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RealRamp
A ramp with a true phase and period and its colour keys as parameters: vertical, horizontal, radial or circular, holding, zeroing, repeating or mirroring past its ends, so a driven phase never drifts or snaps the way a keyed Ramp TOP can. An alternative for the Ramp TOP.
◧ Visual ◆ Patreon:Base OP Create menu entry
This tool unlocks with Patreon. It installs through the same picker as everything else and unlocks with the Patreon Base tier or higher, connected from inside TouchDesigner. Everything else in the toolkit stays free and MIT, and the membership is what keeps that work moving.
Where it appears
Read off the registry hosts in the component, so this is where the tool puts itself in a default install; every one of these can be reordered or hidden from Hub.
- OP Create menu entryposition 0
What it is
The Ramp TOP is a keyframed gradient, which is the right tool for a designed palette and the wrong one for a driven gradient: a phase that runs past the last key snaps, and a period is a matter of stacking keys. RealRamp computes the gradient in a shader from a phase and a period, in four geometries, and extends it by repeating or mirroring. Drive Phase from a CHOP and the ramp cycles smoothly forever.
It is a member of the FNS operator family: pick it from the FNS tab of the OP Create dialog and it lands as one node.
Inputs and output
- in1 (TOP): optional; sets the output resolution when connected.
- out1 (TOP): the ramp.
Parameters
Custom
| Control | Type / default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
ResolutionResolution |
number256 | Output width and height in pixels when nothing is wired into the input. With an input connected, the ramp takes the input resolution. |
TypeType |
menuHorizontal | Direction of the ramp. Radial runs round the centre starting at 3 o'clock, like the Ramp TOP; Circular grows outward from the centre. |
PhasePhase |
number0 | Offsets the ramp along its direction, in periods. Constant 0 by default; drive it with an expression or CHOP (e.g. absTime.seconds*0.2) to scroll the ramp. |
PeriodPeriod |
number1 | Length of one ramp cycle in UV units; smaller values repeat the ramp more often. 0 outputs black. |
ExtendExtend |
menuRepeat | What the ramp does past its ends: Hold keeps the end colours, Zero goes transparent black, Repeat starts over, Mirror runs back. |
InterpolateInterpolate |
menuLinear | How colours blend between keys, as on the Ramp TOP: Step holds each key, Linear blends straight, Ease In Ease Out slows at each key, Hermite curves through them. |
Curve TensionTension |
number0 | Hermite only: bends the curve between keys. 0 is a smooth curve through every key. |
Input SmoothnessInputfiltertype |
menuNearest Pixel | Filtering used when sampling a wired input. The ramp itself never samples the input (only its resolution and format are used), so this is kept for SetSmoothness and has no visible effect. |
Viewer SmoothnessFiltertype |
menuNearest Pixel | Filtering used when the output is displayed at another resolution. |
Pixel FormatFormat |
menu32-bit float (RGBA) | Pixel format of the output. Defaults to 32-bit float, which keeps the ramp free of banding; 16-bit float is usually enough, 8-bit shows visible steps. Use Input follows the wired input (8-bit when nothing is wired). |
Keys
| Control | Type / default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
KeysKey |
sequence0 | Colour keys along the ramp. Add or remove keys with + and -. Keys may be in any order; they are sorted by position. |
PositionKey0pos |
number0 | Where this key sits on the ramp, 0 at the start and 1 at the end. |
ColorKey0color |
colour0 | Colour and alpha of this key. |
PositionKey1pos |
number0 | Where this key sits on the ramp, 0 at the start and 1 at the end. |
ColorKey1color |
colour0 | Colour and alpha of this key. |