<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Getting Started > Content Editing, Composition & Playout > Clip Container

•Clip Container can host content, settings, device controller data or even work as a notepad.

•Clip containers are free from layer restrictions and can be moved around freely in the timeline.

•Clip containers are arranged on tracks in the timeline.  

THE VARIOUS KINDS OF CLIP CONTAINER

There are different types of clip containers available - most of the settings are similar for all - some of them have special parameters and properties:
 

1.Clip containers for content ( most flexible type that you will use frequently for almost everything)
 

2.And other types of clip containers such as

oclip containers that control devices (i.e. DMX devices)

oclip containers that overwrite global settings for surfaces

oclip containers for special elements such as global-layers, console layers or even secondary playbacks

oclip container just for notes

oTimecode clips generating LTC

 

Some of them (like those for content) you will use more often than others. Some of them are useful for edge cases .

CLIP CONTAINER TARGET

 

Every clip container needs a target assigned:

•In the Playback Editor, clip targets are displayed as a grey flag at the right edge of each clip container.

•For content clips the target is usually a canvas. In special cases, users may assign the clip target directly to a surface or an output.

•Clip containers in the same sequence may be assigned to different targets- there is no restriction. For instance, when working with 3 different canvases, each clip container in the sequence may be assigned to one of the canvases.

Add or change a target

1.go to Project Explorer and drag a Canvas or a Surface and drop it onto the Clip Container.

2.Inspect a Clip Container and go to the Settings tab in the Inspector. Then, drag another target from the project explorer and drop it into this property field.

 

Change The Default Canvas Of A Sequence
Select a sequence in the inspector and change the default canvas in the settings tab there.
Every new clip container in this sequence will have this new canvas as target.

CLIP CONTAINERS FOR CONTENT

 
Content types
A content clip container can host one of the content assets below:

•audio

•image

•an image sequence

•video

•generative/procedural content such as text, solid colors, gradients or test patterns

•shared textures

•nested sequence content

•HTML browser content
 

Additions
In addition to one of the content types above you are able to assign from the project explorer:

•a mask

•a separated audio track

•a 3D object

 
or from the project library

•Video Effects (FX)

 

 

Workflow and Settings

 

•Create a clip container: drag and drop content from the project explorer into the playback editor.

•Replace content by dragging another content file from the project explorer onto the clip container

•Scaling can be applied either in the Inspector Transform Properties, in the Plane Settings > Plane Resolution, or via the various options of the context menu Auto fit / Scale to...

•Add VFX : drag and drop your desired effects from the Library into the clip container

VFX always requires a base texture in the clip container to work.
This texture can be every type of content - To run an effect like a particle shader use a solid color content as texture for the clip container.
 

 

•Add audio to a clip container with video or image content inside: Just drag the audio file from the project explorer into the clip container.
This action also will replace the embedded audio file from a video in the clip container with the new one.

•Add a mask to a clip container with already video or images inside: Hold  Shift key and drag the mask image to the clip container.

•Drag a 3D object with your mouse from project explorer to a clip container to add.

3D Objects always require a texture
3D Objects in a Clip Container always require a texture. This texture could be every type of content: an image , a video, an HTML or generative content.

 

 

Remove or add a content, a mask, audio, 3D object or FX in the inspector:
In the video or audio tab of the inspector of a clip container you will find all assigned assets

•Drag a mask, 3D object, audio or content to the corresponding fields in inspector to change them.

•Open the context-menu with a right-click to clear or remove an asset

OTHER TYPES OF CLIP CONTAINER

Devices

•Drag a device from the library into your sequence playback editor and VERTEX creates a clip container automatically.

•This is useful for devices that have animatable properties (like e.g. DMX devices have)

•Learn more about devices here

Overwrite Surface Settings

•Users may create a clip container for each surface.

•This  workflow can be used to animate surface settings. 

•When this clip container is being played back, it overwrites the global settings of a surface temporarily.
 
There are two ways to create such a clip container:

1.Drag a Surface from Project Explorer onto the timeline.

2.Switch to programmer mode. Change the settings of a surface or output in programmer mode. A clip container with keyframes is created when you store your programmer scene.

Check Clip Container Target
Clip containers for surfaces always have an output as target - instead of a canvas.
Always double check the correct output assignment.

 

Global Layer and Console Layer

•Settings for global layers can be overwritten with clip containers as well.

•Once the playhead runs into the clip container, the settings of a global layer are temporarily overwritten.

 

There are two ways to do this:

1.Drag a global layer with your mouse from the project explorer into your sequence.

2.Switch to programmer mode. Change settings of a global layer in programmer mode. A clip container with keyframes is created when you store your programmer scene

Notes

•A simple clip container that hosts and shows your notes.

•Create a Clip Container for Notes:

oGo to the playback editor and open the context menu (right-click).

oSelect "Add"

oSelect "Add Notes Clip"

Timecode Clip

•generates SMPTE timecode for the duration of the clip container.

•For further Information read the topic on SMPTE timecode.

WORKING WITH CLIP CONTAINERS:

COMMON TASKS

•Copy/Paste a clip container and its settings (or keyframes) with shortcuts (CTRL + C / CTRL+V) or with help of the context menu.

•Double-click on a clip container to open the Keyframe Editor

•Move a clip container in the timeline or between tracks by simply dragging it.

•Adjust a Clip Container's length by edge editing: move the mouse over the edges at the beginning and end of a clip container and the arrow will change to the edge editing tool <--> automatically.

•Set a User Color for your clip container.

SELECTION

There are various options to select clip containers in your Sequence Editor:  

•Select multiple clips by dragging a lasso around them.

or

•Right-click on a track or an empty space in the Sequence Editor to open the context menu and go to Select... .

  From there you can choose to select all clips vertically (at current playhead position), all upcoming/ previous clips and all clips on the current track.

 

A multi-selection allows property changes of all selected clip containers in the Inspector.

AUTOFADE

•When you drag a Clip Container into another one on the same Track, VERTEX automatically generates an auto-fade for video and audio.

LINK AND UNLINK

•Link or unlink a selection of clip containers as a group.

•You can move linked clip containers "as a package"

•Property changes are taken over for all linked clip containers

CUT CLIP CONTAINER

•Splits a clip container into two parts at playhead position.

•You have 2 options:

 

CUT ALL CLIP CONTAINERS AT PLAYHEAD POSITION

•Use the cut-button in the Playback Editor

or

•Select a clip container

•Open the context menu with a right-click

•Select "Cut All Clip Containers"

 

CUT ONLY ONE CLIP CONTAINER AT PLAYHEAD POSITION

•Select a clip container

•Open the context menu with a right-click

•Select "Cut Clip Container"

SETTINGS

There are several properties you can set for a clip container.
Some of them depend on the type of clip container ( surface, content, device), whereas some of them are valid for every type.

 

 

 

ICONS ON CLIP CONTAINERS

When certain settings are activated, their respective icons appear on the Clip Container.  Here is a quick overview:

 

 

 

Instances

•Instances offer an quick way to duplicate and link clip containers.

•All property settings including keyframe edits are duplicated and linked for all instances of a clip container.

•Clip container instances appear in a deep gray color on the timeline

Create Instance

•Select a clip container

•Right-click and open the context menu

•Select Create  -> Create Clip Container Instance

•A new instance is created by default on a new track at same position.

•Work with the clip container instance and move it around independently.

•Property changes on the original container are taken over to all Instances.

•changes on an instance are taken over also to original clip container.

 

 

 

Shared Textures

Somewhat related to the Clip Container Instance feature, the Shared Texture feature allows re-use of another clip's texture in a resource-efficient way, out-putting the same content multiple times simultaneously.

The main difference to creating an instance of a clip is that the clips' property settings are not linked.

Also, the  shared texture clip will only be played at the same time the original clip is being rendered.

•Create a shared texture by selecting the source clip with the content you want to share

•then access the context menu and select Create... Clip Container Shared Texture Content.

•A new clip container with a shared texture will appear in the Project Explorer's Content section and while the source content is only loaded once into the system's memory, it can be used multiple times in the sequence.

 

 

 

 

 

Shared Texture Surface Clips
When Shared Texture Content is created from a Surface, the original Surface Clip Container is not  required to be placed at the same point on the Timeline as the newly created Shared Texture clip. It only needs to present in the same Sequence for the Shared Texture to be displayed.  This is different from a Shared Texture Content Clip Container.