Grid as background for other grids

[Mathieu]

In the beta v629, there's an interesting new feature for the twisted minds out there. You can use a grid as background for other grids. It's handy when you want to use the same power in multiple grids. This way, you can have a primary grid generating your values and then share it. It's a bit the equivalent of sharing the attribute layout but for sources, without the limitation of keeping the same layout.

There's also a new grid.backgroundAt function letting you manipulate the background value with your sources. So you can get the values from another grid and invert it or apply any kind of crazy formula. The shader mode is also pretty handy for this kind of manipulation.

The way it works is that you go in the media manager and add a grid as a media. Then use this media as background for your other grids. Since it's a media, it's also easy to update it and keep track of what are the grids that you are sharing.

Enjoy!

[Mathieu]

Forgot the beta download link (always the same): https://www.lightjams.com/history.html

[Mathieu]

Here's a test project showing a main grid generating a visual and two grids using this main grid as background and modifying it in two ways. The linked01 grid inverts the values and the linked02 dims the values. Both grid are using one source with the shader mode and the new grid.backgroundAt function.

[Jack]

Wow. Wonderful !  

[Jack]

So much easier to use colors now because the intensity sources can be used on a color attributes grid. 

Green/Red palette used here. A more intense source the more greenish is the idea here. I didn't know how to do this before this.

(a quick try: Amsterdam-Valerie) https://www.facebook.com/100001367247640/videos/968025447502480/

[Mathieu]

I'm glad you like it! Thanks for sharing your video.

[Jack]

A Christmas feel try..  red/green

https://www.facebook.com/100001367247640/videos/6061859187167212/

[clavaint...@gmail.com]

Hi! This new feature is awesome! Started experimenting and was wondering, is there any chance to implement having multiple background grids on a grid? Say you could place them freely, so both next to eachother and on top of eachother would be possible. 

[Mathieu]

Hi,

I'm glad you like it. About having multiple backgrounds, it's certainly an interesting idea. Can you give a bit more context about what you are trying to do? 

[clavaint...@gmail.com]

So far there's nothing in particular I'm trying to do, but the idea of multiple backgrounds seems to me like it would open a lot of new doors. If they were stackable so you could use grid activation to choose and combine grids. If they would keep their original size and it would be possible to place them freely in a larger grid (i understand that this might be more, or even too complex), first thing that comes to mind is a new way of working with groups, where a "master grid" could contain attributes from all the fixtures in the project.

[Zerkrabbeltes]

Interesting idea!