| name | pop-networks |
| description | MUST READ before building or editing POP networks, particle systems, GPU point/geometry work, glslPOP compute, or converting SOP chains to POPs in TouchDesigner 2025+. |
POP Networks
Build GPU-resident point and geometry systems with TouchDesigner POPs. POPs are the 2025+ point-operator family: geometry attributes live on the GPU, many operations run in parallel, and the right chain can replace CPU-heavy SOP or particle workflows.
Use this skill with /create-operator, /visual-aesthetics, performance.md, network-layout.md, and td-python.md. POP correctness is not just a clean network: it is a rendered frame, readable layout, bounded performance, and no operator errors.
POPs vs SOPs
Use POPs when the work is point-heavy, particle-heavy, or naturally parallel:
- Many points, particles, trails, instancing templates, or live geometry streams.
- GPU-side displacement, filtering, attributes, neighborhood queries, texture lookups, or simulation loops.
- Geometry that needs to stay GPU-resident for rendering, instancing, GLSL, or TOP/MAT interop.
- SOP chains whose main cost is moving or filtering lots of points every frame.
Keep SOPs when they are the honest tool:
- Booleans, UV unwrap, small static meshes, precise CPU geometry tools, or legacy SOP-only workflows.
- Tiny one-off static shapes where a SOP is clearer and has no measurable cost.
- Any workflow that needs a mature CPU operator with no POP equivalent.
Prefer POPs for dynamic scale, not as a religion. Start from the user's goal, expected point count, and render path, then choose the family that keeps the system understandable and fast.
Core Vocabulary
Generators create points or geometry:
gridPOP, boxPOP, , , , , , .
