Resolume Forum

Quick explanation: Layer router doesn't take composition as input when under other layers

Composition: 3840x1080
8 Layers
...top 5 for visuals/logos mapped to different screens all on left side of composition X position -960
...bottom 3 used for a live feed (camera/visuals/branding) all on right side of composition X Position +960

Advanced output is 3840x720 with 3 outputs, left screen used for LED, middle used for a TV, right used for "live feed"

Because there's no quick way to switch between mapping presets, i'm trying to create something that will switch between a camera input and the main composition without having to go into Advanced and physically change the input routing of screen 3 from composition to a certain layer.

Solid source at 1920x1080 on layer 8
Layer router with X Position at 960 on layer 1

I can get Layer router to accept any layer above it as input, but switch to composition and all I get is nothing.

Ideas or suggestions? Or am I over thinking it?

The layer router is a bit of a strange one. Bear with me.

At its very core, it's just an effect clip with its effect removed. But actually it's somewhat of a time traveller as well, depending on which layer you put it.

Resolume always starts rendering at the bottom, and then works its way up the layer stack. So when you tell the layer router to look at a layer and that layer is beneath it, no problem. It's already rendered and it will just copy that frame. So far, so good. When you tell it to look at a layer which is above it, it actually travels back in time 1 frame and fetches the frame that was previously displayed for that layer. At 60 fps you hardly notice the difference.

However, when you tell it to look at the composition, it will take all the frames that have been rendered, *up until that point in time*. So basically all layers beneath it. It can't see the layers above it, because those haven't been rendered yet. It can't go back in time to fetch the previous comp frame either, because it is now part of the comp itself, and it would cause all sorts of feedback, grandfather paradoxes and Michael J Fox almost winds up kissing his mother.

You can make this work in your advantage though, because you can split compositions up into sub compositions by putting layer routers at different points in the layer stack.

In your case I think it's easiest to just put the layer router at the top, turn down its opacity, and route it to a slice which ignores layer opacity.

im a little confused about layer routing.

is there any way to add two layers in a routing? say i only want slice 1 to get layers 1and3 is there any way this can be done? otherwise its kinda tough to really rout layers because of the composition layer.

say i have two graphics that need to be played together in some slices, and one alone in a slice or two. i cant figure it out....

s there any way to add two layers in a routing?

Not with a simple dropdown.

You could theoretically put a layer router in layer 3, have it take layer 1 and 2 as input ( via composition ), then put a black solid on layer 4, another layer router on layer 7 and have it take layer 5 and 6 as input ( via composition ).

However, as with most things, if your solution is making something this complex, you're probably not approaching the problem correctly

disconappete wrote:you're probably not approaching the problem correctly

Any constructive feedback to get composite slices that don't use the entire composition?

e.g. 3 layer composition, slice 1 = layer 1, slice 2 = layer 2 + 3

Ah... so simple, but still seems a bit janky. Seems like a good feature modification/addition in resolume would be to choose what layers you're blending from the "input source" field in the advanced output window...

Anyway, for the sake of other newbs, my solution isn't in layer routing, I just duplicate the slices i want (after I map them) and assign a new layer to the duplicate. lol... so simple... If I have to make an adjustment on the fly, it's going to be a headache and the layer blending modes don't affect this type of mixing... only regular transparency...

Joris wrote:However, when you tell it to look at the composition, it will take all the frames that have been rendered, *up until that point in time*. So basically all layers beneath it. It can't see the layers above it, because those haven't been rendered yet. It can't go back in time to fetch the previous comp frame either, because it is now part of the comp itself, and it would cause all sorts of feedback,...

Actually using the real composition frame you could easily send the comp output to a layer(opacity set to 0) and routed to slice temporarily. So IMO that would be beneficial sometimes.
btw. I see feedback as a kind of effect in video processing, and a processed feedback could create things similar to generative content when used wisely.

Joris wrote:... grandfather paradoxes and Michael J Fox almost winds up kissing his mother.

Michael J. Fox (Marty) actually did kiss his mother in 1955.
edit.: well, his mother kissed him.

I see feedback as a kind of effect in video processing, and a processed feedback could create things similar to generative content when used wisely.

I have been experimenting a bit.
I could get the feedback with two layer routers, one at the top layer set to composition, one at a lower layer set to te top layer.
add a line scape a small delay RGB, and displace your bottom router, you get something like this: