Has anyone successfully used this plugin? It fails to execute for me. The parameters on it look pretty interesting; it looks to be an image particle type of plugin with some physical forces.
Was I able to get it to work first time of asking, no crashed immediately in 64 bit so .... tried in 32 bit and no joy , back to 64 bit set it to video input, no joy, the list goes on and on.
So, in sheer desperation - got a trifle hacky, looked up the GLSL in the plugin for the Sandstorm and think part of the problem is that the code is a little non-conformist or something.
I did get it working - honest - like for 30 seconds, it looked cool, then it flaked out - not so cool •~
Puzzles, I love them, don't you ? :-)
Find attached the semi - working example. [semi-working? like saying I've got half a twinned GLSL or something similar LOL].
You can ignore [if you wish, & probably should] the GLSL Shader entirely within the posted attempt / exploit.
I think this works within a specific environment that I have as yet to figure out the specific requirements thereof.
I saw that the shader was in there too, but I didn't investigate further.
It's a real curiosity. I wonder if somehow it can work in a non-QC context (eg., that's why it's farting out for us). It's too bad. The input parameter names make it look like a really tantalizing plugin.
That's what I tend to think, but it really doesn't make much sense that it would work in Final Cut and not QC... (or does it? queue dramatic music).
Maybe it's just a demo patch that isn't finished yet, but wasn't eradicated from the project. The NI stuff is unsupported, as far as the plugin goes (I believe), so there's no real reason for the patch selection to be really clean.
BTW, the NI Matrix manipulation stuff is pretty interesting, in the last plugin (and works "ok" with Toneburst's Matrix gen clip, but it seemed like one or two params didn't work). It's an interesting alternative to kineme matrix patches, because they aren't environments, but patches that you put at a bottom layer, that change aspects of the environment. It reminds me of the way shaders and transforms worked in Pixelshox.
NI OpenGL Geometry seems interesting as well, but the vertex generator they include doesn't seem to create anything for me. There's an SVG renderer in there (...well, it honestly renders kind of weirdly for some stuff). GLE curved tube is interesting, and the curved line looks nice. Definitely a few interesting new patches. I'm not even touching on them all.
I'm just getting tons of "Execution failed". It also turns my viewer area white.
Sometimes stuff like this will fail if there isn't something connected to an input port. I tried that out before my initial post. Nothing seemed to make a difference.
edit... scratch that. Got it working.
You have to feed it image input port info, or else it craps out. Even then, it's iffy.
Some key params - motion control y/x work ok hooked up to mouse on certain settings.
Motion distance/angle control "distance" etc. as the Duration at the bottom is manipulated. Delay magnitude "leaves some particles" around.
Motion type and delay type are worth checking off the top. Most of the other controls change the fine points of physical forces, like amount of randomization, alignment, spin speed, etc. Motion angle controls what "angle" the particles go offscreen at (err., that may be interpreted incorrectly, depending on semantics).
When I hook up a Billboard to lay on top, it fails (the Billboard). Since there isn't a blend, the Sandstorm patch itself, doesn't play nice when trying to place a Billboard under.
Even with all of that... it's pretty darn snazzy. It's a lot like Kineme Image particle, but with more options.
It does need to be fed [ feed the goat :-)], but it still crashes out in a short space of time. [mere seconds] I think this went into a stand alone type of application.
Well, I've tried this on 10.5.8, 10.6.4 32 bit and 10.6.4 64 bit, none of which work for very long even applying the guidelines given. Is it a combo only composition ?
Hmm, I'm not sure what combo only means (sorry, I must be having a totally dense moment). If you mean that it may only work on certain GPU's (eg., that combo and some others), I wouldn't be surprised. I note that it apparently does something somewhat out of the norm to QC's typical state of operation.
For example, the composition I posted works 100% stably (maybe it could be a little faster, but it's a decent amount of particles, and is doing image-> pixel analysis. However, whenever I start it, there is a time when it starts executing before it the image(s) successfully get(s) loaded by the input port(s). During this time, I can see execution failing in the log or console. It doesn't crash though.
However, if I take the video image that connects to the Sandstorm, place a Billboard on the Editor, and connect the video out to it, the Billboard now fails. So, it's doing something pretty overt to make regular consumers stop executing while it's executing.
You may want to consider turning off all of your logs/profiling/whatever in those GF foundation settings and see if it makes a dif. I'm using it, but a couple things are "iffy". OpenCL profiling seems to make things buggy sometimes (this may be placebo/bad seeds), and the GF windows make stuff laggy as well, as handy as they are when profiling. Also, if you have disabled VBO synch, re-enable, because that can also go awry.
FWIW, the VBO synch setting is buggy, because when you re-enable it, quit QC, reopen, VBO synch will still be disabled sometimes even when not reflected as such in the system settings (it's visually obvious). I've had to reboot a computer before to actually get VBO synch working again (though sometimes it works fine). I'm kind of remembering back on the flashing Viewer you were getting on that composition awhile back, seemingly aberrantly. Just because those system prefs are there doesn't mean they are all bug free. I would bet that tons of them haven't been updated in forever and a day. (That went off on a bit of an OT tangent, but it's pertinent in that I'm trying to flesh out possible reasons why that may be crashing for you and not me).
Certain settings where you can use mouse x/y to disturb particles are EXCEEDINGLY awesome.
Hmm. Idk. My suggestion would be to just go ahead and DL the sample qtz I attached, so you can go ahead and see it. Typing "sand" or "ni sand" narrows the Patch Library search to just the patch in question, for me.
This is a screengrab of some pretty clumsy tweaking of params on my part, but this shows what it basically looks like when in use. It can get a wider range of looks; there are tons of parameters and I'm still feeling it out. Really similar to Kineme (NI?) Image Particle, but a little different. Kineme Image Particle makes a little more sense, and doesn't have issues like this one has... but this has some pretty interesting control methods.
Is this in the latest release from NI? Yes it is.
Was I able to get it to work first time of asking, no crashed immediately in 64 bit so .... tried in 32 bit and no joy , back to 64 bit set it to video input, no joy, the list goes on and on.
So, in sheer desperation - got a trifle hacky, looked up the GLSL in the plugin for the Sandstorm and think part of the problem is that the code is a little non-conformist or something.
I did get it working - honest - like for 30 seconds, it looked cool, then it flaked out - not so cool •~
Puzzles, I love them, don't you ? :-)
Find attached the semi - working example. [semi-working? like saying I've got half a twinned GLSL or something similar LOL].
You can ignore [if you wish, & probably should] the GLSL Shader entirely within the posted attempt / exploit.
I think this works within a specific environment that I have as yet to figure out the specific requirements thereof.
I saw that the shader was in there too, but I didn't investigate further.
It's a real curiosity. I wonder if somehow it can work in a non-QC context (eg., that's why it's farting out for us). It's too bad. The input parameter names make it look like a really tantalizing plugin.
I think you are looking in what is probably the right direction. Does look interesting.
That's what I tend to think, but it really doesn't make much sense that it would work in Final Cut and not QC... (or does it? queue dramatic music).
Maybe it's just a demo patch that isn't finished yet, but wasn't eradicated from the project. The NI stuff is unsupported, as far as the plugin goes (I believe), so there's no real reason for the patch selection to be really clean.
BTW, the NI Matrix manipulation stuff is pretty interesting, in the last plugin (and works "ok" with Toneburst's Matrix gen clip, but it seemed like one or two params didn't work). It's an interesting alternative to kineme matrix patches, because they aren't environments, but patches that you put at a bottom layer, that change aspects of the environment. It reminds me of the way shaders and transforms worked in Pixelshox.
NI OpenGL Geometry seems interesting as well, but the vertex generator they include doesn't seem to create anything for me. There's an SVG renderer in there (...well, it honestly renders kind of weirdly for some stuff). GLE curved tube is interesting, and the curved line looks nice. Definitely a few interesting new patches. I'm not even touching on them all.
NI OpenGL does provoke a whole lot of GFLog errors :-); the graphics render, whilst the Log thunders •~
I'm just getting tons of "Execution failed". It also turns my viewer area white.
Sometimes stuff like this will fail if there isn't something connected to an input port. I tried that out before my initial post. Nothing seemed to make a difference.
edit... scratch that. Got it working.
You have to feed it image input port info, or else it craps out. Even then, it's iffy.
Some key params - motion control y/x work ok hooked up to mouse on certain settings.
Motion distance/angle control "distance" etc. as the Duration at the bottom is manipulated. Delay magnitude "leaves some particles" around.
Motion type and delay type are worth checking off the top. Most of the other controls change the fine points of physical forces, like amount of randomization, alignment, spin speed, etc. Motion angle controls what "angle" the particles go offscreen at (err., that may be interpreted incorrectly, depending on semantics).
When I hook up a Billboard to lay on top, it fails (the Billboard). Since there isn't a blend, the Sandstorm patch itself, doesn't play nice when trying to place a Billboard under.
Even with all of that... it's pretty darn snazzy. It's a lot like Kineme Image particle, but with more options.
You're right.
It does need to be fed [ feed the goat :-)], but it still crashes out in a short space of time. [mere seconds] I think this went into a stand alone type of application.
Oh, it doesn't crash for me at all... but I am testing in 64bit mode.
ATI or nVidia card ?
I am on nVidia & 64 bit too [though have tried 32 bit also, just to be thorough]
The nVidia 9400/9600 macbook pro combo setup. 64 bit, SL, 10.6.4 something.
Well, I've tried this on 10.5.8, 10.6.4 32 bit and 10.6.4 64 bit, none of which work for very long even applying the guidelines given. Is it a combo only composition ?
Hmm, I'm not sure what combo only means (sorry, I must be having a totally dense moment). If you mean that it may only work on certain GPU's (eg., that combo and some others), I wouldn't be surprised. I note that it apparently does something somewhat out of the norm to QC's typical state of operation.
For example, the composition I posted works 100% stably (maybe it could be a little faster, but it's a decent amount of particles, and is doing image-> pixel analysis. However, whenever I start it, there is a time when it starts executing before it the image(s) successfully get(s) loaded by the input port(s). During this time, I can see execution failing in the log or console. It doesn't crash though.
However, if I take the video image that connects to the Sandstorm, place a Billboard on the Editor, and connect the video out to it, the Billboard now fails. So, it's doing something pretty overt to make regular consumers stop executing while it's executing.
You may want to consider turning off all of your logs/profiling/whatever in those GF foundation settings and see if it makes a dif. I'm using it, but a couple things are "iffy". OpenCL profiling seems to make things buggy sometimes (this may be placebo/bad seeds), and the GF windows make stuff laggy as well, as handy as they are when profiling. Also, if you have disabled VBO synch, re-enable, because that can also go awry.
FWIW, the VBO synch setting is buggy, because when you re-enable it, quit QC, reopen, VBO synch will still be disabled sometimes even when not reflected as such in the system settings (it's visually obvious). I've had to reboot a computer before to actually get VBO synch working again (though sometimes it works fine). I'm kind of remembering back on the flashing Viewer you were getting on that composition awhile back, seemingly aberrantly. Just because those system prefs are there doesn't mean they are all bug free. I would bet that tons of them haven't been updated in forever and a day. (That went off on a bit of an OT tangent, but it's pertinent in that I'm trying to flesh out possible reasons why that may be crashing for you and not me).
Certain settings where you can use mouse x/y to disturb particles are EXCEEDINGLY awesome.
i installed fx factory but can not seem to locate sandstorm any suggestions ?
Hmm. Idk. My suggestion would be to just go ahead and DL the sample qtz I attached, so you can go ahead and see it. Typing "sand" or "ni sand" narrows the Patch Library search to just the patch in question, for me.
This is a screengrab of some pretty clumsy tweaking of params on my part, but this shows what it basically looks like when in use. It can get a wider range of looks; there are tons of parameters and I'm still feeling it out. Really similar to Kineme (NI?) Image Particle, but a little different. Kineme Image Particle makes a little more sense, and doesn't have issues like this one has... but this has some pretty interesting control methods.
Combo - like two GPUs [combo] are available on a macbook, not only one, as on my iMac
I did end up sussing that out.
Kinda weird. Doesn't seem like that should be the thing that makes the difference.
I meant VBLSyncing.
Just been applying some of those key Alt Pref setting changes. Will research later after a restart.
looks interesting maybe i need to restart before this will show up.
Don't know if it helps but it works in 32 bit mode on a MBP 13" without dedicated graphic card... at 6 fps !