Quick Start Guide for OSX

This guide will show you how to get started using SPIN with Pure Data and the example patches from [pdsheefa]. You can use any other software that can send OSC messages, but then you won't have any examples to start with.

 

STEP 0: (Optional) Get extra dependencies

For advanced features (like video textures), SPIN requires libraries installed via MacPorts, which requires XCode command line tools. Novice users should skip this step for now.

  1. Download XCode from the Mac App Store.
  2. Launch XCode, open the Preferences, select the Downloads tab and install "Command Line Tools".
  3. Download and install the latest version of Macports.
  4. Open the Terminal.app and install the desired ports:
sudo port install ffmpeg

 

STEP 1: Get SPIN

Start by downloading the latest version of the SPIN Framework package and drag the "spinviewerUI" and "spinserverUI" .apps to your Applications folder:

http://spinframework.org/downloads

 

STEP 2: Get Pd-Extended

Do the same for Pure Data Extended. Download the latest version and drag it to your Applications folder:

http://puredata.info/downloads/pd-extended

 

STEP 3: Get [pdsheefa]

Download pdsheefa:

http://code.sat.qc.ca/downloads/pdsheefa/osx

Unpack this package to some other place on your hard drive, for example:

~/Library/Pd/pdsheefa

(This folder can be placed in any other location you like, however)

 

STEP 4: Tell Pd where to find [pdsheefa]

Open Pd-extended. From the dropdown menu at the top of the screen, select Pd-extended > Preferences > Path (pictured below).

Selecting the Paths menu in PD

A window will open which displays all of the locations that Pure Data looks to find the information it needs when it loads up. We need to add the pdsheefa tools to this list so that Pure Data can access them.

The List of Paths where PD draws its data from

Select New. In the file browser window that opens, select the location where you have placed pdsheefa. These tools are now available through your Pure Data interface.

Select pdsheefa's location to add to PD's path browser

Select OK to close the window.

 

STEP 5: Test the spinserver and spinviewer

Now we want to open up the two main SPIN framework applications themselves. One is a software server called spinserverUI, and the other is a graphical window called spinviewerUI. Open your Applications folder to find these programs and open them.

Open spinserverUI.

And also, open spinviewerUI.

Open the Spinviewer application. Check to be sure that Spinserver is communicating with it by checking for the message "Got new subscriber."

It is important here to verify that spinviewerUI and spinserverUI are communicating to each other. When you open spinviewerUI, you should see a message appear in your spinserverUI window that begins "Got new subscriber" and is followed with the name of your machine and its IP address.

Another test is to try to turn the grid on in the spin viewer. Click the button "Toggle Grid," which is the rightmost button in the list of buttons at the top left of your spin viewer window (see below).

Toggle on the grid in Spinviewer to be sure that everything is working properly. Spin is now ready.

 

STEP 6: Try the examples

From within Pure Data, select File > Open from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen.

The pdsheefa examples subfolder, where the SPIN tools are stored

Using the file browser that opens, find the pdsheefa folder where you have placed it on the hard drive, and find the examples subfolder.

The SPIN messaging tool from pdsheefa

The files that begin with the numbers 01-99 are SPIN tools that come with included explanations. Open the first one and begin learning SPIN!