Browser-Based TouchDesigner Blob Tracking & Real-Time Computer Vision
Vis Exo is a high-performance web application designed for creative coders, VJs, interactive installation designers, and computer vision researchers. Inspired by Derivative TouchDesigner's Blob Track TOP, it delivers real-time object tracking, contour detection, background subtraction, and generative visual synthesis directly inside modern web browsers — no plugins, no installs.
What Is Blob Tracking?
Blob tracking is a computer vision technique that detects contiguous regions ("blobs") in a video frame — a hand, a dancer's silhouette, a ball, a moving vehicle — and follows their position, size, and speed from frame to frame. It's the technique behind TouchDesigner's Blob Track TOP, and it powers everything from VJ visuals and interactive installations to dance performance tracking and simple motion-triggered art. Vis Exo brings that same real-time blob tracking workflow into a free, no-install browser tool.
7 Tracking ModesCore Computer Vision Tracking Features
Contour & Blob Tracking
Detects contours in real time and tracks each blob's centroid frame to frame, with adjustable threshold, blur, and blob-size filtering.
Differential Motion Tracking
Compares each frame against the running scene to isolate moving subjects from static backgrounds, with an adjustable sensitivity.
Real-Time Object Detection
Identifies 80+ object classes (persons, vehicles, animals, tech) with configurable score thresholds and minimum/maximum area pixel bounding boxes.
Pose Estimation
Tracks 17 key human skeletal joint landmarks at 60 FPS, with multi-person tracking, live joint-angle measurement, and gesture detection for movement analysis and dance work.
Face Tracking
Detects and tracks faces, eyes, and mouths in real time, with adjustable scale factor and minimum neighbor sensitivity.
Person Tracking (Object + Motion)
Combines person detection with frame-differencing motion tracking to draw an organic blob outline around each person instead of a rigid bounding box — a hybrid mode unique to Vis Exo.
Hand & Finger Tracking
Tracks 21 landmarks per hand — wrist plus every finger's knuckle-to-tip chain — in real time, with a Two Hands mode for tracking both simultaneously.
Dedicated Guides for Every Use Case
Blob Tracking Online
The core mode, explained on its own: contour detection and centroid tracking, free.
iPhone Tracking & Export
Record and export tracked video straight to Photos on iPhone.
Webcam Motion Tracking
Live frame-differencing motion detection from any webcam.
TouchDesigner Alternative
Browser-based Blob Track TOP workflow with live OSC streaming.
Pose Estimation
17-point skeleton tracking at 60fps for dance and movement.
Hand & Finger Tracking
21 landmarks per hand, with an optional two-hand mode.
Object Detection
80+ object classes with adjustable confidence thresholds.
VJ Visuals Generator
Audio-reactive generative visuals synced to live FFT.
Private Face Tracking
Face, eye & mouth tracking that never uploads a frame.
Merge Two Videos
Stitch two clips into one export, tracking effects included.
Tracking Data Export
Frame-by-frame coordinates to CSV, or live over OSC/WebSocket.
Kinect Alternative
Free markerless body & skeleton tracking, no depth sensor.
Green Screen Alternative
Motion-based silhouette isolation, no physical green screen.
AI Fitness Rep Counter
Live joint-angle readouts for squat depth, form & tempo.
Dance Motion Tracking
Skeleton review or generative visuals for choreography.
Security Camera Demo
Object detection for security/surveillance prototypes.
Audio-Reactive Visualizer
Live FFT-driven pulse synced to a track or live mic.
Webcam Filter, No App
Instant browser effects — no download, no signup.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Vis Exo?
Vis Exo is a free, web-based computer vision tool inspired by TouchDesigner's Blob Track TOP. It allows creators, interactive artists, and developers to perform real-time blob tracking, motion detection, and generative video effects directly in the browser without installing software.
How does TouchDesigner blob tracking work in the browser?
Vis Exo captures video frames from a webcam, uploaded MP4/WebM video, or photo and runs the entire computer-vision pipeline entirely inside your browser — no server, no upload. Centroids and bounding boxes are then tracked frame-to-frame.
Can I export video in MP4 and WebM formats?
Yes. You can record video at 60 FPS in WebM (VP9/VP8) or MP4 (H.264), export full PNG image sequences compressed in ZIP archives, or download frame-by-frame coordinate telemetry in CSV format.
How do I stream tracking coordinates to TouchDesigner, Max/MSP, or Ableton?
Open the TouchDesigner / OSC panel in the app. Enable WebSocket streaming to broadcast live JSON telemetry payloads containing blob IDs, center coordinates (X, Y), bounding box width/height, and velocity vectors (px/sec). Copy the provided Python DAT script into TouchDesigner to map incoming data to parameters.
Is Vis Exo mobile friendly?
Yes. Vis Exo includes responsive mobile touch drawer controls, swipe gestures for mode switching, and camera access on iOS and Android devices.
What is blob tracking used for?
Blob tracking is widely used in VJing and live visuals, interactive art installations, dance and movement performance, crowd/traffic flow prototypes, sports motion analysis, and any project that needs to detect and follow moving shapes in video in real time.
Is blob tracking software free to use?
Yes — Vis Exo is completely free, runs entirely in your browser with no account, signup, or download required, and has no watermarks or limits on tracking, visual styles, or video export.
What's the difference between blob tracking and motion tracking?
Blob tracking detects and follows the shape, size, and position of distinct objects (blobs) frame by frame using contour detection, while motion tracking only flags pixels that changed between frames. Vis Exo supports both as separate modes, so you can pick whichever fits your footage.
How does Person Tracking work?
Person Tracking combines Object Detection and Motion Tracking: object detection first finds where each person is in frame, then the same motion analysis behind Motion mode finds what's actually moving inside that box, producing an organic blob-shaped outline around each person instead of a rigid rectangle. A person standing still falls back to a plain box since there's no motion to outline.
Does Vis Exo support hand and finger tracking?
Yes. Hand Tracking mode tracks 21 landmarks per hand — the wrist plus every finger's full knuckle-to-tip chain — in real time, with an optional Two Hands mode for tracking both hands at once. Each detected hand is labeled Left or Right at the wrist.
Can I merge or stitch two videos together?
Yes — and not just two. Vis Exo can stitch two or more uploaded video clips into a single output: it plays each one through the active tracking mode in sequence, letterboxing to a shared frame size, and exports one combined video with audio.
Can I use the visual effects (Ghost Trails, Post FX) without any object/blob detection running?
Yes — No Tracking mode passes the live feed straight through with no detection at all, so only look-only effects like Ghost Trails, Step Printing (Wong Kar-wai-style), and Post FX (Noir, VHS/CRT, Thermal, Sobel Glow, ASCII) apply. It's also the lightest mode on battery/CPU since nothing is analysed frame to frame.
How do I reset all my settings back to default?
Global Reset (in the Style tab, under Pro Presets) puts every setting — tracking thresholds, source, style, and export — back to its shipped default in one click, with an Undo option if you change your mind. Reset Look next to it only resets appearance (mode, color, style, post-fx) if you want a narrower reset.