TD Launcher Plus

by Function Store

A focused project dashboard for TouchDesigner. Launch .toe files with the correct version automatically, browse recents, manage templates, and preview project docs.

Download Latest Release

macOS users: see security note for first-launch instructions

TD Launcher Plus — Recent Files view

Key Features

Smart Version Detection

Automatically identifies and launches the required TouchDesigner build for any .toe file.

Project Dashboard

Quick-access hubs for Recent Files and Templates with persistent memory across sessions.

Integrated Documentation

View and edit project README.md files directly within the launcher.

Visual Previews

Automatic thumbnail generation and custom icon support for a rich browsing experience.

Search & Filter

Quickly find projects by typing in the search bar with wildcard support — filters in real time.

Keyboard Navigation

Full keyboard navigation with tab memory for fast and fluid workflow.

TouchPlayer Support

Launch projects in TouchPlayer instead of TouchDesigner with a single toggle.

Native Experience

Fully optimized for macOS (Apple Silicon/Intel) and Windows with a clean DearPyGui interface.

How It Works

TD Launcher Plus is a project dashboard that scans for all installed TouchDesigner versions, lets you browse recent files and templates, view project docs, and launch with the version you need.

There are two ways to open it:

Open directly

Launch the app on its own to browse the full dashboard — recent files, templates, version picker, and project info.

Open a .toe file

Double-click a .toe file (requires TD Launcher Plus to be set as the default app for .toe files). The file is analyzed, the required version is detected, and a 5-second countdown begins. Left undisturbed, the project launches automatically. Click or press any key to interrupt and use the full dashboard instead.

Installation

Windows

  1. Download the installer from the releases page
  2. Run the installer
  3. Set Windows to open .toe files with TD Launcher Plus by default
  4. Double-clicking .toe files will now launch them with TD Launcher Plus

macOS

  1. Download the .dmg file from the releases page
  2. Open the DMG and drag "TD Launcher Plus" to Applications
  3. Important: The app is not notarized — see the security note below
  4. File association is automatic. Optionally set as default via right-click → Get Info → Open with

macOS Security Note

Because the app is open-source and not signed with an Apple Developer certificate, macOS Gatekeeper will show a warning.

  1. Double-click the app
  2. When the warning appears, click Done (not "Move to Trash")
  3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
  4. Click Open Anyway next to the TD Launcher Plus message
  5. You only need to do this once

Alternative: xattr -cr "/Applications/TD Launcher Plus.app"

macOS Security settings showing Open Anyway button

Companion Utility

For project icons and a more consistent recent-files list (especially on macOS), install the TDLauncherPlusUtility.tox inside your TouchDesigner projects. On macOS this is required for recent-file discovery; on Windows it is optional but enables project thumbnails. See Project Icons & Companion Utility for setup instructions.

Recent Files

TD Launcher Plus keeps track of recently opened projects. Files are added when actually launched — not when simply browsing.

Native Recent Files Discovery

Color Coding

Active Session
Launcher History
TouchDesigner History
Default

Smart Versioning

TouchDesigner auto-saves create versioned files like project.7.toe. By default these are shown as-is. Enable "Collapse Versions" (V) to group them under their base name — multiple versions of the same project then appear only once. Backup folder files are shown with a Backup/ prefix.

Templates

Save frequently-used project templates for quick access in a separate tab. A built-in "Default (new project)" entry is always at the top for launching TouchDesigner with its default startup file.

Project Icons & Companion Utility

TDLauncherPlusUtility.tox is a lightweight TouchDesigner component that generates project thumbnails and syncs recent files with the launcher.

macOS — Required for Recents & Icons Windows — Optional (Icons only)

Setup

  1. Import TDLauncherPlusUtility.tox into your project
  2. Or better: add it to your default startup .toe file so it's always present — it's lightweight and only runs on init and save

The utility must be present in each project — it cannot generate icons retroactively for projects that don't include it.

Enabling Icons

Toggle "Show Icons" in the launcher to display project thumbnails next to each file.

How Icons Work

By default, the utility takes a screenshot of the /perform window every time you save and writes it as <projectname>_icon_temp.png next to your .toe file. This gives each project an up-to-date visual thumbnail automatically. The target operator and behavior can be customized via the utility's custom parameters — for example, you can point it at a different operator path if your project uses a dedicated preview or output node instead of /perform.

Static vs. Dynamic Icons

The utility supports two icon modes, controlled via its custom parameters:

Icon Search Order

  1. <projectname>_icon.png — static icon (on-demand via "Save Static Icon" pulse), takes priority, never overwritten on save
  2. <projectname>_icon_temp.png — dynamic icon, auto-generated on every save, always reflects the latest state
  3. icon.png — generic project icon shared by all .toe files in the same folder
  4. Any other image in the project folder (most recently modified)
  5. Falls back to the TD Launcher Plus app icon

Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigation

KeyAction
TabSwitch between Recent Files and Templates tabs
Up / WSelect previous file
Down / SSelect next file
EnterLaunch selected project (or start countdown)
SpaceToggle focus: File List (Blue) / Version List (Green)
EscQuit application

Search

KeyAction
Cmd/Ctrl+FOpen search — type to filter in real time
EscClear search and close
EnterClose search (filter stays active)
Up / DownNavigate filtered list from search field

Interface Toggles

KeyAction
VToggle "Collapse Versions"
CToggle "Show Icons"
EToggle "Show Info" (README panel)
RToggle "Use TouchPlayer"
FOpen folder of selected file
Cmd/Ctrl+EEdit Mode — focus text editor

File Management

KeyAction
Backspace / DeleteRemove selected file (with confirmation)
Cmd/Ctrl+Up/DownMove template up/down
Cmd/Ctrl+SSave README changes
Cmd/Ctrl+DQuick Launch TD with default startup
Cmd/Ctrl+1-9Launch template by position

Settings

Contributors