Edit action output

Flame Flame Questions
1

Not sure if this is a feature or bug. I regularly use edit output in action to hide layers from outputs, however it doesn’t seem to work for projectors, unless I’m doing something wrong, (2023.3.2)
Anyone else seen this?

2

light linking?

3

Yeah, I think I’ve seen this.

I think it’s because the projector is a sort of non-object that rejects most of the understood action rules (priority, transparency, etc), so the thing you need to hide is whatever the projector is hitting.

I know for a while (and maybe even now?) projectors could not do a matte output. It’s one of the many reasons I moved over to the diffuse map set to “projection”. There’s still reasons to use both, but I use the old node waaaay less now.

4

use light linking per object per output.
and then upgrade to 2026.1.
(or do whatever the stockholm syndrome rote answer is for the company that you’re working for.)
or onwards.

5

There is a specific projector matte output, but yeah, they are odd, there are several things that you can’t do with projectors.

6

but there’s a new text /type module…

7

Whoopee!

8

I like the light idea, not sure it will work for this but will give it a go.
Its a freelance gig, so not my decision as to what version of Flame they’re running.

9

To facilitate this I usually don’t use a projector but rather a diffuse map with the mapping set to projection. Then I can just turn off the specific layers in question in the action output. Maybe doesn’t work for all use cases…

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10

If you need mattes of your projections, you can use a diffuse map on the receiving surface with its mapping set to Projection with a duped cam, but you have to do it an object at a time versus being able to blast the whole scene. It’ll show up in Matte outputs though.

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11

LOL dammit, Chris!!!

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12

It’s so long ago. I can’t remember if this was applicable in 2023 - it’s almost 4 years ago

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13

If I understand what you are trying to do, you could duplicate the node that the projector is displaying on, mimic link the original axis to the dupe, but make an anti-light link from the projector to the dupe. One output displays the projector on the surface, another output displays the non-projector surface.

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14

It must be my inexperience, but I still consistently fail to find good use cases for projectors, compared to any other methods.

And when I have tried to use them, they have strange behaviors that are inconsistent with other Flame behaviors. Like the outputs I guess. I’m guessing it’s just not a very updated tool?

1 Like