Walker Effects Manual
- Installation
- Alpha Tool
- Channel Composite
- Channel Lighting
- Channel Noise
- Channel Offset
- Channel Range
- Channel Viewer
- Color Composite
- Color Fill
- Colorize
- Color Space
- Composite
- Crazy Stripes
- Glow
- Gradient Designer
- Light Wrap
- Stargate
- Super Histogram
Stargate
This plug-in simulates the slit scan process used in the Stargate sequence of the classic movie '2001: A Space Odyssey'. The original technique used an automated camera rig that would slowly create one film frame at a time by exposing a thin horizontal line that moves across a back lit image while the camera also moves.
For more information about the slit scan technique see Underman's 2001 Slitscan
For more information about the slit scan technique see Underman's 2001 Slitscan
View Mode
The View Mode is useful for isolating specific parts of the plug-in. Only relevant effect controls will be enabled for each View Mode.Source Layer
This displays the unaltered Source Layer. If 'None' is selected then the layer on which the effect is applied will be used.Depth Map
Use this View Mode to see the Depth Map rendered by itself. The Depth Map will have an alpha channel and will be rendered in color. If the Depth Map is not enabled, a red X will be rendered instead.Final Output
To render the complete effect use this View Mode. Only in this mode will all effect controls be available.Source Layer
The Source Layer specifies the input layer for Stargate. If 'None' is selected then the layer on which the effect is applied will be used. If you are using a large source layer, it is most efficient to apply Stargate to a solid that is the same size as the composition, and use the Source Layer menu to select the larger image.Display Mode
The Display Mode controls what portion of the effect is rendered. There are 3 options:Both Planes
The standard Display Mode uses two planes: an upper and lower plane. Each plane has independent offset controls, but share the same horizon.Upper Plane Only
Using this Display Mode will cause only the top portion of the effect to render. This can be useful if you want to build the Stargate effect in pieces. For example, you could use 2 Stargate plug-ins on different layers with alternate Source Layers to create more elaborate effects.Lower Plane Only
This Display Mode will render only the lower plane, but operates in similar fashion to the Upper Plane Display Mode.Position
The Position determines the center of the Stargate horizon. This allows you to move the effect anywhere, including offscreen to create interesting effects.Rotation
This controls the angle of the horizon. The two planes will always rotate around the Position point. This control can help break up the monotony of an upper and lower plane by putting them on an angle.Slit Scan Controls
The following controls affect how the upper and lower planes are created, including their apparent perspective and speed.Direction
Use this control to determine which direction the slit scan traverses over the image. The default direction is from the top of the image to the bottom. By changing the Direction you can further obscure the source layer and create more abstract animations.Width
The Width of the slit scan controls the apparent size of the upper and lower planes. Larger Width values will create more distortion and will appear to make the perspective more dramatic.Length
This controls how much the image is stretched from the horizon. The larger the Length value, the more streaky the effect will become.Speed
Speed controls the automatic animation of Stargate and controls how fast the image is passing by. Motion blur can be used to help smooth out fast motion.Offset
The Offset controls the starting point of the scan along the Direction vector. You can animate the Offset manually if you prefer not to use Speed.Taper
The appearance of perspective is controlled by Taper. Increasing Taper will deepen the perspective and distort the image more.Curvature
Curvature works in conjunction with Taper to produce an arc to the shape of the planes. Negative values will give the planes a concave feeling, while positive values will bend the planes outward and away.Upper Offset & Lower Offset
To provide variation between the upper and lower planes, you can use the Upper and Lower Offset controls. These controls effectively move the position of the slit scan to different points on the image to produce different results.Edge Behavior
This controls how the layer behaves when the edges are reached. Choosing mirror or tile will repeat the image infinitely in all directions, creating an endless loop of data.Depth Map
To help further aid in the illusion of perspective and depth you can use the Depth Map to produce a fog-like effect. This is great for hiding the horizon with a glowing abyss or simply fading it to nothing.Enable
To use the Depth Map, the enable checkbox must be on.Size
The Size controls how far from the horizon the map covers. A larger value will cover more of the image.Bias
Bias can be used in conjunction with Size to produce a more gradual falloff of the Depth Map. Small Bias values will produce a sharper dropoff, while larger values will produce a much more gradual build-up mostly around the horizon.Invert
The Depth Map can be inverted by turning this checkbox on. Invert is calculated after the controls above.Apply To Alpha
When this option is enabled, the Depth Map will be rendered directly to the transparency of the layer and will not affect the color channels. This can be useful if you want to composite and blend Stargate over a background layer.Color
This determines the color of the Depth Map which is composited over the effect using the Composite Mode. Color is not available when Apply To Alpha is on.Composite Mode
The Composite Mode determines how the Depth Map is combined with the Stargate effect. You can use Add, for example, to create a glowing horizon.Preserve Transparency
When this checkbox is enabled, the Depth Map will not modify the alpha channel of the layer. This option only really applies when the Source Layer has transparency. Otherwise, the affect of this control will be unapparent.Opacity
The final affect of the Depth Map is controlled by this slider. If set to 0, the Depth Map will not render.Motion Blur Samples
Motion blur can be used with Stargate to help smooth motion and create more fluid effects. More samples will produce smoother motion but will take longer to render. To enable motion blur, the switches must be enabled for the layer and composition. In the Timeline Window, motion blur is enabled by toggling the [/] next to each layer and turning on the [M] button at the top of the column.