Hey all,
Just thought I'd start up a thread talking about some of the new stuff that Apple added with the new version of Quartz Composer.
For anyone running Leopard and using QC3, I would highly recommend checking out the Help > Release Notes. There are 35 new objects, improvements to almost every existing object (including new inputs and options), and loads of new features that you won't want to miss out on.
Here are a couple of additions that I am personally very excited about.
New objects:
Queue - Implements a first-in last-out queue of an arbitrary size and which accepts any kind of values. This includes images, which means you can use this to make video delay effects.
GLSL - Live editing of GLSL shaders which apply to objects inside this macro. Way more powerful than CIKernels, sample code is easier to come by, and it actually supports if / else branching.
For doing image analysis..
Image Histogram - Computes a structure of values for quantities of each Red, Green, Blue and Alpha.
and
Image Pixel - Gives the RGBA component values of a pixel in an image.
These last few objects are really handy, I found myself having to build little javascript patches to replicate these functions fairly often, rather a pain.
Integrator - Outputs a running sum of the input number each time it changes.
Sample And Hold - Stores an arbitrary value or object on its output port.
Watcher - Outputs a signal when the input changes.
Math Expression - Parses an equation and creates the variables as input ports. Expressions are evaluated as necessary and the result is output.
Pulse - Outputs a true boolean value for a single frame when the input changes. The input condition can be rising edge, falling edge or both.
Cross-application support:
For input splitters of type index, you can now enter desired menu options from directly within the object inspector in QC. I know this one in particular will bring some closure to some previous discussions on the VV forums, and yes, this will be supported in the next update to VDMX.
QC Compositions made with QC3 can now be assigned one of four category types - distortion, stylized, utility, or none. Pretty handy when you've got a lot of QC FX, and with all the examples that Apple includes, there are quite a few now.
In the same way that we made up a protocol for loading in QC documents as FX or text sources, Apple has defined a few of their own that work in apps like iChat theater and Photobooth. There is also a directory that you can place your own documents in (Library/Compositions/) so that all the the applications that support these new protocols. In particular, there is an Image Filter protocol for FX which is very similar to what we came up with for VDMX.
Both the protocol and category tags can be set using the menu option in Editor > Edit Protocol Conformance. With the next update, all documents that conform to the Image Filter protocol located in the system-wide directories will automatically show up in VDMX (organized into their appropriate categories to boot).
Workflow:
A bunch of interface improvements, like workspace notes, option+dragging from outlets for connecting to multiple inputs, and the workspace now has unlimited size. Most of these are pretty obvious just by using the new version. Having the patch parameters available in the editor window (instead of a floating palette) is also really useful for adjusting values while actually building a patch.
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and with the new API for making 3rd party objects there is a lot of potential on the horizon.
- Dave