When you create or edit a component on a disciplines flowchart, you choose a Component and Component Format. When these are set, various other settings become available, including the Input and Output connections. 


Component editor has a Connection tab with input and output settings.


Use the Input and Output settings to define what Python actions are executed when loading into, updating, and publishing the component. You can set an input, output, or both, depending on the type of component and your requirements.


You can have:


  • Input-only components

    These components are created in another discipline. They can be used as a reference in other disciplines,but they cannot be altered or published by those other disciplines.


  • Output-only components

    These components are created in the current discipline, either from scratch or by using parts of other input components. They have to be published for use in other disciplines.

  • Input and output components

    These components have some components that were originally created in another discipline. The input material is changed in some way in the current discipline and then has to be published for use in other disciplines.



When you set up a component's inputs and outputs, you will need to choose Python actions For information on what each Python action does, see the SimpleCloud Animation API documentation.


To set up the connection inputs and outputs for a component:

  1. Use the Input settings to define what Python files are executed when the user selects the load/update options on SimpleCloud's Scene Breakdown tool (inside a 2D/3D software application).

    The possible options are:
    • Input - The Python actions that are executed when a user selects the "Load selected components"option on the SimpleCloud Scene Breakdown tool (inside a 2D/3D application). These actions are for loading into the current component from the previous discipline in the pipeline work flow.

    • input_inspect - The Python actions that are executed when a component is added to the Load tab of the Scene Breakdown tool. These actions are for detecting if a component is already loaded into the scene, what version it is, and whether it needs to be updated.

    • update - The Python actions that are executed when a user selects the "Update selected components" button on the Scene Breakdown tool. Update also applies when a user selects the individual "Update" button on each component. 

    • Input DAM - This is a legacy option that is no longer required. It is marked for future deprecation and you can ignore it.

  2. Use the Output settings to define what Python actions are executed when the user selects the publish options on SimpleCloud's Scene Breakdown tool (inside a 2D/3D software application).

    The possible options are:
    • Output - The Python actions that are executed when a user selects the "Publish"option on the SimpleCloud Scene Breakdown tool (inside a 2D/3D application). These actions are for creating the output of the component in the discipline.
       
    • output inspect - The Python actions that are executed when a user selected the plus button ( + ) of the component on the "Publish" tab of the Scene Breakdown Tool.  The actions detect that the elements that need to be published are in the scene. 

    • Entity type output - Defines the type of entity that will be the output of the component. In some cases, the entity that is output will be different to the entity type of the discipline. 

      For example, in the Animation discipline, you could have a "Shot" entity, but when you publish, you need to output a point cache for each "asset" in the scene. In this case, the Entity type output of the "ASSETS_CACHE" component should be "Asset". 

    • Rebuild on slot - Allows the component to be used to rebuild a scene from scratch, as long as the previous publications exist in the 2D/3D software (use the equivalent option in the "Load" tab of the Scene Breakdown tool.

      When Rebuild on slot is checked, SimpleCloud will assemble the artist's scene by loading the latest publication of each component (in a discipline).

      If Rebuild on slot is unchecked, SimpleCloud will not load the latest publication of each component.

  3. Select Accept.

The component inputs and outputs are just one part of the component configuration. To find out about the others, see:


When you have added a component's inputs and/or outputs, you can connect it to components in other disciplines (see Connect components on a disciplines flowchart).