Hypertext Compositor - An Interactive Documentation & Walkthrough Tool for Compers

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AndrewHazelden
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Hypertext Compositor - An Interactive Documentation & Walkthrough Tool for Compers

#1

Unread post by AndrewHazelden »

A new tool called "Hypertext Compositor" is available in Reactor for creating e-documentation and templated comp walkthroughs. It is accessible in the Reactor "Docs" category.
Reactor View.png

Overview

The Hypertext Compositor script looks for an HTML formatted sidecar .htm webpage file in the same folder as a .comp file. This allows you to pass along an illustrated guide about the composite to other users.

Hypertext Compositor supports the use of custom Fusion comp based HTML "a href" anchor codes to create guided tutorials that can control the Fusion timeline, adjust comp settings, add nodes/macros/media/3D models, run scripts, and display content in the viewer window when you click on the hyperlinks in Fusion 16/Resolve 16. If you Shift+Click on a hyperlink a preview of the URL will be displayed.
HTML Link URL Preview.png
In Fusion v16/Resolve v16 you can also drag an .htm file from your desktop and drop it in the Nodes view and the webpage will be displayed in a new window.

Hypertext Compositor was inpired by an old-school Fusion term called "SBS" or Side-by-Side that was used to represent an approach where a lua script could be run by Fusion as soon as a .comp file of the same name was opened. The Hypertext Compositor extends this Side-by-Side system to support comp specific documentation.

Hypertext Compositor Screenshots

Here are two screenshots that show the Hypertext Compositor window active with a side-by-side webpage loaded. The clickable links are able to help guide the usage of the composite that is open.
ht-screenshot.jpg
ht-view.png

Hypertext Compositor Usage

If you had a composite called "wesuckless.comp", the SBS HTML formatted sidecar file would be named "wesuckless.htm". When the composite is opened using the "File > Open..." or "File > Open Recent > " menu items, the matching HTML guide would be displayed automatically.

Hypertext Compositor Editor

An HTML code editor is provided that makes it easy to live-edit and preview the .htm documentation with the images visible, and special clickable hyperlinks are active, too. At the top left of the Editor UI is a ComboBox menu that allows you to quickly add the commands to control a Fusion session.
hypertext-comp-editor.png
This video clip shows two hyperlinks being used to add a node to a comp, and rename the node. Almost anything an artist can do, Hypertext Compositor, has the capacity to help you automate and do as part of a custom workflow guide/documentation webpage in Fusion:




SBS-Hypertext-Compositor.mp4

Images

The HTML Viewer supports PNG images. You can refer to the media using a PathMap based image embedding source URL. To display an image with a relative path starting at the same folder as your .comp/.htm file is located use:

<img src="Comp:/example.png">

or you could make a "docs" subfolder in your comp directory using and display the image using:

<img src="Comp:/docs/example.png">

HTML Anchor Commands

Select a node by name:
<p><a href="Select://Saver1">Saver</a></p>

View the selected node:
<p><a href="View://">View Selected Node</a></p>

View the selected node on the left viewer:
<p><a href="ViewLeft://">View Selected on Left</a></p>

View the selected node on the right viewer:
<p><a href="ViewRight://">View Selected on Right</a></p>

View a node by name:
<p><a href="View://FastNoise1">FastNoise1</a></p>

View a node on the left viewer by name:
<p><a href="ViewLeft://FastNoise1">FastNoise1</a></p>

View a node on the right viewer by name:
<p><a href="ViewRight://FastNoise1">FastNoise1</a></p>

Frame a view
<p><a href="FrameAll://FlowView">FrameAll FlowView</a></p>

Rename the selected node:
<p><a href="Rename://CharlieLoader">Rename the node to CharlieLoader</a></p>

Render a node by name:
<p><a href="Render://Saver1">Saver</a></p>

Start the sequence playback:
<p><a href="Play://">Play</a></p>

Rewind the playback:
<p><a href="Rewind://">Rewind Playback</a></p>

Go to a specific frame in the timeline:
<p><a href="Time://12">Jump to frame 12</a></p>

Nudge the Playhead in the timeline to step between keyframes and inbetween keyframes:
<p><a href="NudgePlayhead://Right">Nudge Playhead Right</a></p>
<p><a href="NudgePlayhead://Left">Nudge Playhead Left</a></p>

Stop the playback:
<p><a href="Stop://">Stop the Playback</a></p>

Save the composite:
<p><a href="Save://">Save the .comp</a></p>

Load a composite:
<p><a href="Load://Comp:/sidecar_demo_end.comp">Load a .comp</a></p>
<p><a href="Load://Reactor:/Deploy/Comps/Templates/UT_Anonymous_Water.comp">Load a .comp</a></p>

Add a macro:
<p><a href="AddSetting://Reactor:/Macros/Creator/NyanCat.setting">Add the NyanCat macro</a></p>

Add a node:
<p><a href="AddTool://GridWarp">Add GridWarp node</a></p>

Add a Loader node:
<p><a href="AddMedia://Comp:/Render/image.0000.exr">Add an image</a></p>
<p><a href="AddMedia://Reactor:/Deploy/Macros/KartaVR/Images/latlong_wide_ar.jpg">Add an image</a></p>

Run a script:
<p><a href="RunScript://Reactor:/Deploy/Scripts/Comp/hos_SplitEXR_Ultra.lua">Split the selected EXR image</a></p>

Open Reactor:
<p><a href="AddAtom://">Open the Reactor package manager</a></p>

Toggle the passthrough mode on a node:
<p><a href="PassthroughOn://Loader1">Passthrough On Loader1</a></p>
<p><a href="PassthroughOff://Loader1">Passthrough Off Loader1</a></p>

Toggle the passthrough mode on the currently selected node:
<p><a href="PassthroughOn://">Passthrough On Selected Node</a></p>
<p><a href="PassthroughOff://">Passthrough Off Selected Node</a></p>

Run a shell command from the terminal:
<p><a href="Shell://env">List environment variables on Mac/Linux</a></p>
<p><a href="Shell://set">List environment variables on Windows</a></p>

Run a Lua/Python command:
<p><a href="Execute://Print([=[Hello World]=])">Print "Hello World" in the Fusion Console</a></p>

Run a Fusion action:
<p><a href="DoAction://App_CustomizeHotkeys">Run the Customize Hotkeys Action</a></p>

Lock the comp to suppress file dialogs:
<p><a href="Lock://">Lock the Comp</a></p>

Unlock the comp to show file dialogs:
<p><a href="Unlock://">Unlock the Comp</a></p>

Undo the last action:
<p><a href="Undo://">Undo</a></p>

Redo the last action:
<p><a href="Redo://">Redo</a></p>

Show a preference window:
<p><a href="ShowPrefs://PrefsScript">Show the scripting preference window</a></p>

Import an ABC file:
<p><a href="AbcImport://">Import ABC Mesh</a></p>

Import an FBX/OBJ file:
<p><a href="FBXImport://">Import FBX/OBJ Mesh</a></p>

Import an SVG Vector file:
<p><a href="SVGImport://">Import SVG Vector</a></p>

Import a Shape file:
<p><a href="ShapeImport://">Import Shape</a></p>

Toggle the display of the Bins window:
<p><a href="Bins://">Toggle Bin Window</a></p>

Toggle the display of the Render Manager window:
<p><a href="RenderManager://">Toggle Render Manager Window</a></p>
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ShadowMaker SdR
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Re: Hypertext Compositor - An Interactive Documentation & Walkthrough Tool for Compers

#2

Unread post by ShadowMaker SdR »

Andrew, the fruits of your brain never seize to amaze me. Single handedly you've brought back text buttons through hyperlink to Fusion! :-)
Just kidding, but what a wonderful project you've created here. Impressive, most impressive!

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Re: Hypertext Compositor - An Interactive Documentation & Walkthrough Tool for Compers

#3

Unread post by SecondMan »

What can I say, Andrew?

This is wonderful. And fun, too! This could take documenting and templating to a whole new level. Not just for accompanying large and complex tools and projects, but also quick interactive guides that are easily shared. Fantastic!

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Re: Hypertext Compositor - An Interactive Documentation & Walkthrough Tool for Compers

#4

Unread post by danell »

Wow! Thanks for your great work! Does the cursor also get animated or was it just a bug in the video that showed two cursors?

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Re: Hypertext Compositor - An Interactive Documentation & Walkthrough Tool for Compers

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Unread post by SecondMan »

danell wrote: 5 years agoDoes the cursor also get animated
Try it! :)

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Hypertext Compositor v1.1 Released via Reactor

#6

Unread post by AndrewHazelden »

There is a new v1.1 update to Hypertext Compositor available in Reactor. The tool is slowly getting better and better. :)

The HypertextCompositor.fu file uses the Drag_Drop event to allow Fusion .comp files to be double-clicked on in a desktop Explorer (Win), Finder (macOS), or Nautilus (Linux) folder browsing window. Then the corresponding Hypertext Compositor .htm file is automatically opened up in an HTML viewer window in Fusion alongside the .comp file.

Also, the HypertextCompositor.fu file was revised today to use the Comp_Opened event as a hybrid way to replace the need to use the two more task specfic and granular Comp_Open and Comp_Recent_Open events. This combined Comp_Opened event option makes it simpler and easier to handle the "File > Open..." and "File > Open recent > ..." menu entries in a .fu file.

TIL I learned about Comp_Opened for the first time, and it's now in use. Neato! :D

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Re: Hypertext Compositor - An Interactive Documentation & Walkthrough Tool for Compers

#7

Unread post by AndrewHazelden »

Hypertext Compositor v1.2 has been posted in Reactor. This revision improves the Resolve v17+ compatibility of the toolset.

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Re: Hypertext Compositor - An Interactive Documentation & Walkthrough Tool for Compers

#8

Unread post by BlazingViper »

Hey Andrew when I use the AddTool: command the animate cursor doesnt have tranparency.
Image

Im using fusion 19. Any clue how to fix it?