parameter name from TouchDesigner isn't clear — say "brightness2" — you can rename it to something more meaningful like "Brightness" in the panel editor. You can also choose to hide its name altogether, which you may find useful for buttons.
Yes. Drag parameters to reorder them on the page.
Yes. You can add headings, descriptions, dividers, and blank spacers to organise and guide the person using the panel.
Yes. For pulse buttons you can choose to just show the function name on the button itself, without displaying the parameter name separately. You can change the text on the button.
Skins change the visual style of a live panel. There are several to choose from. Each skin also offers a selection of colour palettes and, for some skins, a light and dark theme.
Yes. The bottom bar in the panel editor has permission settings. You can allow or restrict things like skin choice, colour palette selection, and save functionality.
Fine mode is sometimes useful for numbers. It reduces the sensitivity of a float parameter by tenfold. When enabled, a large mouse movement results in only a small change in value. Useful for sensitive parameters where you need precision.
Yes. Any ranges and clamp values you set for your parameters in TouchDesigner will be reflected on the web panel.
Inviting others
On the show control page, select the live panel you've created, click "Invite", edit the inviter name if you wish (i.e. your name), enter the email addresses, and send the invites.
The initial invite link is valid for 14 days. After they accept and set up their account, they can log in anytime at client.seeplayshow.com.
They visit client.seeplayshow.com, enter their email, and receive a login link. No password needed.
Yes. You can revoke an invitation at any time from the show control page.
Absolutely — and we'd encourage it. Invite yourself with a different email to see exactly what the experience feels like from the other side.
TouchDesigner component and connection
From the Download page on seeplayshow.com.
Drop the .tox component into your TouchDesigner project, bring up the parameter dialogue, paste your project token, and toggle Connect.
In the component's Show tab, name your show, then pulse "Create show". Your parameters — structure, pages, names, ranges, and values — are pushed to the cloud.
Yes. When the component starts and Connect is enabled, it checks for updates once every 24 hours. If a newer version is available, it'll let you know.
The download page lists the minimum compatible TouchDesigner build. Check there for the latest compatibility information.
Yes. Live control works over a real-time connection between the web panel and your TouchDesigner project. If TouchDesigner isn't running and connected, the panel will show a "No connected TouchDesigner session" message.
The panel will indicate that the connection is lost. When TouchDesigner reconnects, live control resumes.
Yes. Live panels are designed to work on mobile, tablet, and desktop. You can even preview how a panel looks on different devices in the panel editor.
Account, data, and support
Google, GitHub, and Apple. We use these for secure authentication so you don't need to create another password.
Only you. Projects are private to your account. The only people who can interact with your parameters are those you explicitly invite to a specific live panel.
No. See our Privacy Policy for full details — the short version is that we collect what we need to run the service and nothing more.
You must be at least 16 years old.
No. See Play Show is a creative tool and is not designed for safety-critical applications. The Terms of Service cover this in detail.
On AWS (Amazon Web Services). There are no servers for you to manage — the infrastructure is handled for you.
Head to the Contact page and choose "Report a bug". You'll get a confirmation with a reference number so we can track it. Or you could mention it in the community forum.
Same place — the Contact page has a "Suggest a feature" option.
Yes. Visit talk.seeplayshow.com. You can log in with the same account you use on the main site.
Through the Contact page, via the community forum, or by emailing support@seeplayshow.com.
Yes. There are several simple video tutorials. You'll find them on the help page.