RjDj patching Guide

This is a short description of how to make RjDj scenes. You should already be familiar with PureData. Here are some general guidelines:

  • The patches can be edited with standard Pd (latest version from Miller Puckettes site)
  • Avoid using externals. The RjDj app only runs objects included in the core Pd.
  • Using the Scene Template included in the ComposersPack will make your life much easier.

Structure of a RjDj scene

A scene is a directory whose name has to end in ".rj". That's important! Here is what the content of a typical scene looks like: 

 MyScene.rj
 |- _main.pd
 |- image.jpg
 |- Info.plist
 |- myloop.wav
 `- myabstract.pd

Usually the scenes are distributed in zipped format. Scenes that are zipped should end in ".rjz":

Directory: MyScene.rj ==> (zipping ...) ==> rename Zip-File to MyScene.rjz.

The following files are required:

  • _main.pd: the main patch of the scene. When RjDj starts a scene, it opens this patch.
  • image.jpg: this file is shown on the main screen of the scene player when the scene is loaded. The size of the image should be 320x320.
  • thumb.jpg: this thumbnail file is shown on the scene selection screen of the scene player. The size of the image should be 55x55. Generally it should be a smaller version of image.jpg
  • Info.plist: a description of the scene in plist XML format. This file contains information about the scene which will be shown in the scene browser.

Besides the _main.pd patch, the image and the info file, a scene may contain several other files such as other Pd patches (abstractions) and sound samples. Don't forget that your directory name needs to end in ".rj".

Adding a new scene

The easiest way to get started is to take the template scene from the ComposersPack. It comes with the rj-abstraction library which is pretty useful.

Just copy it somewhere, rename its folder to something ending in ".rj" and edit the Info.plist file inside.

Another way to do it is to start from scratch like this:

  • Create a new directory for your scene e.g. MyScene.rj (the directories must end in '.rj')
  • Create a patch named _main.pd, which will be the patch for the scene
  • Prepare a 320x320 jpeg image for the scene and name it image.jpg
  • Write the Info.plist file to fit your needs

Testing the scenes

Once your are done with your scene, keep reading on how to test your new scene.

Contents copyright

Composers have to check they hold the copyright of any content in RjDj scenes (audio samples, scenes images, etc...) submitted to RjDj. Any scene violating copyrighted material will be immediately removed. RjDj does not endorse any responsability in case of copyright infringement. Creative Commons attributions are listed here: http://trac.rjdj.me/wiki/cc_attributions.