Variables

There are 2 categories of variables:

• Layer variables: accessible only within one layer

• Global variables: accessible throughout LightAct and also WebUI.

Regardless of this category they have some things in common.

All variables hold data or content

For example, every variable can hold only one type of a information. When we say information, we mean either data (a number, for example) or texture (also referred as content).

Below are 2 examples:

Resolution variable always holds 2 whole numbers (integer) representing resolution.

Texture variable holds a texture.

Types of variables

Each variable type therefore holds a different type of data. The list is explained below:

Variable type	Description	Example
Float	Number with a decimal point	1.6314
Integer	Whole number	5
Boolean	True or false (represented as a checkbox)	True
String	Text	Hello world!
Color	RGBA representation of color where 0 is 0 and 1 is full	[1.0,1.0,1.0,1.0] (white)
Texture	A pointer to a texture in the VRAM of the GPU
OpenCV	An image for computer vision processing
Vec2	A vector of 2 floats	[1.231, 10.231]
Vec3	A vector of 3 floats	[543.12,-1.231,5.000]
Vec2 array	An array of Vec2	NA
Vec3 array	An array of Vec2	NA
Transform	A vector of: Vec3 representing Position, Vec3 representing Rotation, Vec3 representing Scale	NA
Transform array	An array of transforms	NA
Resolution	A vector of 2 integers representing resolution	[1920,1080]
Timecode	A HMSF representation of time	[00:02:12:32]
Canvas	A reference to a canvas (obsolete)	NA
Mapping	A reference to a mapping	NA
Viewport object	A reference to a viewport object	NA
LA Object	A reference to all kinds of objects in LightAct: Timeline, Section, Layer, Marker, Video output	NA
Device	A reference to a Device node	NA
Camera properties	An array of values representing properties of a camera: Position, Rotation, FOV, Aspect ratio, Near clip, Far clip	NA
Asset	A reference to an Asset. There are several types: Video, 3D model, Audio, Notch block, Unreal, TouchDesigner component	NA
Event	A Lifeline type	NA

All variables can be referenced in Layouts

Almost every variable type has a corresponding connection type represented by the same color. These connections serve to pass the value of the variable between different nodes in the Layout.