TouchDesigner on Linux (via Bottles)

TouchDesigner is not officially supported on Linux, but it can run very well through Bottles (on Wayland).

This guide gives a complete, working setup.

Table of Contents

• 1. Install Bottles
• 2. Create the TouchDesigner Bottle
• 3. Install Dependencies
• 4. Install TouchDesigner
• 5. Launch TouchDesigner
• 6. Fix Missing Fonts
• 7. Optional: Flatpak Filesystem Access
• 8. Optional: Desktop Integration
• 9. Screenshots
• 10. Notes

---

1. Install Bottles

Install Bottles using one of the methods below.

Flatpak (recommended on Fedora, Mint, and similar distros)

flatpak install flathub com.usebottles.bottles

If Bottles does not appear in your app menu, restart your session.

AUR (Arch-based distros)

yay -S bottles

---

2. Create the TouchDesigner Bottle

1. Open Bottles.
2. Create a new bottle.
3. Use these settings:

Setting	Value
Name	TouchDesigner
Environment	Gaming
Runner	soda
Directory	Default

4. Create the bottle and wait for setup to finish.

---

3. Install Dependencies

Inside the bottle:

1. Go to Dependencies.
2. Install:
   • allfonts
   • d3dx11 (latest version)

---

4. Install TouchDesigner

1. Download the Windows installer from Derivative.
2. In Bottles, click Run Executable.
3. Select the .exe file.
4. Install normally (same process as Windows).

---

5. Launch TouchDesigner

1. Open Programs in Bottles.
2. Click Play on TouchDesigner.

TouchDesigner should now run.

---

6. Fix Missing Fonts

Some UI elements may appear blank due to font rendering issues.

Solution

1. Add wine_ui_fixes.tox to your project.
   • Download wine_ui_fixes.tox directly
   • Original post: c0deous on Derivative
2. Click Fix Now.

Fonts will display correctly as long as the .tox file is present in the project.

---

7. Optional: Flatpak Filesystem Access

If you installed Bottles via Flatpak, opening .toe files directly from your system may fail.

Install Flatseal:

flatpak install flathub com.github.tchx84.Flatseal

Then:

1. Open Flatseal.
2. Select Bottles.
3. Go to Filesystem.
4. Enable All system files.

Warning

This disables sandboxing protections for Bottles.

---

8. Optional: Desktop Integration

Desktop shortcut

Inside Bottles, click the ⋮ next to TouchDesigner and select Add Desktop Entry.

File association & icon

1. Associate .toe files with TouchDesigner.
2. Assign the TouchDesigner icon (.png) to the file type.

The icon is located at:

Flatpak:

/home/{YOUR_USER}/.var/app/com.usebottles.bottles/data/bottles/bottles/TouchDesigner/icons/TouchDesigner.png

AUR:

/home/{YOUR_USER}/.local/share/bottles/bottles/TouchDesigner/icons/TouchDesigner.png

.toe icon association example

If the association is correctly configured, .toe files will display with the TouchDesigner icon.

---

9. Screenshots

1. Bottle setup

2. Dependencies

3. Run executable

4. Launch TouchDesigner

5. Font missing

6. Font fix

---

TouchDesigner on Linux (via Bottles)

TouchDesigner is not officially supported on Linux, but it can run very well through Bottles (on Wayland).

This guide gives a complete, working setup.

Table of Contents

• 1. Install Bottles
• 2. Create the TouchDesigner Bottle
• 3. Install Dependencies
• 4. Install TouchDesigner
• 5. Launch TouchDesigner
• 6. Fix Missing Fonts
• 7. Optional: Flatpak Filesystem Access
• 8. Optional: Desktop Integration
• 9. Screenshots
• 10. Notes

---

1. Install Bottles

Install Bottles using one of the methods below.

Flatpak (recommended on Fedora, Mint, and similar distros)

flatpak install flathub com.usebottles.bottles

If Bottles does not appear in your app menu, restart your session.

AUR (Arch-based distros)

yay -S bottles

---

2. Create the TouchDesigner Bottle

1. Open Bottles.
2. Create a new bottle.
3. Use these settings:

Setting	Value
Name	TouchDesigner
Environment	Gaming
Runner	soda
Directory	Default

4. Create the bottle and wait for setup to finish.

---

3. Install Dependencies

Inside the bottle:

1. Go to Dependencies.
2. Install:
   • allfonts
   • d3dx11 (latest version)

---

4. Install TouchDesigner

1. Download the Windows installer from Derivative.
2. In Bottles, click Run Executable.
3. Select the .exe file.
4. Install normally (same process as Windows).

---

5. Launch TouchDesigner

1. Open Programs in Bottles.
2. Click Play on TouchDesigner.

TouchDesigner should now run.

---

6. Fix Missing Fonts

Some UI elements may appear blank due to font rendering issues.

Solution

1. Add wine_ui_fixes.tox to your project.
   • Download wine_ui_fixes.tox directly
   • Original post: c0deous on Derivative
2. Click Fix Now.

Fonts will display correctly as long as the .tox file is present in the project.

---

7. Optional: Flatpak Filesystem Access

If you installed Bottles via Flatpak, opening .toe files directly from your system may fail.

Install Flatseal:

flatpak install flathub com.github.tchx84.Flatseal

Then:

1. Open Flatseal.
2. Select Bottles.
3. Go to Filesystem.
4. Enable All system files.

Warning

This disables sandboxing protections for Bottles.

---

8. Optional: Desktop Integration

Desktop shortcut

Inside Bottles, click the ⋮ next to TouchDesigner and select Add Desktop Entry.

File association & icon

1. Associate .toe files with TouchDesigner.
2. Assign the TouchDesigner icon (.png) to the file type.

The icon is located at:

Flatpak:

/home/{YOUR_USER}/.var/app/com.usebottles.bottles/data/bottles/bottles/TouchDesigner/icons/TouchDesigner.png

AUR:

/home/{YOUR_USER}/.local/share/bottles/bottles/TouchDesigner/icons/TouchDesigner.png

.toe icon association example

If the association is correctly configured, .toe files will display with the TouchDesigner icon.

---

9. Screenshots

1. Bottle setup

2. Dependencies

3. Run executable

4. Launch TouchDesigner

5. Font missing

6. Font fix

---

10. Features confirmed working

I will be updating this list as testing progresses.

• NDI
• UI rendering (with fix)
• Real-time visuals
• External outputs and inputs

---

11. Notes

• NVIDIA GPUs are highly recommended.
• Wayland works way better than X11.
• Performance may vary depending on hardware and driver setup.
• Overall, my experience was smoother than on Windows, with better performance (up to +20%) and a much cooler-running machine (up to -20°C) due to Linux optimizations.

Built with care.

Iswad