Mastering GLSL in TouchDesigner, Lesson 7: Cellular Noise and Voronoi Textures

In this lesson of Mastering GLSL in TouchDesigner, we explore cellular noise and Voronoi diagrams, two powerful techniques for procedural texture generation. Unlike Perlin or Simplex noise, cellular noise partitions space based on the distance from a pixel to a set of points, creating organic, structured patterns. You’ll learn how to implement this in GLSL using distance(), min(), and for loops, setting the foundation for more advanced techniques like Worley noise.

📌 Key Topics Covered:
✅ What is cellular noise, and how does it differ from other noise types?
✅ Understanding Voronoi diagrams for spatial partitioning
✅ Implementing cellular noise using distance calculations in GLSL
✅ Using for loops in shaders to evaluate multiple sample points
✅ Exploring the differences between cellular noise and Worley noise

🎨 Exercises & Challenges:
🛠️ Adapt the cellular noise shader to work with any aspect ratio (e.g., 16:9)
🛠️ Blend Perlin or Simplex noise with cellular noise and observe the results
🛠️ Advanced: Implement Worley noise using the algorithm from The Book of Shaders

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00:00 – Intro – Cellular Noise and Voronoi
01:40 – What is cellular noise?
03:18 – For Loops in GLSL shaders
07:32 – How to build a cellular noise shader in TouchDesigner
09:34 – Marker 5
10:37 – Naive Cell Implementation
14:26 – Cell centers from CHOPs
19:00 – Writing a for loop in glsl to iterate over all points and create cells for worley noise
24:14 – Realtime Voronoi Diagram in TouchDesigner
28:50 – Exercises