LightAct 4 Docs
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  • LightAct 4 Documentation
  • Understanding the Basics
    • Overview of Content Pipeline
    • Pushing Content out of LightAct
    • Terminology
    • How to map Content
      • Creating a Canvas
      • Creating a Layer
      • Creating a Video Screen
      • Mapping a Canvas to a Video screen
      • Creating a Perspective Thrower
      • Using Nodes to Set Content
      • Mapping to Outputs
    • Working quickly in LightAct
      • Window docking & workspaces
      • Drag & drop
      • Viewport Navigation
      • Shortcuts
    • Launching LightAct with Arguments
    • Top Bar
    • LightAct Performance
  • Transitioning to LightAct from other media servers
    • Switching to LightAct
    • LightAct for Disguise Operators
      • GUI Overview
      • Content Sequencing
      • Content Mapping
      • Projection Mapping
    • LightAct for Pixera Operators
  • Content mapping
    • Canvas mapping
    • Throwers
      • Thrower Properties
      • Perspective Thrower
      • Cubic thrower
      • Spherical Thrower
    • 3D model
      • Rendering Mode
      • Multiple materials & sources
      • Preparing 3D Models
        • Organize the 3D Scene
        • Materials in 3D models
        • UV Mapping of 3D Models
      • Outputting 3D Model's Texture
  • TIMELINES
    • Overview
    • Timelines Window
    • Timeline Editor Window
      • Sections
      • Markers
      • Curve Editor
    • Cues
      • Cue List
  • LAYERS AND LAYOUTS
    • Overview
    • Stock Layer Templates
      • Content Layer Templates
        • Video
      • Generative Layer Templates
        • Checkerboard
        • Color grid
        • Gradient
        • Mapping ID
        • Render Time
        • Scroll Texture
        • Send Texture
        • Solid Color
        • Strobe
        • Text
        • Texture to Mapping
      • Control Layer Templates
        • Go to Marker
        • Go to Section
        • Receive message
        • Send DMX
        • Send message
        • Set Fade
        • Set Timeline State
        • Set Volume
    • Layers
      • Layer Properties
      • Layer Layouts
      • Cross-fade
    • User Layer Templates
    • Variables
      • Variable Management
      • Control Variables with DMX, OSC, or Curves
    • Nodes
      • Node Connections
      • Node Action Flow
      • Order of Node Execution
      • Texture Processing
        • LUT
        • Luma Key
        • Rotate
      • Computer Vision
        • Optical Flow
        • Find Blobs
        • Mog2 Background Subtraction
        • Combine
        • Convert CV Color
        • Subtract
  • Node reference
    • Node reference
    • Layout nodes
      • Lifeline and actions node category
        • Tick node
      • Texture generators node category
    • Device nodes
  • Content Playback
    • Video Formats & Codecs
    • Playing Video
    • Playing Image Sequences
    • Images
    • Playing Notch Blocks
  • Projection Mapping
    • Projection Mapping
    • Projection Study
    • 2D Projection Mapping Workflow
    • 3D Projection Mapping Workflow
    • 3DCal
    • Iris
      • Setting up Iris Device Node
      • Adjusting Focus
      • Adding and calibrating Iris camera
      • Calibrating projectors using Iris
      • IrisVirtual
    • AutoBlend
    • Warp & Blend
      • Texture Warp & Blend node
      • Texture Mesh Warp node
      • Texture Perspective Warp node
      • Texture Softedge node
      • Warp & Blend Output Window
    • Texture Mask
  • DMX
    • DMX Overview
    • DMX Setup
    • DMX Out
      • Fixture Editor
      • Output to DMX Fixture
      • Set DMX in Layer Layouts
    • DMX In
      • Adjust layer variables with DMX
      • Index manager
      • Get DMX in Layer Layouts
      • Control by DMX
    • DMX by UV
  • Unreal Engine
    • Unreal Engine Integration Overview
    • Required Unreal Engine Plugins
      • Installing LightAct Plugin
      • Setting up the Plugin
        • LightAct Runtime Actor
        • LightAct Custom Time Step
        • LightAct Timecode
    • UnrealLink
    • Texture Sharing
      • Thrower2UCam
      • Projector2UCam
      • ViewportUCam
  • Integrations
    • Camera and object tracking
      • Camera Tracking
        • Stype
        • Mo-Sys
        • FreeD
        • Ncam
        • SPNet
      • Object Tracking
        • PSN
        • BlackTrax
        • OptiTrack
        • Vive
        • Antilatency
      • Tracking Visualizer
      • Tracking Follower
    • Network
      • TCP & UDP
      • OSC
        • OSCLearn
      • TUIO
    • Serial
      • MIDI
    • Audio
    • Content IO
      • NDI
      • Deltacast
        • FLEX Management
      • ZED
      • RealSense
    • OSCIn
    • 10-Bit Displays
  • LightTrack
  • LightNet
    • LightNet Overview
    • LightNet Clusters
      • Scan Network
      • Connect to Secondary Machines
      • Transfer and Open Project
      • Cluster Management
    • LightNet Performance
      • Canvas Distribution
      • Layer Distribution
      • Asset Distribution
      • Viewport Object Distribution
      • VRAM Improvements
    • LightSync
  • WebUI
    • WebUI Setup
  • GPU Management
    • EDID Management
      • Export EDID
      • Load EDID
      • Unload EDID
    • Synchronize GPU Outputs
    • Multiple GPUs
      • Mosaic
        • Set up Mosaic
        • Modify or Disable Mosaic
      • Primary Display
      • Workflow
    • DisplayPort - HDMI converters
  • Licensing
    • Licensing Overview
    • Adding or updating a License
    • Applying a License
    • Transferring a License
  • Troubleshooting
    • Iris Troubleshooting
    • Unreal Engine Integration Troubleshooting
      • Texture Sharing Troubleshooting
    • LightNet Troubleshooting
    • Notch Troubleshooting
    • GPU Management Troubleshooting
    • Asking for support
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On this page
  • Layer
  • Canvas
  • Video screen
  • Thrower
  • 3D model
  • Primitive
  • Null object
  • Marker in Timeline window
  • Marker in Viewport
  • Asset
  • Video output
  • DMX
  • Art-Net
  • sACN
  • Fixture
  • Variable

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  1. Understanding the Basics

Terminology

A description of some of the most commonly used terms in LightAct

PreviousPushing Content out of LightActNextHow to map Content

Last updated 1 year ago

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Layer

A layer is an entity that exists in a Sequence and has a beginning and an end (determined by the Duration parameter). A layer can perform a variety of functions such as content processing & playback, video/image/image sequence/Notch block reading and playback or just some logic.

Canvas

A canvas is an entity that holds one texture. The texture can be of an arbitrary resolution. Content is pushed to a canvas with Render to Canvas nodes. There can be several Render to Canvas nodes rendering onto the same canvas at the same time. In a typical workflow, content from canvases is pushed to video screens, 3D models or some other LightAct object, however, it is also possible to push it directly to a video output.

Video screen

A video screen is a virtual representation of a physical video screen.

Thrower

A thrower is a helper virtual object that facilitates mapping of content onto various viewport objects by taking into account their position in the 3D scene of the viewport.

3D model

A 3D model is a virtual representation of a physical object. 3D models are usually imported as an .obj or .fbx assets.

Primitive

A primitive is a simple 3D model of a cube, a plane, a sphere or a cone

Null object

A null object is an ‘empty’ object that can be used as a container of other objects.

It allows you to group objects

Marker in Timeline window

A Timeline marker indicates a position on a Timeline.

Marker in Viewport

A viewport marker indicates a 3D position in the Viewport window.

Asset

Asset is an external resource that LightAct uses in a specific project. Examples include: images, image sequences, video files, Notch blocks, 3D models or Unreal Engine projects. At the time of writing this document, LightAct supports the following asset formats:

  • 3D models: obj, fbx, dae

  • Notch blocks: dfxdll

Image and video formats & codecs are described on the page below:

Video output

Video output is a virtual representation of a physical output on the system’s GPU.

DMX

DMX stands for DMX512, which is a communication standard commonly used to control lighting and effects.

Art-Net

Art-Net is a UDP based protocol used to transmit DMX data over Ethernet. It was developed by Artistic License.

sACN

sACN is a UDP based protocol used to transmit DMX data over Ethernet. It was developed by ESTA. In many aspects it is comparable with Art-Net.

Fixture

Fixture refers to a DMX light fixture, i.e. a light fixture controlled by DMX.

Variable

A LightAct variable is a container holding information. The information can be a number (integer or float), color, texture or something else.

There are 2 types of variables:

  • Layer variables are available only within one layer

  • Global variables can be accessed from any layer.

Video Formats & Codecs