VIBRESIA

Live visual tools compared

MadMapper vs TouchDesigner: mapping surfaces or building a system?

By Syd Lawrence, a visual artist and developer who makes Vibresia. Facts last checked 2 November 2026; updated 2 November 2026.

Pick MadMapper if your show needs video warped onto real surfaces with the lights driven from the same place, because it is software built around surfaces, cues and fixtures. Pick TouchDesigner if you want to build the visual system yourself out of nodes, for an installation or for generative work. Both run on a Mac and on Windows, and both take MIDI, OSC, Syphon, Spout, NDI and DMX.

MadMapperTouchDesigner
What it isVideo and LED mapping software for macOS and Windows, with mesh warping, DMX and Art-Net lighting control, and a live GLSL shader editor.Derivative's node-based visual programming environment for real-time interactive media.
PriceFree version; paid from €39Free version; paid from US$300
Runs onMac, WindowsWindows, Mac
RequirementsmacOS 11 or higher, or Windows 10 or higher on 64-bit, with a GPU compatible with OpenGL 3.3macOS 13 or later on a 2020-or-later Mac (Apple silicon highly recommended); Windows 10 or 11
Free versionA free demo, but watermarked, and its DMX devices cut out every 30 secondsNon-Commercial is free but capped at 1280x1280 output and not for paid work.
Known forBezier masking and mesh warping let you fit content to real surfacesA free Non-Commercial licence for personal use and learning
Best forArtists, scenographers and technicians who need to project mapped video onto real surfaces and drive LED or DMX fixtures during a live show, and who trigger parameters from MIDI or OSC controllers.Artists and developers building interactive installations, live visuals and generative work.

Control and connections

MadMapperTouchDesigner
MIDIYes: MadMapper takes MIDI in and out, and any MIDI or OSC controller can drive parameters live.Yes: TouchDesigner reads MIDI with the MIDI In CHOP and sends MIDI with the MIDI Out CHOP, which can address any available MIDI device.
OSCYes: MadMapper takes OSC in and out, and supports OSC Query for browsing its address space on the network.Yes: TouchDesigner supports Open Sound Control through four operators, the OSC In CHOP and OSC Out CHOP for CHOP channels and the OSC In DAT and OSC Out DAT for raw messages, all over UDP.
SyphonYes: MadMapper sends and receives Syphon textures, which its FAQ names as the macOS path for sharing a projector's video output.Yes: Syphon is supported on macOS by the Syphon Spout In TOP and Syphon Spout Out TOP, which share textures with other applications through shared memory, with Syphon restricted to 8-bit RGBA.
SpoutYes: MadMapper sends and receives Spout textures, which its FAQ names as the Windows path for sharing a projector's video output.Yes: Spout is supported on Windows by the same two operators, and requires an Nvidia or AMD GPU because Intel does not work, with Spout limited by default to 10 active senders per computer.
NDIYes: MadMapper sends and receives NDI, for passing video between machines.Yes: NDI is built in as native operators, the NDI In TOP, NDI Out TOP and NDI DAT, using the NDI SDK bundled with each build, with no documented limit on frame rate or resolution beyond the hardware, while multi-cast configuration is done outside TouchDesigner with the separate NDI Access Manager tool.
DMXYes: MadMapper handles DMX over Art-Net, sACN and USB interfaces, with a fixture editor and its own output framerate control.Yes: The DMX Out CHOP sends channels to DMX, Art-Net, sACN, KiNET and FTDI devices, and a DMX In CHOP receives DMX, with DMX512 hardware limited to a 44Hz refresh rate.
Video in and outYes: MadMapper sends video to projectors and displays, one output per GPU-capable projector, up to 8k per projector.Yes: Video input comes from the Video Device In TOP for external cameras, capture cards, capture dongles, IP cameras and decoders, with several devices able to stream at once, while output goes to the screen, to SDI and HDMI cards via the Video Device Out TOP, or to TouchPlayer for standalone playback; the Non-Commercial licence caps image resolution at 1280x1280.

Every row comes from the app's own documentation, on the date shown in the sources below. "Not that we could find" means we could not find it documented, not that the app cannot do it.

Pick MadMapper if

you are mapping video onto real surfaces and driving LED or DMX fixtures during a live show, and you would rather fill in surfaces, cues and fixtures than assemble them from parts. MadMapper has bezier masking, mesh warping, DMX, Art-Net and sACN light control with a cueing system for the show, and a GLSL shader editor, and it takes MIDI, OSC, Syphon, Spout, NDI and DMX.

Pick TouchDesigner if

you want to build the visual system itself: an interactive installation, generative work or a live rig of your own design, and you are happy wiring nodes together to make it. The Non-Commercial licence is Free for personal use and learning, so you can find out whether node-based work suits you before you pay for anything.

Why people compare them

They are two ways of getting the same thing onto a wall. MadMapper is video and LED mapping software for macOS and Windows, with mesh warping, DMX and Art-Net lighting control and a live GLSL shader editor. TouchDesigner is Derivative's node-based visual programming environment for real-time interactive media. One has the shape of a show built into it, and the other gives you parts and leaves the shape to you.

They get compared because both run on a Mac and both end up in the same room. MadMapper needs macOS 11 or higher, or Windows 10 or higher on 64-bit, with a GPU compatible with OpenGL 3.3. TouchDesigner needs macOS 13 or later on a 2020-or-later Mac (Apple silicon highly recommended); Windows 10 or 11.

The connections are the same set on both sides. MadMapper takes MIDI and OSC in and out, and sends and receives Syphon textures on a Mac and Spout textures on Windows. TouchDesigner reads MIDI with the MIDI In CHOP and sends it with the MIDI Out CHOP, and handles OSC through four operators over UDP. MadMapper sends and receives NDI for passing video between machines, and TouchDesigner has NDI as native operators.

Where MadMapper wins

The mapping and the lighting are the point of it. Bezier masking and mesh warping let you fit content to real surfaces. DMX, Art-Net and sACN light control sits alongside the video tools, with a cueing system for the show. You are filling in surfaces and cues rather than assembling them from parts.

One machine can drive a room. MadMapper sends video to projectors and displays, one output for each GPU-capable projector, so one machine can drive many projectors.

It can measure the room before you map it. Space Scanner uses structured light with a Canon DSLR to capture the projector's view for 3D calibration.

The shader editor is in the box. MadMapper has a built-in GLSL shader editor with live coding and a shared online material library, so a look can be written rather than picked from a menu.

The music can drive it. MadMapper's audio analysis binds bass, mid and treble to any parameter, with beat detection and Ableton Live Link, so a track can push the surfaces while you are busy with something else.

The demo is free and has no time limit. It cannot be authorised, so the watermarks and the DMX blackout stay in it, but you can keep learning on it for as long as you like.

Where TouchDesigner wins

It can become whatever you build. TouchDesigner is for artists and developers building interactive installations, live visuals and generative work. The graph is yours to assemble, so a rig that needs an unusual behaviour needs a new part of the network rather than a new application.

Learning costs nothing. TouchDesigner has a free Non-Commercial licence for personal use and learning. Its limits are that it rules out paid work and caps output at 1280x1280.

Paid work has its own licence. There are fully featured Commercial and Pro licences for paid work. Its licences are perpetual, with a year of updates included, so the software keeps working once the updates have run out.

It reads what is around it. The Video Device In TOP takes video from external cameras, capture cards, capture dongles, IP cameras and decoders, with several devices able to stream at once. OSC runs over UDP through the OSC In CHOP, the OSC Out CHOP, the OSC In DAT and the OSC Out DAT.

Output goes where a show needs it. Video goes to the screen, to SDI and HDMI cards through the Video Device Out TOP, or to TouchPlayer for playback on another machine. The DMX Out CHOP sends channels to DMX, Art-Net, sACN, KiNET and FTDI devices, and a DMX In CHOP receives them.

Where both fall short

Neither turns the music into visuals on its own. MadMapper binds bass, mid and treble to any parameter, with beat detection and Ableton Live Link, but you decide what that drives. TouchDesigner reacts to whatever you put into its graph. Neither is a music visualiser that opens and starts moving.

Both free versions are cut back in ways that matter. The free demo shows a watermark on input, output and output preview, and loading and saving a project is disabled. In the demo, DMX lighting devices blackout once every 30 seconds. The Space Scanner is cropped to one quarter of its resolution, and export to SVG, PNG and PDF is disabled. TouchDesigner's Non-Commercial licence is free but capped at 1280x1280 output and not for paid work.

Some textures never leave the machine. Syphon and Spout transfer textures through shared memory, so they work only on the computer TouchDesigner is running on and cannot send textures to another computer. The Non-Commercial licence also leaves out a subset of Pro and Commercial operators, including the Shared Memory OPs and DirectX OPs, and its keys are single use with 10 keys per account.

MadMapper has edges of its own. MadMapper will not fade between two effects, so the FX Name parameter switches rather than fading. You need two surfaces to crossfade, and the software is only available in English.

TouchDesigner has edges of its own. TouchPlayer runs TouchDesigner files in Perform Mode only and has no designer interface, and the Non-Commercial build asks the user to confirm access to cameras, microphones, network and web services. On a Mac it needs macOS 13 Ventura or later and a 2020-or-later machine, with a discrete AMD GPU required on Intel-based Macs.

Both are Mac and Windows only. Each one lists macOS and Windows and nothing else, so there is no Linux build to install.

What it costs

MadMapper's demo is free and cannot be authorised. A temporary licence is €39 a month and expires at the end of its term, and a perpetual licence is €399, one-time, which covers the current 6.xx version and includes one extra seat for a spare computer. MadMapper's shop calls those from prices: they exclude tax and rise with the number of seats. Educational users get 30% off, and extensions such as MadLaser and MadProjectorControl need a licence of their own.

TouchDesigner's Non-Commercial licence is free for personal use and learning. Educational is US$300, one-time, Commercial is US$600, one-time for paid projects, and Pro is US$2,200, one-time, which adds six hours of Pro Support. Derivative lists those as from prices, and the licences are perpetual with one year of updates included.

MadMapper prices itself in euros and Derivative in US dollars, so both are left as listed rather than converted. Check each shop on the day you buy.

Questions people ask

Do MadMapper and TouchDesigner both run on a Mac?

Yes. MadMapper needs macOS 11 or higher, or Windows 10 or higher on 64-bit, with a GPU compatible with OpenGL 3.3. TouchDesigner needs macOS 13 or later on a 2020-or-later Mac (Apple silicon highly recommended); Windows 10 or 11.

Can I use TouchDesigner for paid work without paying?

No. The Non-Commercial licence rules out paid work and caps output at 1280x1280. A paid project needs the Commercial licence at US$600, or Pro at US$2,200.

What does MadMapper's free demo stop me from doing?

It watermarks input, output and output preview, and loading and saving a project is disabled. In the demo, DMX lighting devices blackout once every 30 seconds. The Space Scanner is cropped to one quarter of its resolution, and export to SVG, PNG and PDF is disabled.

Can TouchDesigner send a texture to another computer?

No. Syphon and Spout transfer textures through shared memory, so they work only on the computer TouchDesigner is running on and cannot send textures to another computer. NDI is built in as native operators, the NDI In TOP, NDI Out TOP and NDI DAT, with no documented limit on frame rate or resolution beyond what the hardware can handle.

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Sources

Every fact about another app on this page comes from the source listed for it, on the date shown. We make Vibresia, so we've tried to say where each of the others is the better choice. If something here is out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.