Function Cue

Function Cue

Animation - An animation bloc defined by a Function Function that maps a number (percentage, time, etc.) to a value Read More



Function Cues are extensively using Function Function that maps a number (percentage, time, etc.) to a value Read More editable through the Function Editor The editor allows you to manipulate every Function in Smode Read More
Animation in Smode can be done in two major ways: using cues, and using timelines. Both of those are stored in an Animation bank. Cues are used to create an animation system that's targeting live shows. They are building blocks, which when assembled together create a big interactive and dynamic animation. That animation is semi automatic, meaning it will wait for the input of a fellow human to continue its execution, or to bypass part of the animation. Using cues, you can create very powerful animation setups to use in a live event or in installations. You can also use them to create short and independent animations in your compo. If you want to animate content in a more linear and standard way, like a movie (where only one timeline exists and the animation looks exactly the same when you play it a second time), you should read about how to do Animation with Timeline Timelines specificity is to play, cut and edit video layers easily, and to animate layers and their parameters Read More .
In the mean time, here is a small tutorial to show you how to make a squirrel jump through simple Function Cues :

What we'll first learn is how to simply animate parameters with cues. We will create simple and independent animations that run in parallel of each other, without interacting together. This is both an introduction to the next topic (how to create composite cue animations), and a way to very quickly bring life to a composition by creating generative animations that never look the same from one frame to the other. A cue can be created by right clicking an animatable parameter. Here are 4 commands you can use to create cues, found in the right-click menu of a layer's opacity:


(some parameters are not animatable (like some layer's resolution), because that would introduce weird behaviors).
Let's create a Function cue over a parameter with a right click.


This will result in the creation of the Cue:


There now is an Animation Bank in your compo, if there wasn't one before. In that bank, you can now find your first Function Cue. Good job!
If you expand the cue in the Element Tree The hierarchical structure of Smode elements Read More , this is what you'll see:


The cue's target is the same as a Link's or a Parameter's target. Therefore, Advanced Link Logic can also apply to cues. The value column of the Element Tree The hierarchical structure of Smode elements Read More contains the Cue Transport Playing parameters, position and length of the Function Cue Read More . A Transport Thing that can be played out of a Timeline or Function Cue and that doesn't need to be inside an Animation Bank Read More is the combination of event triggers (play, pause, etc.) and a progression state. The Transport Thing that can be played out of a Timeline or Function Cue and that doesn't need to be inside an Animation Bank Read More contains the following elements, from left to right:


Play a Fade In Cue on a Layer opacity will make it evolve progressively from 0% to 100% . When finalized, the Layer opacity is set to 100%, if we reset the Fade In Cue, the Layer opacity will be set to 0%. We can now explore deeply the Cue General Parameters:


As for all Elements, the Cue Activation ensures that the Cue is not played when deactivated.
The cue will also not be played if one of its parent is deactivated.
Cues are like Variable Element: when dragged at the top of a Document, the Cue is automatically visible outside the Document.
A top level Cue can be hidden from outside the Document if you uncheck the Expose parameter.
When Launch At Activation parameter is set, the Cue is automatically launched when it retrieves an activated state.
This can occurred when its Activation parameter or one of its parent is toggled.
This can also occurred when the Document is loaded, if all Cue ancestors are activated.
In our case we can toggle the Activation of the parent Layer, this will play the Fade In Cue.
Description is a free text zone that could be reported into Sequence Animation Table.
Fade In Cue and Fade Out Cue are the only presets of Function Cue.
Each Function Cue owns a Function with time in abscissa and outputs value in ordinate.
By default Function Cue uses Parametric Function with Linear Ramp Shape.
All these parameters can be freely modified:


Note that modified Function Cue does not look like Fade In anymore. Note that a Parametric Function Cue duration is its Period.

Parameters to all Function Cues

  • Targets (List of Link Targets) :

See Also: