Krakatoa Channels Modifier - KCM (Deprecated)

Available in Krakatoa v1.5.0 and higher.
Deprecated in Krakatoa MX v2.0.0 and replaced by the Magma Modifier

Introduction

The Krakatoa Channels Modifier can read and modify existing Named Particle Data Channels and create new Named Particle Data Channels.
It hosts a flow of interconnected nodes created and edited using the MagmaFlow Editor which is compiled on the fly and executed on the incoming particle stream.
Currently, a KCM can be applied in object space directly to the modifier stack of a PRT Loader and a PRT Volume object.
A KCM can also be applied in world space globally to all loaded particles when assigned to the Global Channel Override Sets in the Global Render Values rollout of the Krakatoa GUI.

This button opens the MagmaFlow Editor and loads the flow stored in the currently selected KCM modifier.
If the MagmaFlow was already open for another KCM, the moment you select another KCM in the Modify Panel the editor will switch to the selected one without the need to press this button.
If the MagmaFlow editor is already open for the currently selected KCM and you press this button again, the Editor will store the changes into the KCM even if the AUTO-UPDATE option is off and then reopen with the latest state of the flow, clearing the Undo buffer of the MagmaFlow editor.

The first drop-down list reads [MagmaFlows Root Folder] by default.
It will also contain the immediate sub-folders of the MagmaFlow Root Folder (one level deep)
When saving the content of the MagmaFlow Editor, you can chose a sub-folder of the default folder for organization purposes. This list will show the names of these folders for quick loading directly from the KCM UI in the Modify Panel.
When you switch the selection to a different KCM, the list will reset back to the root folder. It will NOT be sticky between selections and sessions.

The second drop-down list reads [Custom Flow] by default.
It will also contain all flows found in the folder selected by the first one.
Selecting a flow from the list will automatically load that flow into the KCM (and display in the MagmaFlow Editor if it is open already).
A backup copy of the flow that was previously assigned to the KCM will be saved to disk. If you want to return to it without using the flow you just picked from the list, simply select [Custom Flow] from the list again to revert to the backup copy.

The Notes text field can be used to enter a description of the KCM's functionality.
It is completely optional.

This text field is for internal reference only.
It displays the random ID assigned to the current KCM which is used to distinguish between KCMs in the scene and by the KCM TrackView tracks used to store Input Nodes' animation controllers.

This checkbutton reflects the state of the Auto-Update feature of the MagmaFlow Editor. It is the SAME as the button found in the Editor.
The Auto-Update state is stored per Modifier, but the last state change is also recorded in an INI file and given to any newly created KCMs. Thus if you disabled Auto-Update in one KCM and then created a new KCM, the new one will have the option turned off. If you turn either KCM's Auto-Update on and create a third KCM, it will also have the option on and so on.

This option can be used to enforce interactive updates of the flow stored in the KCM when it depends on scene object tracks or transformations but you want to keep the MagmaFlow Editor closed.
When the MagmaFlow Editor is open and Auto-Update is on or you press the Update button, callbacks will be registered to monitor all scene objects that influence the current flow.
- For example, if a Vector is connected to the Position of an object, a callback will be registered to update the flow whenever that object changes.
When the editor is closed, these callbacks are destroyed since they can reduce performance significantly.
Using the >Interactive Mode (SLOW!) option, you can register the callbacks independently from the Editor and get the same interactive behavior when changing the dependency objects.

Pressing this button will remove all dependency callbacks (see above) and restore the system to its normal fast state.

This option is unchecked by default.
When unchecked, the name of the KCM will be updated to KCM_<OutputChannelName> every time the KCM is updated by the MagmaFlow editor.
- For example, switching the Output node to Position channel will rename the KCM to KCM_Position, switching to Normal channel will change the name to KCM_Normal and so on.
When checked, the name of the KCM will not be changed automatically, allowing you to enter any descriptive name you like.