showstack / software / notch
Notch
Windows GPU-native tool for authoring real-time generative and VFX content in Notch Builder, then exporting a self-contained Notch Block. The unusual part is that the block plays back inside someone else's media server, not inside Notch.
Protocols it speaks
| Protocol | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| osc | bidirectional | Vendor features page states OSC input and output; the node reference lists both an OSC Modifier (receive) and an OSC Output node (send). |
| midi | bidirectional | Vendor features page states MIDI input and output. |
| art-net | bidirectional | Vendor features page states Art-Net input and output; the Art-Net docs describe exposing any numerical parameter plus basic transport controls so a lighting desk can drive them. |
| rttrpm | in needs licence |
BlackTrax is listed among supported tracking systems, but the docs name the product rather than the RTTrPM protocol version. Tracking support is an RFX-tier feature: Indie and VFX tiers have no tracking systems. |
What to watch for
Notch content is authored in Builder but played back inside a host media server: disguise, Hippotizer, Ai, Resolume, Pixera, 7thSense Delta, Smode, LightAct, Ventuz and others. Nobody runs Notch itself on the show machine.
Exporting media-server Notch Blocks needs the top RFX Builder tier, and RFX is USB dongle-based with no software-only option. Indie and VFX tiers cannot export media-server blocks at all.
Playback is a second, separate licence from Builder. Playback licences ship on a CodeMeter USB dongle, sold either as short-term leases or as a perpetual one-project, one-location licence for fixed installs.
The free watermarked playback licence still requires a CodeMeter dongle. You cannot test a block on a bare machine and accept a watermark instead. No dongle, no playback.
Features that lean on third-party SDKs (NVIDIA effects, Kinect, and similar) need the matching third-party DLLs copied into the host media server's install directory. Builder and standalone exports ship them; media servers do not.
Every Builder tier is subscription-only, monthly or yearly. There is no perpetual Builder licence, so re-editing an archived project depends on keeping a subscription alive.
Hosts gate which Notch versions they will load: disguise publishes a per-Designer-version Notch compatibility table. Check the host build's supported Notch version before you export.
The stated GPU floor is high for a content tool: minimum NVIDIA RTX 2080 or AMD Radeon VII, recommended RTX 4080+ or RTX A5000+, with 4 GB VRAM at 4K rising to 12 GB at 8K.
Typical use
- Authoring real-time generative looks and IMAG effects for touring concert video
- Exporting Notch Blocks for playback inside disguise, Hippotizer, Pixera, Ai or Resolume
- Camera, depth-camera and tracking-driven interactive content for installations
- VFX Block export into host applications such as After Effects for offline work
- Standalone executables and network editing of a live show's content from another machine
Sources
- Notch - Pricing (Indie / VFX / RFX tiers, dongle requirements) — Notch primary
- Notch - Playback licensing — Notch primary
- Notch - Features & Specs (protocols, tracking systems, media server list, system requirements) — Notch primary
- Notch Manual - Notch Blocks — Notch primary
- Notch Manual - SDK Dependencies when using Media Servers — Notch primary
- Notch v1.0+ Compatibility Table — disguise
Understand the mechanism
Something wrong, or missing?
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