FxFactory Developer

The fundamental purpose of each parameter is to allow the user to configure your effect. Every time a frame is rendered, FxFactory takes the parameter configuration made by the user through the effect parameters and translates them to values that are fed to your composition.

When a plug-in is currently selected in the plug-in editing window, clicking the “Parameters” tab button displays the following UI:

Each section serves a different purpose:

1. Parameters List - a listing of all parameters in the plug-in
2. Parameter Properties and Mappings - a sub-section where general properties of the parameter are defined
3. Parameter Configuration - a section of the UI where the selected parameter is configured, with its own sub-sections:
   • General - all options that are specific to the selected parameter’s type (see sections below for more info)
   • Dynamic UI - a sub-section that lets you create dependencies between parameters to provide a context-sensitive UI to the user.

The options under the General section vary according to the type of parameter that is currently selected in the parameters list. Parameters come in two kinds: standard and unique.

Standard parameters can appear multiple times within the same plug-in. For instance, a glow effect may require two separate sliders: one to define the radius of the glow, and the other to control its intensity. Below is a complete list of all standard parameters supported by FxFactory:

• Slider – maps to one number input port
• Angle Dial – maps to one number input port
• Color Picker – maps to one color input port
• Point Control – maps to two number input ports
• Popup Menu – maps to one named or unnamed index input port
• Image Well – maps to one Image input port, and an optional structure input port
• Toggle Button – maps to one boolean input port
• Text Field – maps to one string input port
• Font Popup Menu – maps to one string input port
• Path Chooser – maps to one string input port
• Banner Image – does not require any mappings
• Parameter Group – does not require any mappings
• Multi-line Text – maps to one string input port
• Table – maps to one structure input port
• Random Seed – maps to one named or unnamed index input port
• Styled Text - maps to one structure input port
• Push Button – mapped to a boolean input port
• Asset Chooser – maps to a string and optional index input ports.
• Feedback – maps to an image or string output port.
• File List – maps to a structure input port, and feeds an indexed structure whose members are named structures.

Below is a list of unique parameters, which can appear at most once in each plug-in:

• Licensing Status – does not require any mappings
• 3D Camera – maps to a structure input port and/or applies the current camera matrix.
• Transition Layer – maps to the input port currently assigned as the transition’s destination clip. This parameter can only be created for transition effects, and it provides an image well (or layer selection menu) that allows users to specify a destination clip when transitions are being emulated as filters inside Motion and After Effects
• Transition Progress – maps to the input port currently assigned as the transition’s progress. This parameter can only be created for transition effects, and it provides a slider parameter that allows users to control the transition’s progress when the effect is being emulated as a filter inside Motion and After Effects.
• Motion Blur Samples – displays a popup menu or slider which controls the number of samples used to render each frame, allowing the user to benefit from motion blurring.
• Motion Blur Shutter – displays two sliders that control the shutter angle and offset.