S_Zap Generates lightning bolts between two points, and renders them over a background. Increase the number of bolts to give a electrical plasma effect. Increase Vary Endpoint to spread out the ends of the bolts. Adjust the Glow Color for differently colored results. The Wiggle Speed parameter causes the bolts to automatically undulate over time. In the Sapphire Render effects submenu. Inputs: Background:  The current layer.   The clip to use as background.

Parameters:

Bolts:   Integer,  Default: 1,  Range: 1 to 500.
The number of lightning bolts to draw, each between the Start and End location.

Start:   X & Y,   Default: [180 436],  Range: any.
The starting point of the bolts.

End:   X & Y,   Default: [540 50],  Range: any.
The end point of the bolts. This parameter can be adjusted using the End Widget.

Vary Endpoint:   Default: 0,  Range: 0 or greater.
Offsets the End location by a random amount within a circle of this radius. If Bolts is greater than 1, this can be useful to spread out the different End points. For example, you can create multiple radiating bolts by increasing this radius and placing the End point near the Start point. This parameter can also be adjusted using the End Widget, after it is made positive.

Bolt Width:   Default: 5,  Range: 0 or greater.
The width of the lightning bolts.

Vary Width:   Default: 0,  Range: 0 to 1.
The amount of random variation in the width of the bolts along their lengths.

End Pointiness:   Default: 0.1,  Range: 0 to 1.
Determines how pointed the end of the bolts are. If 0, the entire bolt will have equal width. If 1, the bolts will thin out along their entire length for a pointed end. If it is .5, the bolts will start thinning out half way between the start and end points.

Wiggle Start:   Default: 0,  Range: 0 or greater.
By default the bolts automatically wiggle over time. This parameter provides a starting offset for these bolt perturbations.

Wiggle Speed:   Default: 1,  Range: 0 or greater.
The speed at which the bolts are perturbed automatically over time. To animate changes in speed, set this to zero and animate the Wiggle Start parameter instead.

Jitter Frames:   Integer,  Default: 0,  Range: 0 or greater.
If this is 0, the same random lightning will be used for every frame processed. If it is 1, different random lightning is used for each frame. If it is 2, new random lightning is used for every other frame, and so on.

Rand Seed:   Default: 0.123,  Range: 0 or greater.
Used to initialize the random number generator. The actual seed value is not significant, but different seeds give different random lightning bolts, and the same value should give a repeatable result.

Wrinkle Amp:   Default: 1,  Range: 0 or greater.
Scales the amount of wrinkles in the bolts. Decrease for straighter smoother bolts or increase for more kinky bolts.

Curve Amp:   Default: 0.5,  Range: 0 or greater.
Similar to Wrinkle Amp but affects the general path of the bolt. If decreased, the bolt will stay closer to the line between the Start and End points. If increased it can wander further away from this line. This differs from the Wrinkle Amp parameter in that it can be used to make straighter bolts while still keeping the wrinkles at the detailed level.

Branchiness:   Default: 1,  Range: 0 to 20.
Scales the number of additional bolts that branch from the main bolt. Set this to 0 for basic bolts with no extra branches.

Branch Angle:   Default: 65,  Range: 0 to 180.
The maximum angle of the random branches relative to the bolt they are branching off of. If this is 0 the branches will be more lined up with the main bolt. With larger values the branches will be more perpendicular to the main bolt.

Branch Length:   Default: 0.5,  Range: 0 to 1.
The maximum length of the branches relative to the distance between the Start and End points.

Glow Bright:   Default: 2,  Range: 0 or greater.
Scales the brightness of the glow applied to the lightning.

Glow Color:   Default rgb: [0.5 0.5 1].
The color of the glow applied to the lightning.

Glow Width:   Default: 20,  Range: 0 or greater.
The width of the glow applied to the lightning.

Glow Width Red:   Default: 0.5,  Range: 0 or greater.
The relative red width of the glow.

Glow Width Grn:   Default: 1,  Range: 0 or greater.
The relative green width of the glow.

Glow Width Blue:   Default: 1.5,  Range: 0 or greater.
The relative blue width of the glow.

Affect Alpha:   Default: 1,  Range: 0 or greater.
If this value is positive the output Alpha channel will include some opacity from the lightning and its glow. The maximum of the red, green, and blue brightness is scaled by this value and combined with the background Alpha at each pixel.

Zap Bright:   Default: 1,  Range: 0 or greater.
Scales the brightness of the lightning bolts.

Zap Color:   Default rgb: [1 1 1].
The color of the lightning. If you want to keep the lightning bolt itself bright white, you can still affect the perceived color by adjusting the Glow Color instead.

Start Offset:   Default: 0,  Range: 0 to 1.
The offset from the start point to begin drawing the bolts. This can be useful for animating a lightning strike.

Length:   Default: 1,  Range: 0 to 1.
The length of the bolts, beginning at Start Offset. If less than 1, the bolts will not be drawn all the way from start to end. This can be useful for animating a lightning strike.

Bg Brightness:   Default: 1,  Range: 0 or greater.
Scales the brightness of the background before combining with the lightning. If 0, the result will contain only the lightning image over black.

Combine:   Popup menu,  Default: Screen.
Determines how the lightning and glow are combined with the Background.

Screen:  performs a blend function which can help prevent overly bright results.

Add:  causes the lightning to be added to the background. This gives brighter glows over light backgrounds.

Opacity:   Popup menu,  Default: Normal.
Determines the method used for dealing with opacity/transparency.

All Opaque:  Use this option to render slightly faster when the input image is fully opaque with no transparency (alpha=1).

Normal:  Process opacity normally.

As Premult:  Process as if the image is already in premultiplied form (colors have been scaled by opacity). This option also renders slightly faster than Normal mode, but the results will also be in premultiplied form, which is sometimes less correct.

Show Vary Endpoint: Check-box, Default: off.
Turns on or off the screen user interface for adjusting the Opacity parameter.This parameter only appears on AE and Premiere, where on-screen widgets are supported.

See Also:

ZapTo ZapFrom Sapphire Plug-ins Introduction

© 2007, GenArts, Inc. All rights reserved.