Custom parameter type: Ramp

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I’m just wondering, when using the RGBA type, we get access to a nice color picker in the custom parameters. But quite often I find myself needing easy access to a ramp.

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are we ever going to get the ability to do this directly in custom parameters?

I understand there’s reasons this is less straightforward than a color picker. But nothing that shouldn’t be possible to overcome. I know other people have tried to find ways around this, but nothing quite feels right.

So, where’s our ramp picker? :smiley:

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Hi. We’re currently investigating some options related to this, but whatever the solution is, it would still require an underlying Ramp TOP to process and deliver the final texture.
Is that how you envision it as well?
Cheers.

Yes, ideal would be to access the parameter as a DAT.

So that for instance in a ramp TOP I can just point to parent().par.Myramp and it will accept it. But at the same time, using a select DAT would reveal the actual table.

Another thing that would be extremely useful, is to be able to say per point how the interpolation should be.

A lot can be learned from the Houdini custom parameter editor. They have two types of ramps, a float ramp and a color ramp. If you look at the second ramp in this image, you can see I’m able to add bezier style cuves, directly in the parameter window.

This would be so amazing to have, that way its possible while being in the parameters to edit all kinds of behaviors in a place where it sits nicely with my other settings.

The float type ramp could for example result in a CHOP.

One thing you might consider now, is using Parameter Panels to scope out just the Ramp TOP editor parameter you want, then align those panels together in a bigger container.
Thinking further, perhaps this would best be implemented as a future Ramp panel.