ofxProjectM

ofxProjectM wraps projectM 4 for openFrameworks and focuses on Milkdrop-style visual playback, texture output, playlist control, runtime parameter control, logging, touch input, and sprites.

The addon is especially useful as a companion addon for ofxVlc4.

There is no longer a maintained app example inside this repository. The recommended real integration example now lives in:

• ../ofxVlc4/ofxVlc4Example
• full ofxVlc4 + ofxProjectM GUI with playlist, video preview, projectM preview/display windows, and runtime diagnostics

Note

Parts of this addon, its examples, and its documentation were developed with AI-assisted help during implementation and refinement.

Release

• addon release version: 1.0.2
• changelog: CHANGELOG.md

Highlights

• projectM 4 playback in openFrameworks
• internal FBO/texture output
• preset playlist and preset switching helpers
• runtime parameters:
• FPS
• mesh size
• frame time
• beat sensitivity
• cut settings
• texel offset
• easter egg
• preset start clean
• texture search path control
• runtime logging callback + log level
• touch API
• user sprites
• version info helpers

Version helpers

There are now two different version concepts available:

• addon version
• ofxProjectM::getAddonVersionInfo()
• wrapped runtime version
• ofxProjectM::getVersionInfo()
• reports the linked projectM runtime version and VCS string

Source layout

The public facade stays in:

• src/ofxProjectM.h

Implementation is split into:

• src/ofxProjectM.cpp
• core lifecycle, logging, shared callbacks, runtime parameters
• src/ofxProjectMPlaylist.cpp
• playlist, preset loading, switching, filtering
• src/ofxProjectMRender.cpp
• FBO/texture rendering, audio input, touch, sprites

Small internal helper headers:

• src/ofxProjectMPlaylist.h
• src/ofxProjectMRender.h

Building projectM libraries

The unified shell script clones and builds projectM in a temporary directory outside the addon tree, then copies only the finished libraries and headers back into libs/projectM.

The repository keeps libs/projectM as placeholder directories only. Run the build script after cloning if you want the local static libraries and headers populated.

If you want one entry point across platforms, use:

bash scripts/build_projectm.sh

The wrapper dispatches to:

• macOS: native static build into libs/projectM/lib/osx
• Linux: native static build into libs/projectM/lib/linux64
• Git Bash / MSYS / Cygwin on Windows: embedded PowerShell build into libs/projectM/lib/vs
• WSL: auto-detected as Windows by default so a Windows checkout still fills libs/projectM/lib/vs

Windows

Run:

bash scripts/build_projectm.sh

This builds both Debug and Release by default on Windows. WSL now follows this Windows path automatically unless you override it. If you only want one configuration, use for example:

bash scripts/build_projectm.sh --configuration Release

Outputs:

• libs/projectM/lib/vs/Debug/libprojectM-4.lib
• libs/projectM/lib/vs/Debug/libprojectM-4-playlist.lib
• libs/projectM/lib/vs/Release/libprojectM-4.lib
• libs/projectM/lib/vs/Release/libprojectM-4-playlist.lib
• libs/projectM/include/projectM-4

VLC-backed integration

For the maintained ofxVlc4 + projectM app example, use:

• ../ofxVlc4/ofxVlc4Example

That example owns the runnable libVLC + projectM integration story now.

macOS

Run:

bash scripts/build_projectm.sh

Outputs:

• libs/projectM/lib/osx/libprojectM-4.a
• libs/projectM/lib/osx/libprojectM-4-playlist.a
• libs/projectM/include/projectM-4

By default the script asks CMake for a universal arm64;x86_64 build. You can override that before the run, for example:

OSX_ARCHITECTURES=arm64 bash scripts/build_projectm.sh

Linux / WSL

Run:

bash scripts/build_projectm.sh

Outputs:

• libs/projectM/lib/linux64/libprojectM-4.a
• libs/projectM/lib/linux64/libprojectM-4-playlist.a
• libs/projectM/include/projectM-4

If you are running inside WSL and want Linux artifacts instead of the default Windows/Visual Studio path, use:

bash scripts/build_projectm.sh --target linux

Runtime assets

Preset and texture packs are now documented and downloaded from the maintained integration example:

• ../ofxVlc4/ofxVlc4Example/README.md

Notes

• The addon uses one public ofxProjectM facade even though implementation is now split internally.
• The source split does not require addon_config.mk updates because openFrameworks auto-scans src.
• The full ofxVlc4Example exposes part of the projectM surface, but the addon API is broader than the current GUI.
• The maintained app-level example now lives in ofxVlc4Example, not in this repository.