This guide takes you from downloading the Flatpak to opening a shader library, choosing the OpenGL or Vulkan backend, running an effect, and finding the creative tools inside the interface.
Flatpak packages the application and most of its dependencies together. You do not need to compile ACMX to follow this tutorial.
Many Linux distributions include Flatpak already. Open a terminal and run the command below. If it prints a version number, continue to the next step.
flatpak --versionIf the command is missing, install the package named flatpak with your distribution's software center or package manager, then sign out and back in.
Download ACMX2.flatpak and leave it in your Downloads folder. The filename retains the historic ACMX2 name, but the package contains the shared interface and both ACMX2 and ACMXVK backends.
Open a terminal, move to Downloads, and install the file. Flatpak may ask you to confirm the runtime packages it needs.
cd ~/Downloadsflatpak install --user ./ACMX2.flatpakLook for ACMX in your desktop's application menu. You can also launch it from a terminal; terminal output is useful if you ever need to diagnose a problem.
flatpak run io.github.lostjared.ACMX2The large upper table is your shader library. The lower panel is the live log, where build commands, backend messages, and errors appear.
Each row is a shader. The columns identify its name, last modification time, build health, and type. Select a row and use the Run menu to start it. For ACMXVK source libraries, Build compiles fragment and compute GLSL into SPIR-V. Read the log after every build or launch; successful commands and actionable errors appear there.
Use Camera for a live device, Video File for existing footage, or Graphics File for a still image. Camera resolution and frame rate can be selected independently from the preview. The right side controls output location, screen resolution, frame rate, playback, CUDA when available, 3D mode, and recording limits. Beginners can leave most values at their defaults.
The program path normally resolves automatically in the Flatpak. Shader Directory is the library you browse and build, Screenshot Directory is where captured frames are saved, and Shader Compiler chooses glslc. Keep your editable shaders somewhere inside your home folder so the application can write compiled files beside the library.
You do not need every tool on day one. These screenshots show what each area does so you know where to return when your project grows.
The M3U editor assembles an ordered list of audio files. Add individual tracks, move them up or down, shuffle the order, or save the playlist for later performances.
Enable Audio Reactivity for microphone or file analysis. Pass Through lets you hear playback, while Record Audio to File includes sound in the finished recording. Input/output devices, sensitivity, warm-up, playlists, repeat, and audio-history depth are configured here.
When the optional GPU filter library is available, search for filters and add them to the selected list. The order matters: each filter receives the previous filter's result. Frame Buffer Size controls how much temporal frame data compatible effects can retain.
The style editor accepts Qt stylesheet rules. Pick a preset, adjust colors and widget rules, then Apply to preview it. Save stores the style for reuse; disabling custom style restores the normal appearance.
Enable multipass processing, search the available library, and add passes in sequence. Every pass consumes the previous pass's output. Use the arrow controls to reorder the chain and save useful combinations as reusable lists.
Add shaders to named nodes, arrange their order, and save the playlist. Autopilot changes nodes after a chosen number of frames; Random varies the route. During a live session, the playlist keys let you move manually between nodes.
Enable MIDI, select the connected input device, and load a .midi_cfg mapping. Refresh rescans devices after plugging one in. Launch midi-map opens the companion tool for assigning physical controls to ACMX actions and shader uniforms.
Choose the target application and MIDI device, select an action, then move or press the intended hardware control. The learned key and byte values appear in the table. Save the configuration and select that file back in MIDI Settings.
This dialog is useful for learning the command-line application and reproducing a session in a terminal. Copy to Clipboard preserves the full command; Run launches it directly with the current interface settings.
Browse to an empty or dedicated folder. The optional default shader gives you a minimal working fragment shader, while the manifest option creates the library.json metadata used by the ACMXVK builder.
Add fragment and compute files individually or import whole folders. Include subfolders when your library is organized into categories. Export Library creates the manifest and preserves the shader type and custom-uniform metadata ACMXVK needs.
Name the source, choose Fragment or Compute, and include the default code when you want a known-good starting point. Cache shaders receive history textures for effects that depend on earlier frames.
Create a name, minimum, maximum, and step, then assign it to an available uniform slot. Each control gains a slider and exact numeric value. Copy produces the GLSL location expression to paste into the source; Delete removes the mapping from the manifest.
Enter a regular expression to search the active library. Results identify the shader, matching line, and source text; open a result to jump into the editor. Case-sensitive matching is optional.
The metadata viewer starts empty. Browse to a video or audio file and choose Analyze. It does not modify the file; it reads the container and stream information that can help you choose resolution, frame rate, audio, and encoding settings.
The expanded result reports duration, bitrate, format, stream count, dimensions, pixel format, frame rate, color information, and codec names. The Markdown, HTML, and Text tabs make the report easy to copy into notes or a bug report.
Select a built-in uniform to see its GLSL type, backend availability, declaration, meaning, and example expression. This is the quickest reference when writing effects that depend on time, resolution, audio, mouse input, history, textures, or samplers.
See the interface and real-time workflow in motion before building your first larger session.