Compound Filters

This feature lets you create a new type of filters that are represented as a single layer in the interface and be composed of multiples filters.

Description

A compound filter is .alchfilter description file using JSON formatting. It contains:

• Name: Label of the compound filter displayed in the interface
• Version: Incremental number to define the version of your compound filter.
• Node: List of filters to be used
• Link: List of connections between the different filters

Example

{ "AlchemistFilter": {
    "Name": "Example",
    "Version": 2,
    "Node": [
        {
            "Id": "Preprocess",
            "InternalFilter": "Dirt"
        },
        {
            "Id": "Process",
            "File": "foo.sbsar"
        },
        {
            "Id": "PostProcess",
            "InternalFilter": "Dust"
        }
    ],
    "Link": [
        {
            "From": { "Node": "FilterInput", "Usage": "baseColor" },
            "To": { "Node": "Preprocess", "Usage": "baseColor"}
        },
        {
            "From": { "Node": "FilterInput", "Usage": "normal" },
            "To": { "Node": "Preprocess", "Usage": "normal"}
        },
        {
            "From": { "Node": "Preprocess", "Usage": "baseColor" },
            "To": { "Node": "Process", "Usage": "baseColor"}
        },
        {
            "From": { "Node": "Process", "Usage": "baseColor" },
            "To": { "Node": "PostProcess", "Usage": "baseColor"}
        },
        {
            "From": { "Node": "Preprocess", "Usage": "normal" },
            "To": { "Node": "PostProcess", "Usage": "normal"}
        },
        {
            "From": { "Node": "PostProcess", "Usage": "baseColor" },
            "To": { "Node": "FilterOutput", "Usage": "baseColor"}
        },
        {
            "From": { "Node": "PostProcess", "Usage": "normal" },
            "To": { "Node": "FilterOutput", "Usage": "normal"}
        }
    ]
}}

Documentation

Version

Using a version number allows you to keep track of your different iterations. When opening a layer stack done with a previous version of your compound filter, a notification will be showed to suggest you to upgrade to the latest version.

Node

A node can refer to an internal filter of Substance Alchemist. Define a unique identifier Id to be used to define links between nodes and the label of the internal filter InternalFilter

        {
            "Id": "step1_identifier",
            "InternalFilter": "Dirt"
        }

A node can refer to a SBSAR file, not in Substance Alchemist. Define a unique identifier Id to be used to define links between nodes and the filename File of the SBSAR file. The SBSAR file has to be in a resources folder next to the .alchfilter file.

        {
            "Id": "step1_identifier",
            "File": "foo.sbsar"
        }

Link

A link is a description of how two nodes are linked and are composed of two elements:

• From: Usage to be used by the node
• To: Usage output of the node

Each element has 3 attributes:

• Node: Declare the Id of the node you want to use
  • set the input of the compound filter, the node Id is FilterInput
  • set the output of your compound layer, the node Id is FilterOutput
• Usage: Declare the usage you want to use. There are 3 options:
  • Single usage at a time and declare link by link (baseColor, normal, height, ambientOcclusion, roughness, metallic, diffuse, specular, glossiness, specularLevel, opacity, emissive, scan1, ...)
  • You can also specify a list ["baseColor", "normal"]. The first item of the list of From will match the first item of the list of To. etc...
  • Use * to let Substance Alchemist does the matching between identical usages of all usages of the From node and the To node (It's not possible to combine * with another link, while single links and list links are possible between same nodes)
• Group: In case of a node has several times the same usage, you can use the Group attribute to select a specific usage. ie: For Blend filters, to get the baseColor of the bottom material use Material1 and to get the baseColor of the top material use Material2

Link between two nodes 
	{
            "From": { "Node": "node1","Usage": "baseColor", "Group": ""},
            "To": { "Node": "node2", "Usage": "baseColor"}
     }

Link between outputs of layers below of the compound filter and the compound filter:

	 {
            "From": { "Node": "FilterInput", "Usage": "*" },
            "To": { "Node": "node1", "Usage": "*"}
     }

Link to declare outputs of the compound filter:
	 {
            "From": { "Node": "node1", "Usage": "*" },
            "To": { "Node": "FilterOutput", "Usage": "*"}
     }