diff --git a/src/Layer.cpp b/src/Layer.cpp
index 0afba6b..6c3021c 100644
--- a/src/Layer.cpp
+++ b/src/Layer.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #include "Layer.h"
+#include "conversion.h"
 #include "ofAppRunner.h"
 #include "ofGraphics.h"
+#include "ofUtils.h"
 
 namespace ofxVariableLab {
 
@@ -14,25 +16,70 @@ MsdfLayer::~MsdfLayer(){
 }
 
 void Layer::update(){
+    if(isDirty){
 
+        isDirty = false;
+    }
 }
 
-void MsdfLayer::draw(float x, float y) const {
+void MsdfLayer::draw(glm::vec3 position) const {
+    const ofImage & atlasImage = atlas->getAtlasImage();
     ofDisableAlphaBlending();
     ofEnableDepthTest();
     shader->begin();
-    shader->setUniformTexture("msdf", atlasImage->getTexture(), 0);
+    shader->setUniformTexture("msdf", atlasImage.getTexture(), 0);
     shader->setUniform4f("fontColor", ofFloatColor::white);
     float pixelRange = 2;
-    int atlas_w = atlasImage->getWidth();
-    int atlas_h = atlasImage->getHeight();
+    int atlas_w = atlasImage.getWidth();
+    int atlas_h = atlasImage.getHeight();
     int atlas_x = 0;
     int atlas_y = 0;
     glm::vec2 unitRange = glm::vec2(pixelRange) / glm::vec2(atlas_w, atlas_h);
     shader->setUniform2f("unitRange", unitRange);
-    //atlasImage->drawSubsection(0, 0, w, h, x, y, w, h);
-    atlasImage->draw(x, y);
     shader->end();
+
+    ofPushMatrix();
+    //cout << "drawing letters (" << ofToString(propsBuffer.size()) << ")" << endl;
+    for(const char c : propsBuffer[0].text){
+        ofxMsdfgen::GlyphGeometry gg = atlas->getGlyphGeometry(c);
+        int x, y, w, h;
+        gg.getBoxRect(x, y, w, h);
+        y = atlas_h - (y + h);
+        if(y < 0){
+            // FIXME: make sure this does not happen
+            ofLogError("MsdfLayer::draw") << "y smaller 0, this is not good" << endl;
+        }
+        ofPushStyle();
+        ofNoFill();
+        ofSetColor(ofFloatColor(sin(ofGetElapsedTimeMicros() * 0.0001) * 0.5 + 0.5, 0, 0, 1));
+        double pl, pb, pr, pt,
+               il, ib, ir, it;
+        gg.getQuadPlaneBounds(pl, pb, pr, pt);
+        gg.getQuadAtlasBounds(il, ib, ir, it);
+
+        ofPushMatrix();
+        float magic = ofMap(sin(ofGetElapsedTimeMicros() * 0.000001), -1, 1, 1, 1000);
+        ofTranslate(pr * magic, pt * magic, 0);
+        //if(ofGetFrameNum() % 30 == 0){
+        //cout << "drawing letter " << c << endl
+        //<< "\tpl: " << ofToString(pl)
+        //<< "\tpb: " << ofToString(pb)
+        //<< "\tpr: " << ofToString(pr)
+        //<< "\tpt: " << ofToString(pt)
+        //<< endl;
+        //}
+
+        ofFill();
+        shader->begin();
+        ofSetColor(ofFloatColor(1, 1, 1, 1));
+        atlasImage.drawSubsection(0, 0, w, h, x, y, w, h);
+        shader->end();
+        ofPopMatrix();
+        ofPopStyle();
+        ofTranslate(w, 0, 0);
+    }
+    ofPopMatrix();
+    //atlasImage.draw(x, y);
     ofDisableDepthTest();
     ofEnableAlphaBlending();
 }
diff --git a/src/Layer.h b/src/Layer.h
index ab003e0..976482e 100644
--- a/src/Layer.h
+++ b/src/Layer.h
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class Layer {
         };
 
         void update();
-        virtual void draw(float x = 0, float y = 0) const = 0;
+        virtual void draw(glm::vec3 position = glm::vec3(0, 0, 0)) const = 0;
         void setProps(const Props & props);
         //void setProps(float _x,
         //float _y,
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ class MsdfLayer : public Layer {
     public:
         MsdfLayer();
         ~MsdfLayer();
-        void draw(float x = 0, float y = 0) const override;
-        shared_ptr <ofImage> atlasImage;
+        void draw(glm::vec3 position = glm::vec3(0, 0, 0)) const override;
+        shared_ptr <ofxMsdfgen::Atlas> atlas;
 };
 
 }
diff --git a/src/LayerComposition.cpp b/src/LayerComposition.cpp
index 599f8fc..5384a9a 100644
--- a/src/LayerComposition.cpp
+++ b/src/LayerComposition.cpp
@@ -1,21 +1,23 @@
 #include "LayerComposition.h"
 #include "ofUtils.h"
+#include <memory>
 
 namespace ofxVariableLab {
 
 void LayerComposition::setup(){
     ofxMsdfgen::AtlasSettings settings;
-    settings.characters = "ABCDEFGHIJKL";
+    //settings.characters = "ABCDEFGHIJKL";
     settings.scale = 64;
     //string fontName = "RobotoFlex.ttf";
     //string fontPath = "data/fonts/" + fontName;
     //string fontPath = "data/celines-fonts/testing2VF.ttf";
     string fontPath = "data/celines-fonts/Version-2-var.ttf";
     //string fontPath = "data/celines-fonts/Cottagecore.ttf";
-    atlas.setup(fontPath, settings);
+    atlas = make_shared <ofxMsdfgen::Atlas>();
+    atlas->setup(fontPath, settings);
 
-    atlasImage = make_shared <ofImage>(atlas.getAtlasImage());
-    glyphGeometries = atlas.getGlyphGeometries();
+    atlasImage = make_shared <ofImage>(atlas->getAtlasImage());
+    glyphGeometries = atlas->getGlyphGeometries();
     msdfShader = make_shared <ofShader>();
     #ifdef TARGET_EMSCRIPTEN
         msdfShader->load("ofxMsdfgen/shaders/unitRange/ES3/shader");
@@ -24,11 +26,13 @@ void LayerComposition::setup(){
     #endif
 
     auto layer = make_unique <ofxVariableLab::MsdfLayer>();
-    layer->atlasImage = atlasImage;
+    layer->atlas = atlas;
     layer->shader = msdfShader;
-    layer->atlasImage->update();
+
+    layer->setProps(Layer::Props());
 
     layers.push_back(std::move(layer));
+
 }
 
 void LayerComposition::update(){
diff --git a/src/LayerComposition.h b/src/LayerComposition.h
index d0f262a..a761837 100644
--- a/src/LayerComposition.h
+++ b/src/LayerComposition.h
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class LayerComposition {
         #endif
 
     private:
-        ofxMsdfgen::Atlas atlas;
+        shared_ptr <ofxMsdfgen::Atlas> atlas;
         shared_ptr <ofImage> atlasImage;
         vector <ofxMsdfgen::GlyphGeometry> glyphGeometries;
         shared_ptr <ofShader> msdfShader;