Chapter 1: Introduction

This manual documents the features and use of RAYZ 2.2, a 2D compositing software application that runs native on IRIX, Linux, and Windows operating systems.

In This Chapter

How to Use This Manual

Other Sources of Information About RAYZ

Contacting Silicon Grail

What's New in Version 2.2

How to Use This Manual

This manual does not presume to be a compositing textbook, and readers are assumed to be experienced digital compositors. However, the backgrounds of compositing professionals in today's effects facilities can vary greatly. For example, your previous experience may be in

Each of these areas provides a different focus of expertise, as well as a different jargon. (In fact, the terminology relating to a number of 2D and 3D techniques varies from facility to facility.)

Given this situation, this manual attempts to strike a balance between explaining too little and too much about the topics it needs to address. For example, a compositor with a film background may understand the intricacies of log-to-linear conversion for the Cineon film format, while a compositor with a C programming background may have no trouble writing complex expressions.

No matter what your background may be, we recommend that you at least skim the chapters of this manual that cover topics in which you are already experienced. For example, even if you are familiar with Cineon conversion issues, it will be profitable to find out how RAYZ handles this conversion, what options for Cineon conversion are available, and exactly what we mean by the Cineon-related terms we use.

The Fastest Way to Find Information

In addition to using the Index, you should also take a moment now to familiarize yourself with the structure of this manual, so that you can find the exact information you need when you need it.

The chapters in part 2 cover basic concepts relating to building nodes into a network that defines a shot and using the tools common to most operations. They also explain how to import and render images, and how to customize the RAYZ interface and set up preferences to fit the way you work and the type of shot you are building.

This knowledge is assumed in the node reference chapters in part 3, which are designed to be consulted for specific and detailed information about the use of individual node parameters.

The appendixes in part 4 provide technical details about specific topics covered in the main chapters. This information falls into two categories, information that is needed only rarely or information that is common to many node operations and therefore has been gathered in one place for frequent, easy reference.

Descriptor Conventions Used

This manual describes keyboard and mouse actions in terms of keys pressed and mouse buttons clicked. "Click" is always synonymous with "left-click," that is, with pressing the left mouse button. The shorthand terms "middle-click" and "right-click" are often used to refer to the action of clicking the middle mouse button and right mouse button respectively.

The term "drag" refers to holding down the left mouse button as you move the mouse; similarly, "middle-drag" and "right-drag" refer to dragging with the middle and right mouse buttons. "Hold" refers to holding down the left mouse button, usually to access a menu list, while "middle-hold" and "right-hold" refer to holding down the middle and right mouse buttons.

"Hotkey" is the term used to identify keyboard equivalents, also known as keyboard shortcuts. Hotkeys can be pressed to issue commands in lieu of using the mouse to click buttons or pull down menus. Hotkeys may or may not include modifier keys.

Modifier keys--the Control, Shift, and Alt keys on the keyboard--are held down as another key is pressed or as a mouse button is clicked or held to modify the action. Commands that use modifier keys are often referred to in abbreviated form, such as "Ctrl-click" for holding down the Control key as the left mouse button is clicked.

Terms That Have Specific Meanings in RAYZ

The terms "size" and "resolution" refer to spatial resolution; that is, to width and height, usually expressed in pixel units.

The level of color resolution is referred to as bit depth, and bit depth is always per channel of an image. RAYZ operates in 8-bit (per channel), 16-bit (per channel), and floating point (32-bit per channel) bit depth. The image data referred to is in linear space, unless log is explicitly stated--as in "10-bit log data"--or unless the term "Cineon" is used.

The terms "float" and "floating point" in reference to colorspace indicate the highest level of precision in RAYZ, equivalent to 32-bits per channel. These terms are also often used interchangeably with "fractional" or "decimal" to specify floating point as opposed to integer values. For example, white would be expressed as 65535 in 16-bit and as 1.0 in floating point units.

Other Sources of Information About RAYZ

Online Help System

The entire manual is available in HTML format from the RAYZ Help menu. In addition, if you turn on the Help Tags option in the Help menu, popup help text appears when you mouse over objects in the interface.

Printable Manual

The RAYZ Manual is also available on the RAYZ distribution CD-ROM in Adobe Acrobat pdf format, suitable for printing. The file is called RAYZ2.2_Manual.pdf. You may prefer to print a relevant section of the manual and refer to it as you work in the RAYZ interface, rather than switching back and forth between RAYZ and your HTML browser.

Tutorials

A series of tutorials are available that cover the basics you need to know to start creating shots in RAYZ. The tutorials are in Adobe Acrobat format, suitable for printing, so that you can read the hard copy as you perform each step in RAYZ. Sample project files and images are also provided.

It is highly recommended that you start with these tutorials, which are included in the RAYZ release distribution.

Training

RAYZ training may be provided periodically by Silicon Grail in certain circumstances. In addition, schools that specialize in teaching graphics applications to effects artists also offer RAYZ training. Contact Silicon Grail for more information.

Contacting Silicon Grail

You can contact Silicon Grail by phone, fax, email, or mail:

Silicon Grail
736 Seward Street
Hollywood, CA 90038

Phone: 323-871-9100
Fax: 323-871-9199

Email: support@sgrail.com

What's New in Version 2.2

Version 2.2 of RAYZ includes new nodes and new interface features, as described below. Please also refer to the changes file (release notes) distributed with the release, which includes the most up-to-date information.

New Nodes

RAYZ 2.2 includes the a number of new nodes. For more information, refer to the following node descriptions:

BlurXY Node in chapter 19

Channel Split in chapter 20

Checker Node in chapter 14

Clamp Node in chapter 16

Colorspace Node in chapter 16

Despill Node in chapter 15

File Group Node in chapter 14 (see also Creating File Groups in chapter 22)

Grid Node in chapter 14

Tint Node in chapter 16

Switch Node in chapter 21

Changes to the Interface

In the Worksheet

A Navigator (radar view) has been added to the Worksheet (see Using the Navigator in chapter 5), along with a Toolbar that puts many commands in a convenient button strip.

The new Toolbar's Display Menu in chapter 5 provides new display options for the Worksheet: flowlines display channel info, nodes indicate whether they are cloned or animated, and you can display link lines between clones and nodes that reference other node parameters.

It is now easier to manage Custom node menu items, as described in Managing Custom Node Menu Entries in chapter 5.

In the Image Viewer

Additional options have been added to the Display Conversion parameters, including separate RGB and Other Gamma controls and the ability to import LUT files. See the section on Display Conversion in chapter 6.

Full screen, or "blackout" mode has also been added to the Image Viewer (just press the n hotkey), along with two new overlays: Field Chart and 1.85 Mask. See Border Display Overlays in chapter 6.

In the Node Panel

Now you can easily invert any mask channel after it is connected to the node (see Using Mask Inputs in chapter 7). The X-Parm in chapter 7 button has been added to every Node Panel so that you can add extra (spare) parameters. And node presets can now be removed (and renamed) more easily, as described in Managing Presets in chapter 7.

Dynamic parameters, such as layer entries in Multi-comp, no longer have explicit buttons for moving or deleting a layer. The way you rename a layer has also changed. These changes are described in the section on Dynamic Parameter Groups in chapter 7.

Other Changes and New Features

Command line scripting (see See Command-Line Execution of Scripting Commands) and retiming (see Retiming Sequences from the Command Line in chapter 12) options have been added.

New Photoshop import options are available, as described in Import File... in chapter 9. A Revert... in chapter 9 command has also been added to the RAYZ File menu. And you can now save RAYZ files with Bzip2 compression, as described in Saving Compressed RAYZ Files in chapter 9.

Motion blur controls have been added to the Transform, Match Move, and Stabilize nodes, as described in Adding Motion Blur to Transformations in chapter 17.

Roto and Morph splines can now be copied and pasted using the new Layer Actions menu. The Layer Actions menu, which applies to all nodes that generate dynamic parameters, is described in Copying, Pasting, and Deleting Layers in chapter 7.

The Sequence Node in chapter 21 now reports the new output sequence range for each input, and the Convolve Node in chapter 19 now has an editable matrix of cells for creating custom kernels, in addition to the library of preset kernels. The Turbulence Node in chapter 14 now has a Scale parameter.

Group nodes now have edit panels for parameters and inputs/outputs. See Chapter 22: Creating Group Nodes for more information.