Checkerboard

Category: Generative

Checkerboard is one of the generative layer templates that creates a checkerboard pattern useful for various testing purposes.

Variables

Render

• Blend mode: determines the blend mode that's going to be used when rendering the texture onto a mapping. The options are the familiar ones such as Normal (alpha), Screen, Multiply etc.

• Opacity: determines the opacity with which texture when rendered onto the mapping.

• Mapping: determines the mapping through which the texture is going to be rendered onto the object. Options are directly onto one of the viewport objects, such as the a video screen, on one of the canvases for further splitting or on one of the throwers for 3D dependent mapping of the content.

• Clip mode: determines how the content is rendered onto the mapping. Options are:

  • Pixel perfect: renders the texture as it is without and stretching, scaling or cropping

  • Crop: fills the mapping in its entirety. If aspect ratios are different, the texture is going to get cropped

  • Stretch: fills the entire mapping but if the aspect ratios of the texture and the mapping are different, there will be stretching

  • Fit: scales the texture proportionally so that it fits the mapping. If aspect ratios are different, there will be empty areas in the mapping.

• Angle: rotates the texture by the specified angle in degrees.

• Anchor at center: if unchecked the texture is going to be rotated around the top left corner, if checked, it's going to be rotated around the center.

• X: moves the texture by X pixels horizontally

• Y: moves the texture by Y pixels vertically

Checkerboard

• Resolution mode: select if you want the resolution of the color grid to adapt to the resolution of the mapping or would you like to use a custom resolution.

• Resolution: if Resolution mode is set to Custom then this would be the resolution of the texture.

• Color: color of the layer

• Auto rename: renames the layer based on the selected Mapping.

Workflow

1. Inserting the layer

Through the right click menu

Right click in the Timeline, select Generative category and choose Color grid layer

With the shortcut

Hold B and click in the timeline with the left mouse button

2. Choosing the mapping

Dropdown

You can select the mapping through a dropdown.

Drag & drop

If you drag a video screen, a thrower or a canvas onto any layer that has a Mapping variable in it, that variable is going to get assigned to the dragged asset.

DMX or Curves

You can also control the selected asset with the flags on the right of the variable.

Layer Layout