Sapphire Plug-Ins V10.0 for Autodesk Systems I Table of Contents Effects Brushchalkmaskcomp

Table of Contents Preface...... 1 Contact Information...... 1 License Agreement...... 1 Copyrights...... 1

Introduction...... 2 What's New In This Version...... 5 Loading a Spark...... 5 Browsing and Selecting Presets...... 6 Editing and Designing Lens Flares and other elements...... 6 Resolution options...... 8 On Fields options...... 8 Redraw modes...... 8 Undo & Load Defaults...... 9 Cropping...... 9 Adding Noise...... 10 Colorspace Controls...... 10 GPU Acceleration...... 10 Online documentation...... 11 Aborting a Spark process...... 11 Pixel aspect ratios...... 11 Customizing Sparks...... 11 Updating v9 Setups to v10...... 12 Known problems...... 13 Acknowledgements...... 13

Effects...... 14 Aurora...... 15 AuroraComp...... 18 AutoPaint: HairyPaint...... 21 AutoPaint: Pointalize...... 23 AutoPaint: Sketch...... 24 AutoPaint: SketchBumpy...... 26 AutoPaint: VanGogh...... 28 BandPass...... 30 Beauty...... 31 BeautyMask...... 35 BleachBypass...... 39 Blur...... 41 BlurMask...... 43 BlurChannels...... 45 BlurChannelsMask...... 47 BlurChroma...... 49 BlurChromaMask...... 51 BlurDirectional...... 53 BlurDirectionalMask...... 55 BlurMonochrome...... 57 BlurMonochromeMask...... 59 BlurMotion...... 61 BlurMotionMask...... 63 BlurMotionCurves...... 65 Blurs: EdgeAwareBlur...... 67 Blurs: EdgeAwareBlurMask...... 69 BokehLights...... 71 BokehLightsMask...... 74 BrushChalk...... 78

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems i Table of Contents Effects BrushChalkMaskComp...... 81 BrushChalkMask...... 84 BrushOil...... 87 BrushOilMaskComp...... 90 BrushOilMask...... 93 Cartoon...... 96 CartoonPaint...... 98 CausticMap...... 100 CausticMapComp...... 101 Clouds...... 103 CloudsComp...... 105 CloudsColorSmooth...... 107 CloudsColorSmoothComp...... 109 CloudsMultColor...... 111 CloudsMultColorComp...... 113 CloudsPerspective...... 115 CloudsPerspectiveComp...... 117 CloudsPsyko...... 119 CloudsPsykoComp...... 121 CloudsVortex...... 123 CloudsVortexComp...... 125 ColorOps: ChannelSwitcher...... 127 ColorOps: ClampChroma...... 129 ColorOps: DuoTone...... 130 ColorOps: Gamma...... 132 ColorOps: Hotspots...... 134 ColorOps: HueSatBright...... 136 ColorOps: Invert...... 138 ColorOps: Monochrome...... 140 ColorOps: PseudoColor...... 142 ColorOps: QuadTone...... 144 ColorOps: ShowBadColors...... 146 ColorOps: Solarize...... 148 ColorOps: Threshold...... 150 ColorOps: Tint...... 152 ColorOps: TriTone...... 153 Convolve...... 155 ConvolveComp...... 158 Crosshatch...... 162 CutToDissolve...... 165 Deband...... 167 DeinterlaceAuto...... 169 Diffuse...... 171 DiffuseMask...... 172 DigitalDamage...... 174 Dissolve...... 178 DissolveAutoPaint...... 179 DissolveBlur...... 181 DissolveBubble...... 183 DissolveClouds...... 185 DissolveDarkRays...... 187 DissolveDefocus...... 190 DissolveDiffuse...... 193 DissolveDistort...... 195 DissolveEdgeRays...... 197

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems ii Table of Contents Effects DissolveFilm...... 201 DissolveFlashbulbs...... 203 DissolveGlare...... 205 DissolveGlint...... 208 DissolveGlintRainbow...... 211 DissolveGlow...... 214 DissolveLensFlare...... 217 DissolveLightRays...... 221 DissolveLuma...... 224 DissolvePixelate...... 226 DissolvePuddle...... 228 DissolveShake...... 231 DissolveSpeckle...... 234 DissolveStatic...... 236 DissolveTiles...... 237 DissolveVortex...... 240 DissolveWaves...... 242 DissolveZap...... 244 Dissolves: FlutterCut...... 247 Distort...... 249 DistortMask...... 251 DistortBlur...... 253 DistortBlurMask...... 255 DistortChroma...... 257 DistortChromaMask...... 259 DistortFine...... 261 DistortFineMask...... 262 DistortRGB...... 264 DistortRGBMask...... 266 DogVision...... 268 DropShadow...... 270 EdgeBlur...... 271 EdgeDetect...... 272 EdgeDetect: Blips...... 273 EdgeDetect: Colorize...... 275 EdgeDetect: InDirection...... 277 EdgeDetectChroma...... 278 EdgeDetectDouble...... 279 EdgeDetectMono...... 281 EdgeFlash...... 282 EdgeRays...... 285 EdgeRaysCmp...... 288 EdgeRaysMskCmp...... 291 EdgeRaysMsk...... 294 Emboss...... 297 EmbossMask...... 298 EmbossDistort...... 300 EmbossDistortMask...... 302 EmbossGlass...... 304 EmbossGlassMask...... 306 EmbossShiny...... 308 EmbossShinyMask...... 310 Feedback...... 312 FeedbackMatte...... 314 Feedback: NearestColor...... 316

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems iii Table of Contents Effects Feedback: TimeAverage...... 317 Feedback: Trails...... 318 Feedback: TrailsMatte...... 320 Feedback: TrailsDiffuse...... 322 Feedback: TrailsDiffuseMatte...... 324 FeedbackBubble...... 326 FeedbackBubbleMatte...... 329 FeedbackDistort...... 332 FeedbackDistortMatte...... 335 FieldRemove...... 337 FieldRemove: Deinterlace...... 339 FieldRemove: NTSCtoFilm...... 341 FieldTool...... 342 FilmDamage...... 345 FilmEffect...... 350 FilmRoll...... 355 Flashbulbs...... 360 FlashbulbsMask...... 362 Flicker...... 364 FlickerMatch...... 366 FlickerMatchMatte...... 368 FlickerMatchColor...... 370 FlickerMchMatteColor...... 372 FlickerRemove...... 374 FlickerRemoveMatte...... 376 FlickerRemoveColor...... 378 FlickerRmMatteColor...... 380 FlysEyeCircles...... 382 FlysEyeHex...... 384 FlysEyeRect...... 386 Glare...... 388 GlareComp...... 390 GlareMaskCmp...... 393 GlareMask...... 396 Glint...... 398 GlintComp...... 400 GlintMaskComp...... 403 GlintMask...... 406 GlintRainbow...... 408 GlintRainbowComp...... 410 GlintRainbowMaskComp...... 413 GlintRainbowMask...... 416 Glow...... 418 GlowComp...... 421 GlowMaskComp...... 424 GlowMask...... 427 GlowAura...... 430 GlowAuraComp...... 432 GlowAuraMaskComp...... 435 GlowAuraMask...... 438 GlowDarks...... 441 GlowDarksComp...... 443 GlowDarksMaskComp...... 446 GlowDarksMask...... 449 GlowDist...... 451

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems iv Table of Contents Effects GlowDistComp...... 453 GlowDistMaskComp...... 455 GlowDistMask...... 458 GlowEdges...... 460 GlowEdgesComp...... 462 GlowEdgesMaskComp...... 465 GlowEdgesMask...... 468 GlowNoise...... 470 GlowNoiseComp...... 473 GlowNoiseMaskComp...... 476 GlowNoiseMask...... 479 GlowOrthicon...... 482 GlowOrthiconComp...... 484 GlowOrthiconMaskComp...... 486 GlowOrthiconMask...... 488 GlowRainbow...... 490 GlowRainbowComp...... 492 GlowRainbowMaskComp...... 495 GlowRainbowMask...... 498 GlowRings...... 501 GlowRingsComp...... 503 GlowRingsMaskComp...... 506 GlowRingsMask...... 509 Gradient...... 512 GradientMulti...... 514 GradientRadial...... 517 Grain: StaticColor...... 519 Grain: StaticColorComp...... 520 Grain: StaticColorMask...... 521 Grain: StaticMono...... 522 Grain: StaticMonoComp...... 523 Grain: StaticMonoMask...... 524 GrainColor...... 525 GrainColorComp...... 527 GrainColorMask...... 529 GrainMono...... 531 GrainMonoComp...... 532 GrainMonoMask...... 533 GrainRemove...... 534 GrainRemoveComp...... 536 GrainRemoveMask...... 538 Grid...... 540 Grunge...... 542 GrungeComp...... 548 GrungeMaskComp...... 554 GrungeMask...... 560 HalfTone...... 566 HalfTone: Etching...... 568 HalfToneColor...... 570 HalfToneRings...... 572 InfiniteZoomMask...... 574 JpegDamage...... 576 KaleidoDiamonds...... 578 KaleidoOct...... 580 KaleidoPolar...... 582

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems v Table of Contents Effects KaleidoRadial...... 584 KaleidoSquares...... 586 KaleidoTriangles...... 588 LaserBeam...... 590 Layer...... 593 LayerComp...... 596 LensFlare...... 599 LensFlareMask...... 603 LensFlareAutoTrack...... 608 LensFlareAutoTrackMask...... 612 LensFlareTrack...... 617 LensFlareTrackMask...... 621 Light3D...... 626 Light3DMask...... 629 LightLeak...... 633 Luna...... 638 LunaComp...... 641 MathOps...... 644 MatteOps...... 646 MatteOpsComp...... 648 MatteOpsMask...... 650 Median...... 652 MedianChannels...... 653 Mosaic...... 655 MosaicMask...... 656 MuzzleFlash...... 658 NightSky...... 661 NightSkyComp...... 665 NightSkyMskComp...... 670 NightSkyMask...... 675 Posterize...... 680 Psyko: Zebrafy...... 682 Psyko: ZebrafyColor...... 684 PsykoBlobs...... 686 PsykoStripes...... 688 RackDefocus...... 690 RackDefocus: Prism...... 693 RackDefocusMono...... 696 RackDfComp...... 699 RackDfComp3...... 701 Rays...... 704 RaysComp...... 707 RaysMaskComp...... 711 RaysMask...... 715 RepairFrames...... 719 Retime...... 720 RomanTile...... 722 RomanTileMask...... 724 ScanLines...... 726 ScanLinesMono...... 728 Shake...... 730 Shape...... 734 ShapeComp...... 736 Sharpen...... 738 SharpenMask...... 740

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems vi Table of Contents Effects SoftFocus...... 742 Sparkles...... 743 SparklesComp...... 745 SparklesMaskComp...... 747 SparklesMask...... 749 SparklesColor...... 751 SparklesColorComp...... 753 SparklesColorMaskComp...... 755 SparklesColorMask...... 758 SpotLight...... 760 Streaks...... 762 StreaksComp...... 764 StreaksMaskCmp...... 766 StreaksMask...... 769 StretchFrameEdges...... 772 StripSlide...... 774 TVChannelChange...... 776 TVDamage...... 779 Temporal: FreezeFrame...... 784 Temporal: GetFrame...... 785 Temporal: JitterFrames...... 786 Temporal: MotionDetect...... 787 Temporal: RandomEdits...... 789 Temporal: ReverseClip...... 790 Temporal: ReverseEdits...... 791 Temporal: TimeSlice...... 792 Temporal: TimeWarpRGB...... 794 TextureCaustics...... 795 TextureCausticsComp...... 797 TextureCells...... 799 TextureCellsComp...... 801 TextureChromaSpiral...... 803 TextureChromaSpiralCmp...... 805 TextureFlux...... 807 TextureFluxComp...... 809 TextureFolded...... 811 TextureFoldedComp...... 813 TextureLoops...... 815 TextureLoopsComp...... 818 TextureMicro...... 821 TextureMicroComp...... 823 TextureMoire...... 825 TextureMoireComp...... 828 TextureNeurons...... 831 TextureNeuronsComp...... 834 TextureNoiseEmboss...... 837 TextureNoiseEmbossCmp...... 839 TextureNoisePaint...... 841 TextureNoisePaintComp...... 843 TexturePlasma...... 845 TexturePlasmaComp...... 847 TextureSpots...... 849 TextureSpotsComp...... 851 TextureTiles...... 853 TextureTilesComp...... 856

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems vii Table of Contents Effects TextureWeave...... 859 TextureWeaveComp...... 861 TileScramble...... 863 TileScrambleMask...... 865 TimeDisplace...... 867 TimeDisplaceMask...... 869 Vignette...... 871 VintageColor2Strip...... 873 VintageColor3Strip...... 875 WarpBubble...... 877 WarpBubbleComp...... 879 WarpBubbleMask...... 881 WarpBubble2...... 883 WarpBubble2Comp...... 885 WarpBubble2Mask...... 887 WarpChroma...... 889 WarpChromaComp...... 891 WarpChromaMask...... 894 WarpCornerPin...... 897 WarpCornerPinComp...... 899 WarpCornerPinMask...... 901 WarpDrops...... 903 WarpDropsComp...... 905 WarpDropsMask...... 907 WarpFishEye...... 910 WarpFishEyeComp...... 912 WarpFishEyeMask...... 914 WarpMagnify...... 916 WarpMagnifyComp...... 918 WarpMagnifyMask...... 920 WarpPerspective...... 922 WarpPerspectiveComp...... 924 WarpPolar...... 926 WarpPolarComp...... 928 WarpPuddle...... 930 WarpPuddleComp...... 932 WarpPuddleMask...... 934 WarpPuff...... 936 WarpPuffComp...... 938 WarpPuffMask...... 940 WarpRepeat...... 942 WarpRepeatComp...... 944 WarpRepeatMask...... 946 WarpShrivel...... 948 WarpShrivelComp...... 950 WarpShrivelMask...... 952 WarpTransform...... 954 WarpTransformComp...... 956 WarpTransformMask...... 958 WarpVortex...... 960 WarpVortexComp...... 962 WarpVortexMask...... 964 WarpWaves...... 966 WarpWavesComp...... 968 WarpWavesMask...... 970

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems viii Table of Contents Effects WarpWaves2...... 972 WarpWaves2Comp...... 974 WarpWaves2Mask...... 976 WipeBlobs...... 978 WipeBubble...... 981 WipeCells...... 983 WipeChecker...... 986 WipeCircle...... 989 WipeClock...... 992 WipeClouds...... 995 WipeDiffuse...... 997 WipeDots...... 999 WipeDoubleWedge...... 1002 WipeFlux...... 1005 WipeFourWedges...... 1008 WipeLine...... 1011 WipeMoire...... 1014 WipePixelate...... 1017 WipePlasma...... 1019 WipePointalize...... 1022 WipeRectangle...... 1024 WipeRings...... 1027 WipeStar...... 1030 WipeStripes...... 1033 WipeTiles...... 1036 WipeWeave...... 1039 WipeWedge...... 1042 Wipes: CardFlip...... 1045 Wipes: StripSlideTransition...... 1047 Wipes: Swish3D...... 1049 Wipes: SwishChromaWarp...... 1052 Wipes: SwishPan...... 1056 ZComp...... 1057 ZBlur...... 1058 ZConvolve...... 1060 ZDefocus...... 1064 ZFogExponential...... 1067 ZFogLinear...... 1068 ZGlow...... 1069 Zap...... 1072 ZapFrom...... 1076 ZapFromMask...... 1080 ZapTo...... 1084

List of Effects With Pictures...... 1088

List of Effects With Summaries...... 1108 Aurora...... 1108 AuroraComp...... 1108 HairyPaint...... 1108 Pointalize...... 1108 Sketch...... 1108 SketchBumpy...... 1108 VanGogh...... 1108 BandPass...... 1109

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems ix Table of Contents List of Effects With Summaries Beauty...... 1109 BeautyMask...... 1109 BleachBypass...... 1109 BlurMotion...... 1109 BlurMotionCurves...... 1109 Blur...... 1109 BlurChannels...... 1109 BlurChroma...... 1110 BlurDirectional...... 1110 BlurMonochrome...... 1110 EdgeAwareBlur...... 1110 EdgeAwareBlurMask...... 1110 BokehLights...... 1110 BokehLightsMask...... 1110 BrushChalk...... 1111 BrushOil...... 1111 BrushChalkMask...... 1111 BrushOilMask...... 1111 BrushChalkMaskComp...... 1111 BrushOilMaskComp...... 1111 Cartoon...... 1111 CartoonPaint...... 1111 CausticMap...... 1112 CausticMapComp...... 1112 Clouds...... 1112 CloudsColorSmooth...... 1112 CloudsMultColor...... 1112 CloudsPerspective...... 1112 CloudsPsyko...... 1112 CloudsVortex...... 1112 ChannelSwitcher...... 1113 ClampChroma...... 1113 DuoTone...... 1113 Gamma...... 1113 Hotspots...... 1113 HueSatBright...... 1113 Invert...... 1113 Monochrome...... 1114 PseudoColor...... 1114 QuadTone...... 1114 ShowBadColors...... 1114 Solarize...... 1114 Threshold...... 1114 Tint...... 1114 TriTone...... 1114 Convolve...... 1115 ConvolveComp...... 1115 Crosshatch...... 1115 CutToDissolve...... 1115 Deband...... 1115 DeinterlaceAuto...... 1115 Diffuse...... 1116 DigitalDamage...... 1116 Dissolve...... 1116 DissolveAutoPaint...... 1116

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems x Table of Contents List of Effects With Summaries DissolveBlur...... 1116 DissolveBubble...... 1116 DissolveClouds...... 1116 DissolveDarkRays...... 1116 DissolveDefocus...... 1117 DissolveDiffuse...... 1117 DissolveDistort...... 1117 DissolveEdgeRays...... 1117 DissolveFilm...... 1117 DissolveFlashbulbs...... 1117 DissolveGlare...... 1117 DissolveGlint...... 1117 DissolveGlintRainbow...... 1118 DissolveGlow...... 1118 DissolveLensFlare...... 1118 DissolveLightRays...... 1118 DissolveLuma...... 1118 DissolvePixelate...... 1118 DissolvePuddle...... 1118 DissolveShake...... 1119 DissolveSpeckle...... 1119 DissolveStatic...... 1119 DissolveTiles...... 1119 DissolveVortex...... 1119 DissolveWaves...... 1119 DissolveZap...... 1119 FlutterCut...... 1120 Distort...... 1120 DistortBlur...... 1120 DistortChroma...... 1120 DistortFine...... 1120 DistortRGB...... 1120 DogVision...... 1120 DropShadow...... 1120 EdgeBlur...... 1121 EdgeDetect...... 1121 EdgeBlips...... 1121 EdgeDetectChroma...... 1121 EdgeColorize...... 1121 EdgeDetectDouble...... 1121 EdgesInDirection...... 1121 EdgeFlash...... 1121 EdgeRays...... 1122 Emboss...... 1122 EmbossDistort...... 1122 EmbossGlass...... 1122 EmbossShiny...... 1122 Feedback...... 1122 FeedbackBubble...... 1122 NearestColor...... 1123 TimeAverage...... 1123 Trails...... 1123 TrailsDiffuse...... 1123 FeedbackDistort...... 1123 FieldRemove...... 1123

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems xi Table of Contents List of Effects With Summaries FieldTool...... 1123 FilmDamage...... 1124 FilmEffect...... 1124 FilmRoll...... 1124 Flashbulbs...... 1124 FlashbulbsMask...... 1124 Flicker...... 1124 FlickerMatch...... 1124 FlickerMatchColor...... 1125 FlickerRemove...... 1125 FlickerRemoveColor...... 1125 FlysEyeCircles...... 1125 FlysEyeHex...... 1125 FlysEyeRect...... 1125 Glare...... 1125 Glint...... 1126 GlintRainbow...... 1126 Glow...... 1126 GlowAura...... 1126 GlowDarks...... 1126 GlowDist...... 1126 GlowEdges...... 1126 GlowNoise...... 1126 GlowOrthicon...... 1127 GlowRainbow...... 1127 GlowRings...... 1127 Gradient...... 1127 GradientRadial...... 1127 GradientMulti...... 1127 GrainColor...... 1127 GrainMono...... 1127 GrainRemove...... 1128 StaticColor...... 1128 StaticMono...... 1128 Grid...... 1128 Grunge...... 1128 GrungeComp...... 1128 GrungeMask...... 1128 GrungeMaskComp...... 1129 HalfTone...... 1129 HalfToneColor...... 1129 Etching...... 1129 HalfToneRings...... 1129 InfiniteZoomMask...... 1129 JpegDamage...... 1129 KaleidoDiamonds...... 1129 KaleidoOct...... 1130 KaleidoPolar...... 1130 KaleidoRadial...... 1130 KaleidoSquares...... 1130 KaleidoTriangles...... 1130 LaserBeam...... 1130 Layer...... 1130 LensFlare...... 1130 LensFlareTrack...... 1131

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems xii Table of Contents List of Effects With Summaries Light3D...... 1131 LightLeak...... 1131 Luna...... 1131 LunaComp...... 1131 MathOps...... 1131 MatteOps...... 1131 Median...... 1132 MedianChannels...... 1132 Mosaic...... 1132 MuzzleFlash...... 1132 NightSky...... 1132 NightSkyComp...... 1132 NightSkyMask...... 1132 NightSkyMskComp...... 1133 Posterize...... 1133 PsykoBlobs...... 1133 PsykoStripes...... 1133 Zebrafy...... 1133 ZebrafyColor...... 1133 RackDefocus...... 1133 DefocusPrism...... 1134 RackDfComp...... 1134 RackDfComp3...... 1134 Rays...... 1134 RepairFrames...... 1134 Retime...... 1134 RomanTile...... 1134 RomanTileMask...... 1134 ScanLines...... 1135 Shake...... 1135 Shape...... 1135 Sharpen...... 1135 SoftFocus...... 1135 Sparkles...... 1135 SparklesColor...... 1135 SpotLight...... 1136 Streaks...... 1136 StretchFrameEdges...... 1136 StripSlide...... 1136 TVChannelChange...... 1136 TVDamage...... 1136 FreezeFrame...... 1136 GetFrame...... 1136 JitterFrames...... 1137 MotionDetect...... 1137 RandomEdits...... 1137 ReverseClip...... 1137 ReverseEdits...... 1137 TimeSlice...... 1137 TimeWarpRGB...... 1137 TextureCaustics...... 1137 TextureCells...... 1137 TextureChromaSpiral...... 1138 TextureFlux...... 1138 TextureFolded...... 1138

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems xiii Table of Contents List of Effects With Summaries TextureLoops...... 1138 TextureMicro...... 1138 TextureMoire...... 1138 TextureNeurons...... 1138 TextureNoiseEmboss...... 1138 TextureNoisePaint...... 1139 TexturePlasma...... 1139 TextureSpots...... 1139 TextureTiles...... 1139 TextureWeave...... 1139 TileScramble...... 1139 TimeDisplace...... 1139 Vignette...... 1139 VintageColor2Strip...... 1140 VintageColor3Strip...... 1140 WarpDrops...... 1140 WarpBubble...... 1140 WarpBubble2...... 1140 WarpChroma...... 1140 WarpCornerPin...... 1141 WarpFishEye...... 1141 WarpMagnify...... 1141 WarpPerspective...... 1141 WarpPolar...... 1141 WarpPuddle...... 1141 WarpPuff...... 1141 WarpRepeat...... 1141 WarpShrivel...... 1142 WarpTransform...... 1142 WarpVortex...... 1142 WarpWaves...... 1142 WarpWaves2...... 1142 WipeBlobs...... 1142 WipeBubble...... 1142 WipeCells...... 1142 WipeChecker...... 1143 WipeCircle...... 1143 WipeClock...... 1143 WipeClouds...... 1143 WipeDiffuse...... 1143 WipeDots...... 1143 WipeDoubleWedge...... 1143 WipeFlux...... 1144 WipeFourWedges...... 1144 WipeLine...... 1144 WipeMoire...... 1144 WipePixelate...... 1144 WipePlasma...... 1144 WipePointalize...... 1144 WipeRectangle...... 1144 WipeRings...... 1145 WipeStar...... 1145 WipeStripes...... 1145 WipeTiles...... 1145 WipeWeave...... 1145

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems xiv Table of Contents List of Effects With Summaries WipeWedge...... 1145 CardFlip...... 1145 StripSlideTransition...... 1145 Swish3D...... 1146 SwishChromaWarp...... 1146 SwishPan...... 1146 ZBlur...... 1146 ZDefocus...... 1146 ZComp...... 1146 ZConvolve...... 1146 ZFogExponential...... 1147 ZFogLinear...... 1147 ZGlow...... 1147 Zap...... 1147 ZapFrom...... 1147 ZapTo...... 1147

Appendix A: 3rd Party Licenses...... 1148 Half-float conversion...... 1148 OFX Plug-in API...... 1148 Thrust CUDA GPU library...... 1148 Qt UI Framework...... 1148 SIP...... 1149 cJSON...... 1149 Python...... 1149 Lua...... 1152 fastapprox: Fast Approximate Functions...... 1153 OpenImageIO...... 1153 OpenJPEG...... 1154 OpenEXR...... 1154 TIFF...... 1155 FFTW...... 1155

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems xv Preface

Contact Information

GenArts, Inc. 955 Mass. Ave Cambridge, MA 02139 USA

Tel: 1-617-492-2888 Fax: 1-617-492-2852 Email: [email protected] www.genarts.com

License Agreement

If you install and/or use this software, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this agreement.

You are hereby granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use this software on a temporary trial basis. If purchased, you may continue using it on specific computers under these same conditions.

This software is owned by GenArts, Inc., and is protected under copyright law. However, you may copy it onto and amongst Autodesk systems at your facility.

You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble this software.

You should test this software thoroughly before depending on it, since like any software it may contain bugs. Although efforts will be made to document and/or repair problems as they are found, this software and documentation are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the results and performance of the software is with you. In the event of trouble, your exclusive remedy shall be repair or replacement of this software. GenArts, Inc. will not be liable for any consequential, incidental, indirect or special damages arising from the use of this software under any theory of liability, whether contract, strict liability or tort including negligence or otherwise. In any event, GenArts' total liability shall not exceed the amount paid by you for this software.

Copyrights

Sapphire Plug-ins and GenArts are registered trademarks of GenArts, Inc., Flint, Flame, Inferno, Smoke, Flare and Fire are registered trademarks of Autodesk. All other copyright and trademark names are the property of their respective owners.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 1 Introduction

Sapphire Plug-ins is a package of image processing and synthesis effects for use with Autodesk's Flint, Flame, Inferno, Smoke, Fire, Flare and Burn systems.

It includes 171 "Spark" plug-ins with over 550 total effects. Each effect has many parameters which can be adjusted and animated for an unlimited range of results.

This document corresponds to version 10.0 of 2-sep-2016. For updated information please check www.genarts.com. Also see our Sparks support page for help with technical issues.

List all effects with pictures General User Info What's New In This Version List all effects by name Loading a Spark Loading and Saving Presets List all effects with a brief summary Designing Lens Flares and Glares Resolution options On Fields options Redraw modes Undo & Load Defaults Cropping Adding Noise Colorspace Controls GPU Acceleration Online documentation Aborting a Spark process Pixel aspect ratios Customizing Sparks Updating Old Setups Known problems 3rd Party Licenses

Light Effects Glow Effects Glints & Glares LensFlare, Track, Mask, Glow, Mask, Comp, MC Glint, Mask, Comp, MC TrackMask GlowDist, Mask, Comp, GlintRainbow, Mask, Comp, MC LensFlareAutoTrack, Mask MC Glare, Mask, Comp, MC LightLeak GlowRings, Mask, Comp, EdgeRays, Mask, Comp, MC MC Rays, Mask, Comp, MC GlowRainbow, Mask, SpotLight Comp, MC Light3D, Mask GlowAura, Mask, Comp, Flashbulbs, Mask MC BokehLights, Mask GlowDarks, Mask, Comp, MC GlowOrthicon, Mask, Comp, MC GlowEdges, Mask, Comp, MC

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 2 GlowNoise, Mask, Comp, MC

FilmEffects & Grain Blurs Auto-Paint & Stylize FilmEffect Beauty, Mask AutoPaint:VanGogh FilmDamage Blur, Mask AutoPaint:HairyPaint Vignette BlurMonochrome, Mask AutoPaint:Pointalize BleachBypass BlurChannels, Mask AutoPaint:Sketch GrainColor, Mask, Comp BlurChroma, Mask AutoPaint:SketchBumpy GrainMono, Mask, Comp BlurDirectional, Mask Brush:Oil, Mask, MaskComp Grain:StaticColor, Mask, CompEdgeAwareBlur, Mask Brush:Chalk, Mask, MaskComp Grain:StaticMono, Mask, BandPass Crosshatch Comp RackDefocus, Mono Mosaic, Mask GrainRemove, Mask, Comp RackDefocus:Prism HalfTone Diffuse, Mask RackDfComp, 3 HalfToneColor VintageColor2Strip, Mask Convolve, Comp HalfToneRings VintageColor3Strip, Mask SoftFocus HalfTone:Etching DropShadow ScanLines, Mono BlurMotion, Mask JpegDamage BlurMotionCurves Cartoon Streaks, Mask, Comp, MC CartoonPaint Median Posterize MedianChannels DogVision DigitalDamage TVDamage Grunge, Mask, Comp, MC StripSlide RomanTile, RomanTileMask

Edge Effects Kaleidoscopes Embossing EdgeBlur KaleidoTriangles Emboss, Mask EdgeFlash KaleidoSquares EmbossShiny, Mask EdgeDetect, Mono KaleidoDiamonds EmbossDistort, Mask EdgeDetectChroma KaleidoOct EmbossGlass, Mask EdgeDetect:InDirection KaleidoPolar EdgeDetect:Colorize KaleidoRadial EdgeDetectDouble FlysEyeHex EdgeDetect:Blips FlysEyeRect Sharpen, Mask FlysEyeCircles Deband TileScramble, Mask

Warps & Shake Wipe Transitions Dissolve Transitions InfiniteZoomMask WipeLine Dissolve WarpTransform, Mask, Comp WipeCircle DissolveStatic WarpVortex, Mask, Comp WipeRectangle DissolveSpeckle WarpPerspective, Comp WipeStar DissolvePixelate WarpWaves, Mask, Comp WipeClock DissolveDiffuse WarpWaves2, Mask, Comp WipeWedge DissolveClouds WarpPuddle, Mask, Comp WipeDoubleWedge DissolveBubble WarpBubble, Mask, Comp WipeFourWedges DissolveWaves WarpBubble2, Mask, Comp WipeDots DissolvePuddle WarpFishEye, Mask, Comp WipeChecker DissolveVortex WarpPuff, Mask, Comp WipeStripes DissolveBlur WarpShrivel, Mask, Comp WipeBlobs DissolveFilm WarpPolar, Comp WipeCells DissolveGlow WarpRepeat, Mask, Comp WipePixelate DissolveLuma WarpChroma, Mask, Comp WipeDiffuse DissolveLensFlare DissolveEdgeRays DissolveGlint WarpMagnify, Mask, Comp WipeBubble DissolveGlintRainbow DissolveDefocus DissolveTiles WarpCornerPin, Mask, Comp WipeClouds DissolveDistort DissolveAutoPaint

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 3 WarpDrops, Mask, Comp WipeRings DissolveDarkRays Shake WipeTiles DissolveFlashbulbs StretchFrameEdges StripSlide DissolveGlare SwishPan DissolveLightRays WipePlasma DissolveShake WipePointalize DissolveZap WipeWeave TVChannelChange FlutterCut WipeMoire WipeFlux Swish3D SwishChromaWarp CardFlip FilmRoll

Distort Effects Lightning Matte Operations Distort, Mask Zap MatteOps, Mask, Comp DistortBlur, Mask ZapTo DistortChroma, Mask ZapFrom, Mask DistortRGB, Mask DistortFine, Mask

Fractal Clouds Fog & Depth Effects Flicker Tools Clouds, Comp ZBlur Flicker CloudsMultColor, Comp ZBlurs:ZDefocus FlickerRemove, Matte CloudsColorSmooth, Comp ZGlow FlickerRemoveColor, Matte CloudsPerspective, Comp ZConvolve FlickerMatch, Matte CloudsVortex, Comp ZComp FlickerMatchColor, Matte CloudsPsyko, Comp ZFogLinear ZFogExponential

Temporal Effects Procedural Textures Color & Math Ops Temporal:GetFrame TextureCaustics, Comp ColorOps:HueSatBright Temporal:TimeWarpRGB TextureFolded, Comp ColorOps:Monochrome Temporal:MotionDetect TextureWeave, Comp ColorOps:ClampChroma Temporal:TimeSlice TexturePlasma, Comp ColorOps:PseudoColor Temporal:TimeDisplace, Mask TextureNoiseEmboss, ColorOps:DuoTone Temporal:FreezeFrame Comp ColorOps:TriTone Temporal:JitterFrames TextureNoisePaint, Comp ColorOps:QuadTone Temporal:RandomEdits TextureSpots, Comp ColorOps:Tint Temporal:ReverseEdits TextureCells, Comp ColorOps:Threshold Temporal:ReverseClip TextureChromaSpiral, ColorOps:Hotspots Feedback, Matte Comp ColorOps:Gamma Feedback:Trails, Matte TextureMicro, Comp ColorOps:Solarize Feedback:TrailsDiffuse, Matte TextureMoire, Comp ColorOps:ChannelSwitcher Feedback:TimeAverage TextureTiles, Comp ColorOps:Invert Feedback:NearestColor TextureNeurons, Comp ColorOps:ShowBadColors FeedbackBubble, Matte TextureLoops, Comp MathOps FeedbackDistort, Matte TextureFlux, Comp Layer, Comp FieldTool CausticMap, MapComp FieldRemove PsykoBlobs FieldRemove:NTSCtoFilm PsykoStripes FieldRemove:Deinterlace Psyko:Zebrafy DeinterlaceAuto Psyko:ZebrafyColor Retime Sparkles, Mask, Comp, CutToDissolve MC RepairFrames SparklesColor, Mask, Comp, MC Gradient GradientRadial

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 4 GradientMulti Grid Shape, Comp MuzzleFlash LaserBeam Luna, LunaComp Aurora, Comp NightSky, Mask, Comp, MskComp

What's New In This Version

New Effects:

• Brush (Brush:Oil and Brush:Chalk) simulates the look of drawing and painting by layering brush strokes of different sizes and directions. • Luna renders the Earth's Moon; you can adjust phase and colors, and add atmospheric effects. • RomanTile generates a mosaic pattern based on the Source clip.

New Features and Parameters:

• Improvements to Preset Browser: ♦ "New" button shows all presets added in the current version of Sapphire ♦ Some older presets have been deprecated and hidden. Visit the Settings dialog in the Preset Browser to show deprecated presets. ♦ Previews no longer animate by default, press play to begin animation (animation will continue if another preset is selected) • InfiniteZoom now handles large values of Twist and Zoom better • The license-tool can now perform offline license activation on the command line

Loading a Spark

To load a Spark, select the "Effects" menu in your Autodesk systems product, hold down the 'Alt' key, and click on any Spark button. Select the "Titles" button and navigate to the sapphire_10 directory. Use the "Proxies" option to view the different Spark proxy images. Select a Spark and the name should now appear on the button. Click again on the button to initialize the Spark. Select the source and destination reels and the Spark interface window should be displayed.

To load a Spark in Batch, drag from the "Spark" button onto the batch tree instead. Navigate to the sapphire_10 directory and choose a Spark. Edit the Spark node to bring up the Spark interface window.

Most Sapphire Sparks include several different effect variations. For example the S_Wipes Spark contains 17 different kinds of Wipe transitions. For these Sparks there is always a popup menu in the upper left hand corner of the "Params" or "Ctrl1" page, which allows selecting between the different effect options.

Multiple versions of some Sparks are provided with different input combinations. For example, Glows takes just a Source input, GlowsMask takes Source and Mask inputs, GlowsComp takes Source, Back and Matte, and GlowsMaskCmp takes Source, Back, and Mask. Autodesk systems don't allow plug-ins with optional inputs, so this lets you to pick the appropriate version of the plug-in for the input clips you want to provide or not provide.

Some parameters are "shared" across the different effect options within a plug-in. If you modify the value of a shared parameter and then switch to a different effect, you will also see the new value there. Other parameters are not shared and can retain different values between the effect options, even though they may have the same name. The on-line documentation indicates which parameters are shared. The Wipe Amt parameter in S_Wipes is an example of a shared parameter. It is shared because you would probably want the same transition value regardless of the specific wipe pattern selected later.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 5 Browsing and Selecting Presets

You can load and save presets for effects using the Load Preset and Save Preset buttons in the Crop/Help Panel (page 4).

Loading:

In the preset browser you'll see all the presets available for the current plug-in, both GenArts-supplied presets and the ones you've created yourself. You can filter by tags on the left side to quickly find the look you're interested in.

The main top window shows the preset on your footage (unless the plug-in can't access the AE layer for some reason, in which case you'll see a poster frame) and various information about the preset.

At the bottom you see all the presets; you can enlarge or shrink them with the slider at the bottom. You can also switch to a table view there, as well as viewing the preset on your source, over black, or over the sample footage. You can also see the source all by itself for comparison.

Saving:

Clicking Save Preset brings up the Save Preset dialog. Here you can name the preset, and add various other information. Particularly important is the tagging system; you can apply as many tags as you want to your presets. You can even create new tags. Tags are grouped into categories, so all the color names appear under Colors, for instance.

You can create new categories as well, by typing into the Category drop-down menu after clicking Add New Tag.... GenArts recommends sticking to the shipped categories when possible, for compatibility. But adding your own tags within categories (new color names, for example) is encouraged.

More Info:

While the preset browser, save dialog, or flare designer are open, the main AE window will be unresponsive. This is normal. Close the preset browser or flare designer and AE will wake up again.

Certain parameters, like Lens Flare hotspot, are not saved in presets; we thought it would be less than useful for the flares to jump around as you load presets.

It may take a few seconds to load the preset browser if a plug-in has many presets. Be patient.

Editing and Designing Lens Flares and other elements

Clicking Edit Lens in LensFlare, or Edit Style in Glare or Flashbulbs, opens up the Lens Flare Designer.

The Flare Designer lets you completely customize a lens flare. You can add or remove elements, copy them, customize how each element looks, and even how it reacts to the center or edge of the image. You can also interactively move the flare around to see how it will look as it moves.

All the panels of the Flare Designer are movable, so you can adjust the user interface itself to suit your work flow. The main panels are the view window, where you see the flare you're working on, the Elements panel which lists all the elements of the flare, and the Properties panel, which lets you adjust the properties of the currently selected element (or elements). There's also a toolbar of element templates at the top.

View Panel

The main view window is where you see how your flare will look; you can click and drag to move the flare around. You can see it over the background or just over black, adjust the gamma, and Solo only the selected elements. Use Plug-in Settings

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 6 makes the flare designer import the plug-in settings currently active in the host app. If you have that selected, the flare will look the same back in the host app when you're done designing it. On the other hand, if you want to create a "reusable" flare preset, it's probably a good idea to un-check Use Plug-in Settings so the flare will look good with default settings in the plug-in.

Elements Panel

The Elements panel shows you all the elements, with thumbnails. If you mouse over them, an overlay shows where they are in the main view window. When you click on an element to select it, it also flashes brighter in the main window to help you find the element you're looking for. Clicking Identify in the Properties panel does the same flashing.

To add new elements, just click the element template picture in the top toolbar. You can then rename the element, move it in the list by dragging and dropping, or hide it by un-checking the checkbox.

To delete an elements, select it and click the trash can icon at the bottom of the Elements panel, or click Delete. There is full undo, so feel free to experiment!

You can also duplicate an element using standard copy/paste operations, or select it and click the two pages icon at the bottom of the Elements panel. You can then adjust the copy's parameters in the Parameters panel.

The gear-looking element is the "advanced element" type; it has lots of controls and is very customizable, but it's recommended for advanced users only. The other types get you most of the same looks with simpler parameters.

Along with all the standard element types, you can import your own images to use as elements. Click the picture frame to import an image file. The image data will become part of the flare, so it doesn't need to keep a reference to the original file.

To combine two flares into one, or add many elements at once, you can import another flare into your current flare; this will add all the other flare's elements to your current flare. You can also just open that flare, which replaces your current flare with that one. To import and add to your flare, use Insert Flare (down-right pointing arrow in the toolbar), or File... Insert Flare. To import and replace, use Open Flare (folder icon in the toolbar), or use File... Open Flare.

Parameters Panel

The Parameters panel is where you adjust all the details of a single element -- or multiple elements together, if you select multiple elements in the Elements panel. (Use Shift-click or Control-click to select multiple elements.)

There are a few common control types. Sliders with numbers to the left control numeric params; you can drag the slider thumb, but you can also drag in the number text field to increase or decrease the value. You can also click in the number field and type any value you want.

Color controls are just a swatch of color; click to bring up a standard color picker.

Some elements have a Gradient; there's a special gradient control to adjust those. The stops are below the color swatch; you can drag them left and right to move them. Drag down to delete. Click in the color gradient to add a stop there. Control-drag to "stretch" neighboring colors, and shift-drag to push neighboring colors. The triangles above the color gradient allow you to control the interpolation of the colors between stops. Ring Thickness lets you easily turn a spot or fan of rays into a ring; turning Ring Thickness down from 1 hollows out the center. This lets you still have fine control of the colors within the ring, even if it's very thin.

Different element types will have various parameters you can adjust, but here are some common ones:

Position Where the element occurs, along the line between the hotspot and pivot point. Position 1.0 is at the hotspot, 0.0 is at the pivot. Note that you don't have to stay in that range; you can use any value you like. Bigger than 1 will be past the hotspot, and less than zero will look like a reflection because it's on the other side of the pivot point. Size How big the image is. Rel Width, Rel Height

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 7 Use these to squash and stretch. Rotate Rotates the element around, in degrees.

There's a Reset button at the bottom of the Parameters panel to reset the current element(s) to all default settings. That's undoable too.

More Information

If you open the flare designer from the plug-in, you can just click OK to close the window when you're done; your current flare will be used in your project and saved with it. But you can do more than that; you can save the flare definition to disk separately, so you can recall it later, or use it in other flares. You can also open the flare designer directly from the Start menu or Applications folder to create flares independent of your host product. In this case, use File...Save Lens As... to save the flare definition. That dialog will allow you to name the lens and tag it so it's easy to find later.

Note that saving a lens this way does not save your plug-in settings; it only saves the lens flare definition itself (the things you can change in the flare designer). You can save a preset in the host application to save everything -- the flare and all the regular plug-in parameters.

While the preset browser, save dialog, or flare designer are open, the main AE window will be unresponsive. This is normal. Close the preset browser or flare designer and AE will wake up again.

Resolution options

Every Spark includes a "Res" factor popup menu in the far right just below the "Pan" button. The resolution options allow trading off between result quality and speed. Lower Res factors can be helpful for faster testing of parameter values. The Res factor defaults to FULL. Field processing options will not output useful fields at lower resolutions. If you modify the Res factor, make sure you remember to set it back to FULL for the best quality during final processing!

On Fields options

All Sparks include an On Fields popup button on the right hand edge of the first Control page (except Temporal and FieldTool which do special field processing). This can be useful for processing interlaced video frames. When enabled, the two fields, the odd and even lines of each frame, are assumed to represent different time samples, and are processed independently. When the second field is processed, the values of all animated parameters are found at the current frame + .5. The Res factor should be set to FULL for useful field outputs. Four options for field processing are available:

AUTO: the scan format is automatically detected, and field rendering is enabled or disabled as necessary. This is the default NO: field rendering is disabled. YES, 1DOM: field rendering is enabled with field 1 first in time. YES, 2DOM: field rendering is enabled with field 2 first in time.

Redraw modes

Each Spark includes a popup button in the right hand side of each Control page that allows selecting from the following Redraw modes. The default redraw mode is DRAG AUTO RES.

1. Redraw: DRAG AUTO RES. This output is relcaulated during the adjustment of any parameter or widget. The resolution is automatically reduced to preserve interactive performance. When the parameter is released, the output is rendered at the resolution given by the Res Factor parameter.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 8 2. Redraw: DRAG. This output is recalculated during the adjustment of any parameter or widget. 3. Redraw: PENUP. The output is recalculated after any parameter is adjusted or a widget is moved. 4. Redraw: PROCESS. Spark rendering is performed only when a Process is performed. Adjustments to the frame number or total frames will also perform a Process of the current frame (in the current Spark API). 5. Redraw: NEVER. Spark rendering is disabled, and black frames are shown instead. This can be used for quickly setting up parameter values and curves without ever taking the time to re-render any result. On-screen widgets can still be used in this mode.

Undo & Load Defaults

Each Spark also includes two buttons in the lower right hand corner of each Control page for undoing previous parameter changes and loading default values for all parameters.

Pushing the Undo button removes changes made to the parameters of the current effect. You can undo as many changes back in time as you want until it signals that there is nothing to undo. Undo can undo a Load Defaults, however it can not currently undo a loaded setup file. Undo records are not remembered when you switch to a different Spark.

Pushing the Load Defaults button returns each parameter value of the current effect to its default setting. If additional parameters exist on the "Params2" or "Ctrl2" page, it will also reset their values. Load Defaults does not change Widget Enables, Res Factors, or Redraw Modes, and it does not change parameter values of other effect options within the same Spark except for the parameters that are shared. It also will not reset the special "AutoTransition" parameters Wipe Amt or Dissolve Amt. The Crop/Help page has its own Load Page Defaults button which sets all the parameters on that page to their default values.

Cropping

Each Spark includes cropping parameters on the "Crop/Help" or "Ctrl3" page which allow selecting a crop rectangle for processing a subsection of the result. This can be used for faster testing or for comparison of the processed result with the original.

1. Enable Crop. Turns on or off cropping and the crop widget. 2. Crop Widget. Turns on or off the crop screen interface widget for adjusting the crop rectangle. This is normally set by Enable Crop to agree with its state, but it can also be adjusted independently. 3. Surround. Selects the method for filling the areas beyond the crop rectangle, either with a given color or with any of the unprocessed Source inputs. 4. Crop Top, Left, Right, Bottom. Specifies the values for the borders of the crop rectangle. These parameters are most easily adjusted using the Crop Widget. 5. Crop Input. When this option is turned on, the input is cropped before performing the effect. For effects such as Warps, this allows you to distort the shape of the cropped image, or remove unwanted black borders on the input that may otherwise become more visible after they are warped or wrapped. This parameter is not available for all effects. 6. Set Crop Defaults. When pushed, sets the crop rectangle to full frame.

Not all plug-ins render faster when the crop area is reduced. Effects that require processing beyond the crop area, such as the Blurs, Glows, Glints, and Glares, require nearly the same processing whether cropped or not. However, other effects such as RackDefocus, EdgeRays, BlurMotion, Streaks, MathOps and Color Operations, should render faster when the crop area is reduced.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 9 Adding Noise

Each spark has an Add Noise parameter on the Crop/Help parameter page. If this parameter is greater than zero, a corresponding amount of color noise is added to the result. This can be used to reduce banding due to quantization, or create a grainy effect. Set this to 1.0 or slightly higher to enable appropriate debanding for 8bit images.

Colorspace Controls

Each spark has two parameters that control the colorspace: Use Gamma and a LUT popup. The Use Gamma parameter applies a gamma correction before performing the effect, then reverses the gamma correction before displaying the processed frame. This allows linear processing of gamma-corrected images, can help preserve highlights when blurring, and sometimes gives more correct results when compositing.

The LUT popup allows you to select custom LUT files for working in log or other non-linear colorspaces. You can add your own options to the popup by installing LUT files in /usr/discreet/sparks/luts, with the names -in.lut for the input LUT and -out.lut for the corresponding output LUT.

Sparks that take a Mask, Matte or other input clip that is apt to be monochromatic also include a parameter that specifies which input clips should not be affected by the Gamma and LUT settings. Those clips are assumed to already be in linear colorspace. For example, the S_GlowMaskComp spark has options for Linear Matte Mask, Linear Matte, Linear Mask, or Gamma/LUT All. The default Linear Matte Mask setting causes the Use Gamma and LUT parameters to only affect the Front and Back clips. The Linear Matte setting causes these colorspace controls to affect the Front, Back and Mask but not the Matte clip, and the Gamma/LUT All setting causes all input clips to be affected.

GPU Acceleration

Many effects can use the GPU to speed up rendering. This requires an NVIDIA graphics card which supports CUDA, such as a Quadro FX 5600 or 5800. If a suitable GPU is found, a GPU Enable button will appear on the Crop/Help parameter page, and the message "GPU Accelerated" will be printed to the shell when the Spark is loaded. GPU acceleration is enabled by default if it's available, but if you experience performance or stability problems, you can turn it off by deselected the GPU Enable button.

Troubleshooting GPU Problems

If a Spark is unable to render on the GPU, it will automatically fall back to the CPU and continue processing. The text of the GPU Enable button will change to indicate the problem.

GPU Selection

On machines with more than one GPU that supports CUDA, you can select which GPU Sapphire Plug-ins will use by changing the value of use_gpu in the s_config.text file.

No GPU: no CUDA-capable graphics card was found. GPU Out of Memory: there is not enough memory on the GPU to render this effect GPU Disable: GPU processing is disabled in the s_config.text file. GPU Error: an error occurred while rendering on the GPU. This may be due to a bug in Sapphire

GPU Rendering on Burn

By default, Burn nodes will ignore the value of the GPU Enable button, and always use the GPU if available. You can override this behavior by changing the value of the "use_gpu_on_burn" setting in the s_config.text file.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 10 yes: Burn nodes always use the GPU if available. This is the default. no: Burn nodes never use the GPU. button: Burn nodes check the GPU Enable button to decide whether the render on the GPU.

Online documentation

An online "Help" button is accessible via the "Crop/Help" or "Ctrl3" page for each plug-in and gives easy access to HTML documentation via your browser. The "Help" button loads locally installed documentation for the current effect with information about each input and parameter. The "Sapphire Intro" button loads the Sapphire plug-ins introduction page with links to the other documents and example pictures. The "GenArts Web Site" button connects to the home page of GenArts, Inc. if your workstation is on the Internet, for current information and updates.

Aborting a Spark process

Any Spark process can be aborted by holding down the pointer for a few seconds. Some effects have combinations of parameter settings that can cause unacceptably long process times. This feature provides a way to abort a render mid-frame, so the parameters can then be reset to acceptable values, without waiting for the frame to finish.

Pixel aspect ratios

For some image formats, the digital form of the image is scaled non-uniformly to produce the final viewed picture. For example NTSC resolution is normally 720x486 with an aspect ratio of 1.481. However, the final NTSC picture has an aspect ratio of 1.333. Thus the original digital image is scaled in the horizontal direction by a factor of 0.9 and shapes rendered as circles can end up squashed slightly into ovals. The original pixels are effectively rectangular shaped instead of squares, and have an aspect ratio of 1.48/1.333 = 1.111.

To compensate for this, all Sapphire Plug-ins pre-stretch or shrink their effect in the vertical direction by the inverse of this pixel aspect ratio which is normally read from the meta-data of the input clip. You can override this for all effects by changing the value of force_pixel_aspect_ratio in the s_config.text file. A value of 1.111 is usually right for NTSC resolution, 0.916 is often appropriate for PAL resolution, and 1.0 will always give square pixels.

Most plug-ins also have a parameter for adjusting the relative width or height of the effect, which can be used to stretch the effect as needed on a case by case basis.

The pixel aspect ratio makes no difference for basic pixel processing effects such as MathOps and color processing.

Customizing Sparks

A facility is included with Sapphire Plug-ins that allows users with some programming experience to define and customize new effects. A number of parameters are also available that can be adjusted to customize the behavior of all Sapphire plug-ins. The load_save_channel_setups parameter can be enabled to save animation curves in the channel editor between uses of the same Spark. Lookup tables can be specified for more accurate Spark processing of log format images. For additional information on these, or to modify a parameter, see the s_config.text file.

On Linux the config file is located at /usr/discreet/sparks/sapphire_10/s_config.text

On Mac the config file is located at /Applications/GenArtsSapphireSparks10/config/s_config.text

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 11 Updating v9 Setups to v10

Some Spark parameters have changed between Sapphire version 9 and 10, so we have provided an update_setups unix command to automatically convert 9.0 (or 9.x) setup files to 10.0 (or 10.x).

update_setups [ -backup ] [ -recurse ] file1 [file2 ...]

This converts Spark setup files and/or Batch setup files to use Sapphire 10. It can accept multiple file names separated by spaces, and wildcards (*) can be used. It ignores anything that doesn't look like a setup file with Sapphire Plug-ins, so you can use wildcards or directories that include extraneous files. If you convert the Spark setup files for a Batch setup, you must also convert the corresponding .batch file and vice versa. If "sapphire_9" is included in the setup file name, update_setups will also rename the file to say "10" to allow Batch setup conversions to work properly.

The -recurse or -r option allows update_setups to recurse into directory trees and convert all setup files within that directory (but it does not follow symlinks). It will also cause any sapphire_9 setup directories to be renamed to sapphire_10. Use the -r flag with care, because it could search and update a large number of files.

The -backup or -b option causes a 'v8' backup file to be made for each setup file before it is modified. This will not replace existing 'v9' backups, so if you run it twice the backup should still be the original. If you need to access a backup of a Spark setup, you can load the 'v9' setup file directly into Sapphire 9.0. If you need to revert to a backup of a Batch setup, you should rename the 'v8' backup files to their original names. If you are converting many files, it is often better to first backup the entire directory yourself instead.

In some effects we have fixed long-standing bugs or made improvements that will significantly change the results of old projects in ways that update_setups can't correct for. These exceptions are noted below:

• Improved accuracy of gamma correction when rendering on the CPU. This can change the results for effects with extreme gamma values (large or small). • In CardFlip, corrected the direction for Up and Down spin directions. Old projects should automatically update and continue to render without changes.

Example 1: If you want to convert a single setup file for S_Clouds called TestSetup which you have stored in /tmp, you could open a shell window and type:

% cd /usr/discreet/sparks/sapphire_10 % ./update_setups -backup /tmp/TestSetup.S_Clouds

This will replace /tmp/TestSetup.S_Clouds with a version that uses Sapphire 10. The -backup flag causes the original file to be saved first as /tmp/TestSetup.v9.S_Clouds.

Example 2: If you want to make a backup copy of your batch directory and then convert all the setups in it to Sapphire 10 format, you could type:

% cd /usr/discreet/flame_9.5 % cp -r batch batch-backup % /usr/discreet/sparks/sapphire_10/update_setups -r batch

Example 3: If you want to convert all the setups in an entire project, you could type:

% cd /usr/discreet/project/effects % /usr/discreet/sparks/sapphire_10/update_setups -r your-project

This will apply update_setups to all files anywhere in the your-project directory, and rename any sapphire_9 setup directories and files to sapphire_10. Make sure your project directory is somehow backed up first!

On Mac, update_setups is located in /Applications/GenArtsSapphireSparks10/config.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 12 Note to system administrators: update_setups is a Perl script, and requires Perl 5. You don't need to be root to run the script, but you do need write permission in the setup directory.

Known problems

1. Temporal effects in Batch that access frames other than the single current frame may not process efficiently. It is recommended that you make the input to temporal effects in Batch be a clip or a cached node rather than a tree of other nodes. These effects include S_Temporal, S_FieldTool, S_FieldRemove, and S_Feedback:TimeAverage. Also in Batch, the Feedback effects will not work properly if they are upstream of any temporal effect. For Autodesk releases prior to 4.0/7.0 the temporal effects do not work in Batch at all. 2. Only one set of keyframes is kept for a given Spark. Some Sparks contain multiple effect options, and the names of parameters can change when you switch between them. If you set some keyframe values, and then switch to a different effect option in the same Spark, the old keyframes will continue to affect the new parameter values. Sometimes this can give inappropriate values. If this occurs, use Reset All in the channel editor to clear any existing keyframes, and use Load Defaults to set the new parameters to reasonable values. 3. Autodesk-certified NVidia driver 346.35 is required for GPU acceleration, but on Linux this disables GPU acceleration in older versions of Sapphire. We hope a future update from NVidia will resolve this problem.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to our many customers who have made suggestions and taken time to beta test this software. The software for JpegDamage is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group. The Half-float conversion and Thrust CUDA libraries are provided under open source licenses, reproduced in Appendix A.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 13 Effects

The remainder of this User's Guide contains information about each effect in the Sapphire Plug-ins package. The effects are listed in alphabetical order by effect name.

Each effect's documentation describes the functionality of the effect, its inputs and parameters, and contains an example picture. This same documentation for each effect is also available directly from the Plug-in interface by clicking on the Help button while using any effect.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 14 Aurora

Generates a two colored swirl of light along a user controlled spline reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

Inputs:

None

Parameters:

Load Preset: Push-button. Brings up the Preset Browser to browse all available presets for this effect.

Save Preset: Push-button. Brings up the Preset Save dialog to save a preset for this effect.

Start Color: Default rgb: [0 0.8 0.3], Shared. Sets the color at the starting control point.

End Color: Default rgb: [0.6 0.2 0.8], Shared. Sets the color at the ending control point.

Start: X & Y, Default: [-0.7 0.4], Range: any. The starting point of the Aurora.

End: X & Y, Default: [0.8 -0.5], Range: any. The ending point of the Aurora.

Stroke Size: Default: 0.25, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. Influences the width of the Aurora along the spline. This parameter controls the size of the underlying color gradient before it's distorted.

Color Phase: Default: 0, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. Adjusts the phase of the gradient between Start Color and End Color. Use this to animate the movement of the colors along the Aurora.

Brightness: Default: 0.3, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. Scales the brightness of the Aurora.

Softness: Default: 0.075, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. The amount of blur applied to the Aurora. Set to 0 to get a colored point cloud.

Softness Rel Y: Default: 10, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. The relative vertical amount of softness.

Swirl Complexity: Integer, Default: 3, Range: 1 or greater, Shared. Specifies how many layers should be rendered in the Aurora. The more layers rendered, the more complex pattern generated along the spline.

Swirl Magnitude: Default: 0.7, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. The magnitude or amplitude of the swirls along the spline. Setting this to 0 will render a color gradient along the spline.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 15 Magnitude Rel Y: Default: 1.25, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. The relative vertical magnitude of the swirls.

Swirl Frequency: Default: 2, Range: 0 to 50, Shared. The frequency of the swirls along the spline.

Frequency Rel Y: Default: 10, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. The relative vertical frequency along the spline.

Swirl Speed X: Default: 0.1, Range: any, Shared. The speed at which the swirls move horizontally.

Swirl Speed Y: Default: 0, Range: any, Shared. The speed at which the swirls move vertically.

Seed: Default: 0.123, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. Used to initialize the random number generator. The actual seed value is not significant, but different seeds give different results and the same value should give a repeatable result.

Params2:

Light Brightness: Default: 1, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. Lights a circular area of the Aurora. Set to 0 to disable the light. Increase value to increase the intensity of the light.

Light Pos: X & Y, Default: [-0.3 -0.5], Range: any, Shared. The position of the center of the light.

Light Color: Default rgb: [1 1 1], Shared. The color of the light.

Ambient Light: Default: 1, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. The level of illumination outside the light.

Light Radius: Default: 1, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. Distance from the center of the light to the edge of the brightest section.

Light Softness: Default: 2, Range: 0 or greater, Shared. How quickly the edge of the light should taper off of to darkness.

Params3:

Point 1 Enable: Check-box, Default: off. Turns on or off the first control point.

Control Point 1: X & Y, Default: [-0.33 0.4], Range: any. First spline control point.

Point 2 Enable: Check-box, Default: on. Turns on or off the second control point.

Control Point 2: X & Y, Default: [0.04 0.2], Range: any. Second spline control point.

Point 3 Enable: Check-box, Default: on. Turns on or off the third control point.

Control Point 3: X & Y, Default: [-0.1 -0.4], Range: any. Third spline control point.

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 16 Point 4 Enable: Check-box, Default: off. Turns on or off the fourth control point.

Control Point 4: X & Y, Default: [0.45 -0.33], Range: any. Fourth spline control point.

See general info for: Res, On Fields, Redraw, Undo, Load Defaults, Crop, Add Noise, and Use Gamma.

See Also:

NightSky Zap Sapphire Clouds ZapTo Plug-ins Zap ZapFrom Introduction

Sapphire Plug-ins v10.0 for Autodesk systems 17 AuroraComp

Generates a two colored swirl of light along a user controlled spline reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). Similar to Aurora, but the result is composited over a background input.

Inputs:

Back: The clip to use as background.