--- title: "TekDetek Nodes — ASCII, RD, CA, Detect | Browser VJ" description: "TekDetek node reference: ASCII FX, Alt ASCII, reaction-diffusion, cellular automata, AI detect, Overlay, PreText, GEO 3D, Hand, Sonify, Export. Free vs Pro for the browser VJ tool." image: "https://vikmil.com/assets/tekdetek-og.png" url: "https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-nodes.html" --- # TekDetek nodes — browser VJ pipeline **TekDetek** is a **node-based browser VJ tool** and **ASCII video tool online**. Wire left to right: **INPUT → (optional DETECT / HAND) → ASCII / RD / CA / Depth / PreText / GEO → OVERLAY → EXPORT**. Open the app at [vikmil.com/tekdetek](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek/) — no install. TekDetek is not completely free. Try phone looks and edit for free. Free export is watermarked and 20 seconds. Free OBS is watermarked and 5 minutes (restart anytime). [Pro](https://tekdetek.gumroad.com/l/xkljia) unlocks clean unlimited export and adding RD, CA, Depth, Alt ASCII, PreText, GEO 3D, and Sonify on the desktop graph. ## Free INPUT, AI DETECT (luma + capped objects/pose), ASCII FX, HAND, OVERLAY, EXPORT (watermark + 20s). Phone swipe + edit for RD and CA looks. ## Pro Add RD, CA, DEPTH, ALT ASCII, PRETEXT, GEO 3D, SONIFY on desktop. Clean unlimited record and OBS. Shuffle. Higher detection caps. _Typical order. Delete nodes you do not need. INPUT plus EXPORT is the minimum useful chain._ ## INPUT Free The video source for every look. Select INPUT, then **Activate camera** (front or back on mobile) or **Upload video file**. H.264 MP4 is the most reliable decode for an **ASCII webcam filter** or file pass. Output aspect (1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 21:9) letterboxes for social crops. Zoom / pan / tilt frame the subject without re-encoding. Pair with [QR selfie](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-qr-selfie.html) funnels or desktop VJ into OBS. For live gigs, activate the camera once during soundcheck and leave the tab focused. Switching tabs can pause capture. ## AI DETECT Free · caps **AI object detection video art** and luma tracking in-browser — no cloud API. Boxes (and optional labels) on bright regions, objects, or body poses drive ASCII “only in boxes” and Overlay fan lines. Mode What it does Free cap Pro **LUMA** Bright-cell grid — no ML download. Best for club silhouettes. 16 boxes 64 **OBJECTS** Object labels in real time. First load downloads weights. 4 boxes Unlimited **POSE** Body keypoints — **pose detection visualizer** for dance. 2 people Higher Tune threshold, grid, and min cells for luma. Disable objects/pose on low-power laptops. Guide: [AI detection VJ](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-ai-detection-vj.html). _Look: **phone-luma-brackets** — labelled luma boxes on a readable scene. Free path (16-box cap)._ _Look: **phone-luma-crosshair** — crosshair-style luma boxes for a tighter track._ ## ASCII FX Free The core **ASCII video tool** / **text video effect**: character grid or block mosaic mapped to brightness. Key controls: columns, density, font size, charset, palette, pixel-RGB blocks, silhouette fills, “only in boxes” (needs DETECT), show/hide raw video. Raise contrast before density — noisy feeds turn the grid to mush. Guide: [ASCII video tool online](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-ascii-vj.html). _Look: **terminal** — clearest ASCII body + rings. Free to load and edit._ _Look: **phone-ascii-ember** — warm ember ASCII on live video._ ## ALT ASCII Pro to add · try on phone Separate WebGL charset path (p5) — quieter glyphs, face-first and field looks. Phone funnel Alt ASCII looks are free to swipe and edit. Adding the ALT ASCII node on the desktop graph is Pro. _Look: **phone-alt-rings** — Alt ASCII rings. Try on phone; desktop add is Pro._ _Look: **phone-alt-noise** — Alt ASCII form + color field on the WebGL path._ ## DEPTH Pro to add · try on phone Depth-style mesh / melt driver for stylized volume — not a true depth camera. Phone Depth-family looks are free to swipe; adding the DEPTH node on desktop is Pro. Depth built-in presets on desktop are Pro. ## REACTION DIFFUSION Pro to add · try on phone A live **reaction diffusion video** / **gray scott webcam**-style field on your clip — stripes, spots, mazes, crawl. Phone RD looks are free to swipe and edit. Adding the RD node on the desktop graph is Pro. Recording a Pro-gated look needs Pro. Guide: [reaction-diffusion video tool](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-reaction-diffusion.html). _Look: **phone-rd-spots** — RD melt on a readable body. Best live RD demo._ _Look: **phone-rd-out** — high-contrast RD silhouette sibling._ ## CELLULAR AUTOMATA Pro to add · try on phone **Cellular automata video** on webcam or MP4: stepped grid, rule evolution, layer color, beat inject. Phone CA looks are free to swipe and edit. Adding the CA node on desktop is Pro. Guide: [cellular automata webcam](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-cellular-automata.html). _Look: **phone-ca-crystal** — clearest CA field on live video._ _Look: **phone-ca-snowflake** — CA snowflake sibling for denser grids._ ## HAND Free Hand tracking with a dedicated camera plus side-by-side hand preview. Pinch, span, and gestures can drive parameters. Free on phone and desktop. Not in Shuffle inject pools. Pair with ASCII or GEO looks when you want performer-driven control. ## PRETEXT Pro (beta) Paragraph type flowing inside or outside a luma silhouette — poster and club-title energy on a live clip. Phone can try PreText looks; adding PRETEXT on the desktop graph is Pro. _Look: **phone-pretext-cyan** — readable CYAN TERMINAL type on live video._ _Look: **phone-pretext-vermilion** — type-fill poster PreText._ ## GEO 3D Pro (beta) Procedural 3D (wire, particles, greeble, SDF) composited like an overlay for a **browser VJ** mesh pass. Phone GEO looks are free to try; adding GEO 3D on desktop is Pro. _Look: **geo-sdf-ico-acid** — organic SDF GEO morph._ _Look: **phone-geo-particles-knot** — particle cloud GEO._ ## SONIFY Pro (beta) Detection → sound (drums / synths). Adding SONIFY on desktop is Pro. Phone can try sonify looks. Not in Shuffle inject pools. Keep the graph light if you also run pose or objects. ## OVERLAY Free Free finishing node: lines between detections (all pairs, nearest, fan) plus 20+ video effects — pixelate, glitch, VHS, CRT, bloom, slit scan, feedback, edges, chromatic. Target inside boxes, outside boxes, or the full frame. Halftone-style dither lives here or on ASCII — not its own node. _Look: **phone-overlay-1bit** — free OVERLAY node on a readable scene._ _Look: **phone-overlay-crt** — CRT scan look._ ## EXPORT Free watermarked · Pro clean Records the full pipeline to MP4 or PNG sequence ZIP — the end of every **no install VJ** pass. - **Free:** watermark on the picture, 20 seconds per take. - **Free OBS:** watermark, 5 minutes per share, restart allowed. - **Pro:** no watermark, no time cap, clean OBS, background keep-alive. Quality follows preview resolution and graph weight — simplify before long captures. Guide: [user guide](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-guide.html). ## Related pages - [ASCII video tool online](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-ascii-vj.html) - [Browser VJ tool](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-vj-tool.html) - [Reaction-diffusion video](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-reaction-diffusion.html) - [Cellular automata webcam](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-cellular-automata.html) - [AI detection VJ](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-ai-detection-vj.html) - [Preset showcase with GIFs](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-showcase.html) - [User guide](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-guide.html) - [Open TekDetek](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek/) - [TekDetek Pro](https://tekdetek.gumroad.com/l/xkljia) TekDetek by [VJ Vik Mil](https://vikmil.com/) · [contact@vikmil.com](mailto:contact@vikmil.com) · [@tekdetek](https://x.com/tekdetek) · [MIT license](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek/LICENSE) · [Third-party notices](https://vikmil.com/tekdetek/THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"TekDetek node reference — browser VJ ASCII video tool","description":"Public node list for TekDetek: ASCII FX, reaction-diffusion, cellular automata, AI detect, Overlay, PreText, GEO 3D, with free vs Pro.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Viktors Mileika"},"url":"https://vikmil.com/tekdetek-nodes.html","image":"https://vikmil.com/assets/tekdetek-og.png"} ```