Managing Common Signals in SceneChanger

General TouchDesigner Discussion
1

I have a show file with scene changer. Most of the scenes are fairly optimized, however i have various signals coming in from the top level into each scene.

some scenes work from a raw audio signal (Null CHOP ‘AUDIO_IN’) , and for other scenes i used the audio analysis to turn them into animated float signals, currently null CHOP “Stems”

besides that, i have a MIDI Controller Input, Null CHOP “MIDI IN”

i’m thinking the way to stop multiple scenes from cooking is to create a Null for each scene in selective cook mode, and use a switch CHOP between them, is that correct?

if so, i’m wondering how to connect the Switch CHOP to the scene change, so when i hit a scene button it automattically triggers the select.

one issue i know about is that the order of the scenes can’t currently be defined within scene changer, and sometimes the order changes.

any help would be appreciated !

2

  • When you are optimizing you should turn off all the viewers in the file. Just by looking at the viewer in a CHOP can cause cooking that would otherwise not cook when you are using the SceneChanger system. Also make sure no TOPs are being output to the background of the Scene network or any network for that matter. None of these things will cause cooking when in perform mode but when you I’m running through a system for final optimizations this is the first thing I do. If you want to see what is cooking you have to turn off the viewers and look for flicking wires and arrows.

  • When trouble shooting over cooking in the Scene changer set the current scene to the Black scene or any other scene that you know does not cook much. Then you can move into each scene and turn off all viewers and see whats left cooking.

  • Use nulls to export or make references for CHOP channels.

  • All Render TOPs should have their Render parameter bound or referenced to their parent Scene component Play parameter. When it Plays you activate the Render TOP. When its not playing you dont render. The Render TOP doesnt automatically optimize and shut down when not being used (I wish it did and it does sometimes but not always).

  • Feedback TOP loops can often be over cooking as well. I will use the expression:

    1-parent.Scene.Play

  • RGBDelay does not shut down correctly.

    • The RGBDelay component forces cooking due to the internal CacheTOP called “cache5”. If you reference the container scheme parameter called Play to the Active parameter it will correctly shutdown.

  • /project1/scenes/AO_ReactDIFF/reactDiffuse does not turn off

    • The reactDiffuse node in /project1/scenes/AO_ReactDIFF seems to over cook. Not sure why. Did this component come from Derivative or somewhere else? Ultimately this could be an over cooking bug…. Ill have this looked into seperately. If you can send me the original link to the file Ill follow up more…