Arkaos GrandVJ User manual

!
REFERENCE!MANUAL!

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of ArKaos S.A. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced
or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by
ArKaos S.A.
All product and company names are ™ or © trademarks of their respective owners.
© ArKaos S.A. 2010. All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................5!
1.1 Installing ArKaos GrandVJ –PC......................................................................5!
1.2 Installing ArKaos GrandVJ –MAC...................................................................5!
1.3 Registering ArKaos GrandVJ...........................................................................5!
1.4 Registration process ........................................................................................6!
1.4.1 Activation Code.......................................................................................6!
1.4.2 Serial Key................................................................................................7!
1.4.3 Demo ......................................................................................................7!
2 INTRODUCTION TO THE SOFTWARE..................................................................8!
2.1 Basics ..............................................................................................................8!
2.2 Overview..........................................................................................................8!
2.3 Terminology .....................................................................................................9!
3 INTERFACE WALK-THROUGH............................................................................10!
3.1 Browser Panel ...............................................................................................11!
3.2 Master Preview ..............................................................................................11!
3.3 Banks............................................................................................................12!
3.4 Parameter Panel............................................................................................12!
3.5 Layer Preview (mixer mode only) ..................................................................12!
3.6 Tool bar..........................................................................................................13!
3.7 Help Box ........................................................................................................13!
4 USING THE APPLICATION ..................................................................................14!
4.1 Application Modes .........................................................................................14!
4.1.1 Synth Mode...........................................................................................14!
4.1.2 Mixer Mode ...........................................................................................14!
4.2 Controller Mapping ........................................................................................15!
5 REFERENCE.........................................................................................................16!
5.1 Managing Cells ..............................................................................................16!
5.1.1 Basics ...................................................................................................16!
5.1.2 Triggering and Mapping Cells...............................................................16!
5.1.3 Cell parameters.....................................................................................17!
5.1.4 Cell Parameter Mapping .......................................................................20!
5.1.5 Cell Copy / Paste ..................................................................................20!
5.2 Banks.............................................................................................................21!
5.2.1 Bank Control ........................................................................................21!
5.2.2 Bank Operations ...................................................................................21!
5.3 Layers (Mixer Mode)......................................................................................22!
5.3.1 Layer Previews .....................................................................................22!
5.3.2 Layer Parameters .................................................................................22!
5.3.3 Layer Control ........................................................................................23!
5.4 The Mapping List ...........................................................................................24!
6 THE PREFERENCES DIALOG .............................................................................25!
6.1 Display Tab....................................................................................................25!
6.2 MIDI ...............................................................................................................26!
6.3 Performances ................................................................................................26!
6.4 Output ............................................................................................................27!
6.5 Advanced.......................................................................................................27!
6.6 Registration....................................................................................................27!
7 PERFORMANCE AND SETUP CONSIDERATIONS ............................................28!
7.1 Movie Compression .......................................................................................28!
7.2 Widescreen & Multiscreen Presentation........................................................29!
7.3 Introduction ....................................................................................................29!
7.4 Definitions ......................................................................................................29!
7.4.2 Case Studies.........................................................................................30!
7.4.3 Monitor Setup For Wide Screen Or Multi-Screen Projection ................31!
7.5 Soft-Edge.......................................................................................................37!
7.5.1 Calibration.............................................................................................38!
8 SUPPORT, INFORMATION AND CONTACT .......................................................39!
8.1 Solutions ........................................................................................................39!
8.1.1 Users discussion forum.........................................................................39!
8.1.2 Knowledgebase articles........................................................................39!
8.1.3 Trouble ticket system............................................................................39!
8.1.4 Distributors and resellers ......................................................................39!
9 NOTES ..................................................................................................................40!

5
1INTRODUCTION
Welcome to ArKaos GrandVJ.
GrandVJ is ArKaosʼbrand new state-of-the-art video mixing and VJ software, allowing
unprecedented control over visual performances.
You can use GrandVJ to perform with visuals just like you would be playing an instrument,
either using the computer keyboard, a MIDI controller or a MIDI sequencer. Alternatively, you
can also use GrandVJ like an 8 channel video mixer, allowing full and precise control over each
individual channel.
Your audience wonʼt believe their eyes.
1.1 Installing ArKaos GrandVJ –PC
1. To ins tall the ArKaos GrandVJ software, insert the installation CD into your computerʼs
CD-ROM drive.
2. Double-click on the installation file, located in the root directory of the CD. This will
launch the InstallShield Wizard.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions. Please note that the installation program will scan for
available video components on your computer prior to installing the software. If there are
any components that are not up to date, please install them by clicking on their
corresponding buttonsbefore proceeding with the installation.
4. Once the installation is complete, click “Finish”. The ArKaos GrandVJ software is now
ready to be used.
5. Start GrandVJ by going to Start ArKaos GrandVJ ArKaos GrandVJ.
6. Follow the registration procedure described further in this document.
1.2 Installing ArKaos GrandVJ –MAC
1. To ins tall t he ArK a os Gr a ndV J s oft war e, insert the installation CD into your computerʼs
CD-ROM drive.
2. Click on the ArKaos GrandVJ installer located on the CD.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Once installation is complete, you will see a shortcut on the desktop. The application will
also appear in your Applications ArKaos GrandVJ folder.
5. Start GrandVJ.
6. Follow the registration procedure described further in this document.
1.3 Registering ArKaos GrandVJ
Your software comes with an Activation Code. It is very important that you keep this code in a
safe place since it is the proof that you own a license and it might be needed later to re-install
the software or obtain future upgrades.
Important: the Activation Code is not the final code that will unlock the software on your
computer. To do so, you will need to obtain a Serial Key by sending us your MachineID code
and Activation Code.

6
The Serial Key is the code that unlocks GrandVJ to run on a specific computer. It is calculated
by combining the computerʼs MachineID - an 8 letters code that GrandVJ generates and which
identifies your computer -and the Activation Code, which is the proof that you own a license.
1.4 Registration process
The registration process is fairly easy. You have the choice to either unlock GrandVJ directly
from within the application itself (if you are working on a computer that is connected to the
internet) or to use a Serial Key that was obtained from our web site or during a previous
installation.
In any case, each Serial Key you generate is sent to you by mail as confirmation so you can
keep a trace i.e. if you need to re-install your computer.
When you start the application
unregistered, the registration
wizard appears.
This dialog allows you to choose
the registration method you would
like to use or to continue trying
GrandVJ in demo mode.
Note that your computerʼs
MachineID is displayed at the
bottom of the dialog; you will only
be able to unlock GrandVJ with a
Serial Key that was generated for
this MachineID
1.4.1 Activation Code
Choose the first option, “Activation Code”, and press next if you would like to unlock the
software directly from the application,through your Internet connection. This option is the
easiest but requiresthat GrandVJ can communicate with our servers and is not blocked by
a firewall or network policy restrictions.
Type your Activation Code in
the first field. If you have a
software box, the Activation
Code is printed on a sticker
that is attached to the
installation CD sleeve. If you
purchased a license online,
the Activation Code has been
sent to your e-mail.
The code is composed of four
groups of four capital letters
separated by hyphens, so a
total of 16 letters / 19
characters.
Here's an example:
ACBD-EFGH-FGHE-ACDE

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In the next fields you need to specify an e-mail address where you will receive an e-mail
with a copy of the generated Serial Key.
Once you have verified all the information, press next. The application will try to
communicate with our servers to obtain the Serial Key for your computer. If the registration
is successful, it will display a confirmation message on your screen.
1.4.2 Serial Key
Choose this option if you have already obtained a Serial Key for this computer.
This option is mainly used if the computer where you want to unlock GrandVJ is not
connected to the Internet. In that case, you will need to surf to our web site with another
computer -connected to the Internet -and generate a valid Serial Key for the computer
you want to run GrandVJ on. Remember every computer has a different MachineID and a
Serial Key will only unlock GrandVJ on the computer with the corresponding MachineID.
Important: before surfing to our web site to obtain a Serial Key, make sure to take note of
the computer's MachineID (displayed at the bottom of the registration window) and have
your Activation Code ready.
With a web browser, go to
http://www.arkaos.net/register/
and follow the instructions there to create a new customer account (if you donʼt have one
already) and obtain a Serial Key that matches your Machine ID code.
After completing the registration process you will receive an e-mail with your GrandVJ
Serial Key. The Serial Key is similar to the code below:
>>>>>>>>>>
JAJHBKDGPPJEADMKHOHICHBOIDBBGKEHPMADKNGMBOPJHPNJBDHMIKIANNAJFDNIAF
JEKDOIPGGFFIOMOBOOBJMGLFPLDOEGHPMODMFKHOFADKGLOGCHKDBEDACANBHPLDKH
DNLCCJCANBLNLFNLLILGGFBGILJFONLMLDFDBMPPHFEDFIABJGBOADJBEICNODHEJE
BLKMHDOKLDONCOOFHEJHECJOHNLDCPHPEHMIBPNBDCJOJNMOAHPAEOODBAGLODAEHP
<<<<<<<<<<
The easiest way to transfer
that code to GrandVJ is to
select the whole code by
highlighting it with your
mouse then copy it in the
clipboard ( [Ctrl]+C on a PC
or [Apple]+C on a Mac) and
paste it ( [Ctrl]+V on a PC or
[Apple]+V on a Mac) in the
dialog as shown in the picture
on the right.
When you press next your
application will be registered.
1.4.3 Demo
Choose this option to continue using GrandVJ in demo mode, you will not be able to save
your work and a banner will randomly appear in the output and in the master preview.

8
2 INTRODUCTION TO THE SOFTWARE
2.1 Basics
GrandVJ is a software application which allows you to seamlessly integrate real-time video with
any type of performance situation. Serving up to 8 layers of videos and boasting a very wide
array of effects and control parameters, it also allows full control of the software via MIDI,
Keyboards or external sequencers.
GrandVJ is designed to work using a dual video output computer setup. The main output will
display the interface of the software and the previews while the second output will send the full
resolution image to an external hardware display like a projector, a plasma screen, a video
mixer, etc.
For more information on setting up a proper dual output, see the ʻPreference Dialogʼand the
ʻWide Screen & Multi-Screen Presentationʼsections later in this document.
2.2 Overview
The software is organized along one main window that displays all of the information needed
during a performance. It shows the 8 individual layer outputs as well as the master preview (the
image which is sent to the full screen output) and a parameter panel with settings for each
layer.
Parameters can either be modified through the user interface, from the computer keyboard or
from a MIDI controller.
GrandVJ allows you to work with two different distinct modes:
1. The “synth” mode is where you play visuals like you would play an instrument. This is
very much like ArKaos VJ 3.x, where you define cells and their properties and you “stack”
cells on top each other by pressing simultaneous keys on the computer keyboard/MIDI
controller.
2. The “mixer” mode is where you can access the 8 individual layers and control them
individually. In this mode, GrandVJ becomes a full-featured 8 layer software video mixer.
When you first start the software, the full screen output is disabled by default. If you want to
send the full screen output to the second output of your card, activate full screen either by
selecting View Toggle Fullscreen or by pressing CTRL+F (Command+F on Mac). If you
donʼt have a proper dual output setup, the full screen will be activated on the main screen and
the main interface will disappear. To exit full screen mode, press CTRL+F/Command+F again.

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2.3 Terminology
In ArKaos GrandVJ, weʼve slightly changed the terminology used to refer to different application
features:
Visuals: Visual is a generic term encompassing everything which produces frames: this
can be images, videos, camera streaming, generators or flash animations
Effects: Effects are real-time processors which allow you to alter visuals. GrandVJ comes
with about 50 effects in various categories.
Generators: Generators are sound controlled graphical elements. They react to the sound
input from your sound card and are great to provided sound automated textures
Cells: Cells are placeholders to store a given combination of
visuals/effect/transparency/copy mode/position combination. When you 'trigger' a cell, you
send the content of the cell to the graphic engine. In synth mode, triggering cells stacks
them on top of each other. In mixer mode, triggering a cell will send it to the currently
selected layer.
Banks: Banks are combination of cells forming a mini library. There are two sets of 16
banks. The first bank set is laid out according to a matrix and referred to as the 'matrix
bankset'. The second is shaped as a MIDI keyboard layout and is referred to as the
'keyboard bankset'. The matrix bank size can be changed to match any controller layout
you would be using.
Layers: Layers represent stacksin the visual pipeline. Each layer has a set of properties
matching the cell properties: one visual, one effect, transparency, copy modes,
chroma/luma keying, position etc... GrandVJ is capable of displaying up to 8 layers. In
synth mode, layers are assigned automatically depending on the way you trigger cells and
their foreground/background property. In mixer mode, you have access to all the layer
properties individually.
Mapping: Mappings represent a way to “connect” an element from the software to a
control device (MIDI controllers, MIDI sequencers or the computer keyboard). You can
map the matrix bank cell triggers, control the layer/cell properties,as well as some of the
general controls of the software.
Project: A project is a collection of banks and cell definitions which are stored in a project
file for later use.
Previews: Allow you to preview the content of a layer or the main output. The main
preview window is always displayed and shows what is sent to the main output. In mixer
mode, individual layer previews are also available.

10
3 INTERFACE WALK-THROUGH
This section describesthe different application panels and their functionality. Depending on the
mode you are using (synth or mixer), not all panels may be available. Specifically,in synth
mode, the layer preview is not available.
Below is a full screenshot of the application:
Note: Most panels are resizable to accommodate various screen resolutions and the software
will remember different configurations for the synth and mixer mode. If you have enough
resolution, you can unwrap the tabs of the parameter panel for example, as in the example
above.

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3.1 Browser Panel
The left side of the application is dedicated to the browser section. The browser section
contains five tabs with the following items:
1. The file browser allows you to browse the
file system of your computer and drag and
drop files to a cell, to the visual library or to
the layer previews (in mixer mode).
2. The effect browser allows you to browse
the available effects. Effects are sorted
according to categories. The browser
allows you to drag and drop effects to a cell
or directly to a layer preview (in mixer
mode).
3. The source browser allows you to browse
visual elements; these include generators,
flash texts, and cameras available on the
system. The source browser allows you to
select a source and drag and drop it to a cell or a layer preview (mixer mode only).
4. The visual library contains the list of all the visuals that have been loaded in the session,
no matter if it they're currently assigned to a cell or not. You can drag and drop a library
element to a cell or to a layer preview (mixer mode only). The content of the visual library
is saved with the project and restored when the project is loaded.
If you load a lot of videos, they will keep accumulating in the visual library. To get rid of
videos that are neither running nor associated to a cell, select the 'purge visual' entry from
the edit menu
5. The mapping list provides a summary of activated MIDI and keyboard mappings. It also
providesadditional options not available through direct mapping, such as setting and type
of controller (for example, normal/incremental).
3.2 Master Preview
The master preview mirrors the main output of the
software. On the bottom of the preview panel, you will
also find control to fine tune the brightness and contrast
of the resulting image.

12
3.3 Banks
There are two sets of banks (or
banksets). One is in the shape of a MIDI
keyboard, the other one is matrix-
shaped:
Each bankset contains 16 banks,
arranged in tabs. Of those 16, only one
is 'active' at a time. The active bank is
the bank whose cells will be triggered
when you press a keyboard or MIDI
controller key. The active bank is marked
with a small red sign in its tab. Each
bank contains a certain number of cells
containing a visual, an effect and various mixing parameters. On the matrix banks, cells can be
triggered using one of three methods: Mouse, Keyboard or MIDI. The keyboard banks are only
triggered from a predefined MIDI scheme (reflecting its keyboard structure).
The number of cell (horizontally/vertically) in the matrix bank set is user-definable but is the
same across all banks.
3.4 Parameter Panel
The parameter panel allows
you to edit cell or layer
parameters. In synth mode,
only the cell parameters will
be accessible. In mixer
mode, both cell parameters
(for cue editing) and layer
parameters (to update one
of the running layers) will be
accessible.
The parameter panel also allows you to set up the MIDI mapping of either cell parameters
(synth mode only) or layer (mixer mode only).
3.5 Layer Preview (mixer mode only)
In mixer mode, the layer preview panel allows you to
preview layer content.Layers are organized from the bottom
up and each layer can be controlled independently. Next to
each layer preview are the following elements:
one transparency slider
one button to pause/restart the layer
one button to clear the layer
one button to map the layer selection and display the
layer, if it is running.

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3.6 Tool bar
The toolbar providesa series of buttonsand displays with the following functionality:
switches to synth or mixer mode
activates / deactivatesfull screen
displays MIDI activity
audio input meter + gain control
latch / hold (synth mode only)
kill all (stops all running layers)
3.7 Help Box
The help box is located under the browser section and displays contextual information about
the element over which the mouse is hovering.

14
4 USING THE APPLICATION
4.1 Application Modes
As we mentioned earlier, GrandVJ provides two very distinct modes of operation. It can function
as a visual instrument/performance tool or as a video-mixer. It is important to grasp the
difference between these modes in order to fully take advantage of them.
Internally, GrandVJ allows for up to 8 layers of stacked video. In synth mode, layer assignment
is done automatically depending on the order of triggering and the priority setting of the cell. In
mixer mode, the user controls the layer content directly, providing a 8 channel video mixer.
4.1.1 Synth Mode
This is the default mode of operation, which is loaded upon application startup. In this
mode, each cell triggered is,by default,stacked “on top” of the previous ones in the
graphic pipeline. A cell stays active from the moment it is triggered until it is released.
Cells are linked directly to the graphic pipeline, meaning that if you modify any parameter
of a cell running in the engine, it will be reported directly to the graphic pipeline. For this
reason, in synth mode, you can map cell parameters to controllers. You could,for
example,map the 'transparency' setting of a cell to a MIDI controller slider and bring it
from invisible to visible once it's been triggered.
It is also possible to assign a ʻpriorityʼvalue to cells. The priority has three values:
foreground, background and normal. If the cell is assigned a background priority, it will
always be 'stacked' under normal cells. Alternatively, if the cell is assigned a foreground
priority, it will always be stacked on top of the others. This is handy, for example, if you
want to have a logo or message continuously running above the rest while you're playing:
simply put the cell in foreground and it will stay on top, no matter what other cells you
trigger.
4.1.2 Mixer Mode
Mixer mode works very much like a video mixer. The main difference from the synth mode
is that you can decide which layer to send a cell to. Also, once a cell has been triggered on
a layer, the layer runs independently from the cell. Contrary to synth mode, modifying cell
properties in mixer mode won't affect ayer settings. You can, however, act directly on all
the layer parameters. To fade one layer out, you simply select it and use the parameter
panel to slowly change its transparency. Once a cell is triggered on a layer, it will run
continuously, even when you release the cell's key. To stop a visual from running on a
layer, simply press the stop button next to the layer preview.
In this mode, there is always one “selected” layer. The selected layer is the layer which will
receive any triggered cell. The currently selected layer can be changed by clicking on any
layer in the preview.
In addition to triggering cells on a layer, you can drag and drop visual, effects and sources
directly on the layer preview.
As we just explained, in mixer mode, you can still modify cell parameters but these will
only be active when the cell is triggered. For this reason, cell parameters cannot be
mapped in mixer mode. You can only map layer parameters.

15
4.2 Controller Mapping
Controller mapping is a very important part of using GrandVJ. Together with external MIDI gear,
MIDI sequencers or the computer keyboard, it is the key to creating your perfect live setup.
Controller mapping is fairly easy and can be achieved in two ways:
The first one is to toggle MIDI or keyboard mapping mode. Once toggled, all mappable
controls are highlighted in either green (for MIDI mapping) or blue (for keyboard mapping)
and mapping an element from the interface is just a matter of selecting the control and
moving the external control or hitting the key that you would like to map . After that is done,
exit mapping mode and you will be able to control the parameter directly from the
controller.
The second way is to right click the element you wish to map and choose either 'MIDI
mapping' or 'Keyboard mapping'. A dialog will pop up,allowing you to edit the mapping
parameters. You can also clear a control mapping by right-clicking it and selecting “clear
mappings”.
All the existing mappings are listed in the “mappings” tab of the browser section. You can edit
the mappings and delete them directly from there. Selecting a control on the interface will also
select the corresponding mapping in the browser.

16
5 REFERENCE
5.1Managing Cells
5.1.1Basics
Cells are the foundation of GrandVJ. Cells work like “cues” where you setup a combination of a
visual and/or an effect ready to be triggered at anytime.
To assi gn a vis ual t o a cel l, simply browse your file system for any movie or picture and drag
and drop it to the cell of your choice. You can achieve this either from GrandVJʼs integrated
browser or from your operating system's Finder / Explorer.
Note to PC users: by default, when running in full screen, GrandVJ uses a special DirectX mode called
“exclusive mode”. The exclusive mode is optimal in terms of performances but has one drawback: if you
activate any other application, full screen mode will quit. This prevents you from using the Windows Explorer
to drag and drop elements while running in fullscreen. If you wish to use the Explorer (or other applications)
while running GrandVJ in fullscreen, go to the Preferences dialog and remove the “force resolution” option
(see the ʻPreferences Dialogʼsection later in this document).
To assi gn an eff ect to a c ell , sim p ly go t o the “effect” tab in the browser
window and drag and drop an effect from the browser onto acell.
When a visual has been assigned to a cell, its thumbnail is displayed in
the cell, allowing you to quickly locate it. If an effect has been assigned
to a cell, a little lightning bolt is displayed it the top left corner.
Using this technique, you can start building collections of cell that you want to use during your
performance. In order to organize your cells, you have two setsof 16 banks: the matrix bankset
and the keyboard bankset. The matrix banks can be mapped to any keyboard/MIDI controllers
while the keyboard banks are pre-assigned to MIDI notes and cannot be triggered from the
keyboard.
5.1.2 Triggering and Mapping Cells
Once you have a set of cells containing visualsand/or effectsyou can trigger them so that they
'play' in the engine. Triggering cells in synth mode and in mixer mode is quite different. In synth
mode, a cell staysactive until you release the corresponding key. In mixer mode, a cell is
“copied” to a mixing layer and will continuously play until you either trigger another cell on that
layer or decide to stop it manually (see above for more description of the two modes)
There are 3 ways to trigger a cell:
using the mouse: simply click on the cell.
using the keyboard: if a cell is mapped to a keyboard key (the keyboard shortcut is shown
on the top right corner of the cell), simply depress the corresponding key.
using a MIDI controller: if your cell is mapped to a MIDI controller, you can trigger it by just
pressing the corresponding key on the controller.
If you don't have any mapping set up (on the matrix bank) you can very easily define a new
mapping by toggling the application in 'mapping' mode. Note that the mapping is the same
across all banks. If the mapping for the top left cell is 'A' it will be 'A' for all banks from 1 to 16.
Cells are always triggered from the active bank, designated by a red tab.

17
5.1.2.1 Editing Keyboard Mapping
To def ine /ch ange a k eyb oard m app i ng of any controllable element in
GrandVJ, the easiest is to toggle the application in keyboard
mapping mode. To do so, go to the menu Options Edit Keyboard
Mapping. All controllable elements will turn blue.
You can edit the mapping of any element by clicking it (it will be
surrounded by a black outline) and pressing the keyboard key you
would like to assign to it. Exit the keyboard mapping edit mode by
selecting Options Edit Keyboard Mapping again.
5.1.2.2 MIDI Mapping Mode
To def ine /ch ange t he MI DI ma p pin g of an y c ont rol lab le el ement, you
follow a similar procedure. Toggle the application by selecting
Options Edit Keyboard Mapping, select a control and activate
the key/controller you would like to assign to it. All controllable
elementswill turn green when editing MIDI mapping.
Additionally, you can edit mappings in the mapping browser window
or by right-clicking any controllable element. See the “Mapping”
section later in this chapter.
5.1.2.3 Latch and Hold
The latch and hold buttons on the tool bar add flexibility to triggering cells in synth mode.
Normally, a cell runs as long as the corresponding keyboard/MIDI key is held down. If latch is
activated, triggering a cell will work in a toggling fashion. The first time you trigger the cell, it is
activated, the second time it is deactivated. The hold button can be used to 'hold' all running
cells, meaning that once the cells have been triggered, you can release the corresponding
key(s) and the cells will continue to run, until you retrigger the cells.
5.1.3 Cell parameters
Toge the r wit h the vi sua l and effe ct as s ign ed to a c e ll, y ou ca n als o d efine a wh ole s e t of
parameters that will influence the way your visual is displayed. All of the parameters are
contained in the parameter panel and are grouped in four tabs: Visual, Effects, Mixing and
Position/Size.
Note that if your screen is big enough, you can undock the tabs and to see all four tab contents
at the same time.
To edi t the p aram ete rs of a n y cel l, sim ply r igh t-click the cell. The cell will be highlighted to show
it is currently being edited.

18
5.1.3.1 Visual Tab
The visual tab controls what visual is assigned to the cell and how it will be played.
The visual thumbnail shows
the visual assigned to the
cell. If you wish, you can
directly drag and drop a
visual from the file browser
on the thumbnail rather than
on the cell itself.
The two arrows on each side of the cell allow you to browse through all the available
visuals. This includesany visuals already opened in the project (and listed in the 'Visuals'
browser),as well as cameras and generators. Use the left arrow to go to the previous
visual and the right one to go to the next one
Loop modes allow you to define how the visual will be played back. The modes include, in
order: forward loop, backward loop, forward once, backward once, ping-pong, start frame,
end frame.
The speed setting allows you to control playback speed: The center position is 0% (still),
all the way to the right is forward at 400% (4 times faster than nominal playback) and all
the way to the left is backward at 400%. Note that, like most controls in GrandVJ, you can
reset the speed to its default value (nominal playback) by right clicking the control and
selecting 'default value'. You can also reset any slider to its default value by using
Ctrl+Click [PC] / Alt+Click [Mac].
The segment widget allows you to define a subset of a movie. The start and end point
define which frames will be used for the actual playback region of the movie. Note that it's
very handy to setup the playback mode to either 'start frame' or 'end frame' when setting
up the segment since it will continuously display the reference point you modify.
The text setting is only for flash animations that support text replacement. If this field is
active, it means you can enter any text to be displayed when playing the flash file.
The priority setting is only available in synth mode (see earlier in this document for a
description of the synth & mixer mode). If the priority is set 'background', the cell will be
triggered “under” already running visuals, if it is set to “foreground”, it will run on top of
cells that have either a regular or background priority.
5.1.3.2 Effect Tab
The effect tab shows the cell effect and effect parameters.
Just as the visuals, you can
directly drag an effect from the
effect browser and drop it on the
effect thumbnail.
You can also browse the effects
using the next/previous arrows
located alongside the effect
thumbnail.
Each effect can have up to 4
parameters. The parameters and
their values are displayed next
to the effect thumbnail.

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5.1.3.3 Mixing Tab
The mixing tab controls the way the cell are “composited” with the underlying layers.
The transparency setting
controls how the visual will be
mixed with the underlying layer.
If the transparency is set to zero,
the visual will be completely
invisible. If it is set to the
maximum and no copy/mask
mode is selected, the visual will
be opaque, possibly hiding them
completely. Changing the
transparency allows you to do
fade ins/fade outs.
The copy modes express how pixelsfrom the cell are going to be combined with the ones
of the underlying layers. In the default mode, pixel colors are mixed together, with a
blending value depending on the transparency, like a traditional mixer. GrandVJ also
allows you to use other ways to combine the pixels: In addition modes, the pixelsfrom the
cell are going to be added to the ones of the underlying layers; In subtraction mode, they
will be subtracted; the multiplication mode multiplies pixels together while the two last
modes do a luminosity comparison, taking the pixel that has either the lowest or highest
brightness.
The masking modes are used for luminance/chrominance masking. Masking allows you to
'remove' part of the visual based on either the brightness (luminance keying) or color
(chrominance keying). Each mode needs the definition of a 'filter' that express which
values are let through and which values are not. Depending on whether you choose 'pass'
or 'reject' filters, the filter definition will be used to either keep or reject pixels.
Here's the example of a chrominance filter
definition:
The color bar allows you to define the center color around which the filter will be
computed. Click and drag inside it to change the center/reference color. The top handles
specify the width of the color range. The larger it is, the more colors will be
passed/rejected. The bottom handles definesthe slope or 'smoothness' of the filter. The
larger it is, the smoother the transition gradient from passed to rejected colors will be.
The color settings can be usedto change the tint of the visual. Each of the R,G,B sliders
remove a certain amount of that component from the original visual.
The preset button (down arrow) allows you to quickly select a combination of mask mode,
copy mode and color settings from a list of presets.

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5.1.3.4 Position / Size Tab
The position/size tab specifies how the visual will be positioned on the screen.
The position setting moves
the visual on the screen.
The z position acts like a
zoom.
The size setting altersthe
size of the visual on the
screen.
The rotation parameters specifya 3D rotation of the object on which the visual is mapped.
Next to each axis slide is a button which specifies whether the rotation value is an
absolute value or a continuous rotation speed.
The shape controls map the visual on various 3D shapes: you can select between plane,
cube or sphere.
The tiling parameter specifies how many timesthe visual is to be tiled (repeated) on the
3D shape.
The preset menu (down arrow) selectspredefined combinations for the position/size
parameters.
5.1.4 Cell Parameter Mapping
In synth mode only, most cell parameters are mappable. To map any parameter to either a
computer keyboard key or MIDI controller, simply toggle the application in MIDI/Keyboard
mapping mode; select the control to map and move the desired controller. Note that in mixer
mode, the cells parameters are merely 'copied' to a running layer and there is no way to map
them to remote control. The live controls in mixer mode are assigned to layer parameters (see
further).
All controls can also be reset to their default values by right-clicking on the control and selecting
'default value' from the pop-up menu.
5.1.5 Cell Copy / Paste
In addition to building cells from scratch, there are ways that you can copy content or cell
parameters to other cells:
Dragging one cell to another cell will duplicate all the settings from the source cell to the
target cell.
Right-clicking on a cell allowsyou to select copy/cut/paste the cell content from/to the
clipboard. It will also allow you to clear the cell completely or to remove its effect or visual.
Please note that since right-clicking a cell is also used to select it for edition, you need to
hold the right click for a little while before the menu shows up.
Alternatively, you can also select a cell and select copy/cut/paste from the menu or use the
keyboard shortcut.