Table of Contents
On-screen UI in Motion 5 and Final Cut Pro X
Beginning with FxFactory 3.0.3, our software sports new and improved on-screen UI to help in the development of products that target the latest FxPlug hosts.
Update: Final Cut Pro 10.2 has introduced full support for parameters with custom UI. This means that on-screen controls are no longer the only way to change the value of certain parameters. On-screen controls should now be considered just a additional method for effect customization.
| Although on-screen controls are used by FxTemplates products too, the information on this page is only relevant to native plug-ins developed through FxPacks. |
|---|
Parameters Available as On-screen Controls
FxFactory plug-ins running in Motion 5 or Final Cut Pro X can now sport on-screen controls for the following parameter types:
Point parameters are displayed on-screen by default. Other parameters must be manually designated as on-screen controls by enabling the corresponding property.
When creating Motion Templates that use one or more on-screen controls, keep in mind that the Publish OSC parameter must be enabled in order for the on-screen controls to be accessible in Final Cut Pro X as well:
FxFactory will also display “Buy Now” and/or “Watch Tutorial” buttons when appropriate. These controls are displayed only for commercial and free products that have not been registered. Products under development will not display these on-screen controls.
Special Case #1: Point Controls
FxFactory's on-screen point controls replace the old controls provided by the host. This allows our software to provide new features:
- On-screen point controls are labeled so the user can more easily determine which parameter they are adjusting.
- Coordinates can be restricted to a given range, for example to create horizontal or vertical dividers.
- Coordinates can also be restricted relative to the initial location of the point, in order to create on-screen dials, color wheels, etc.
- The appearance of point controls can be adjusted to fit the particular usage scenario.
- Faster rendering performance.
- Users can hold down the Command key to allow for more precise positioning of points, and display the current offset (in pixels) from the starting location.
- Users can hold down the Shift key to constrain movement along the vertical or horizontal axis.
More information on how to control these features can be found on the point controls page.
Special Case #2: Toggle Buttons
Toggle buttons are available as checkboxes in the parameter inspector, but they can also be elected to appear on-screen. Enable the property named Display on-screen to have a toggle parameter appear as a “push on/push off” style button in the canvas:
You might also designate a single toggle parameter for a special purpose. You can let the parameter control the visibility of all on-screen point controls by enabling the property “…and make it toggle point parameter visibility”. This particular behavior can help design attractive UI based on point parameters that control user interface drawn in the Quartz composition1).
Example
Here is an example of the Yanobox Moods plug-in, enhanced to use a horizontal divider and 5 different point controls whose coordinates have been restricted to the color-wheels area:
The screenshot also displays a row of buttons. The “Display Overlays” button toggles both the visibility of the on-screen point controls as well as the drawing of the color wheels in the composition, thus providing a single, easy way to enter and exit “setup mode” for this effect.