Slit-scan

Hey!
Here is my attempt to make a classic slit-scan AKA time displacement effect in TD.
Everything you need to know is in readme DAT.
It’s working quite slow now and I’m interested in ideas how to make it work better — it seems, that slowdown happens mostly in final composite TOP. I’ve tried to use alignment in container instead of TOP, but it makes no difference.
Another possible problem is quite large cache size in bottom lines, but I cannot manage how to store in cache only one frame I need (ex. -180) and not cache all 180 to finally select only -180.
So, improvements are encouraged, but even now this effect is quite fun to play with.
Slitscan.toe (9.08 KB)

Nice Work!
There are a couple improvements I might suggest:

for large networks as yours I would try to use exports as much as possible. In your example I was able to reduce the cooktime from over 33 ms down to 20 ms.
Python expressions are not as optimized as CHOPs so adding a couple CHOP nodes instead of using expressions is much preferred. There is of course a fine line - when does a crazy CHOP network become too fragmented and functions should be combined in expressions - but especially in the case where you replcate a network many times, every ms counts and as shown here, you can save big time!

Another small idea would be to move the cache TOP out of each replicator and use a select cache inside the replicants.

A final little note on this is:
Check out the Timemachine TOP derivative.ca/wiki088/index. … achine_TOP which basically does what your network creates.
First input should be a 3DTexture and 2nd Input should be an TOP (like a default Ramp). The Ramps pixels will determine which frame from the Texture 3D TOP is being used.

Cheers
Markus

Thank you, Markus.
I didn’t know, that CHOP export works faster than Python, actually I though it’s opposite, so I tried to do export and some math via expressions.
And I didn’t know at all about Time Machine, which is easier and faster way to do slit-scan.

But that was fun thing to do anyway, I undestand replicators better, during making this project

Exactly - all about the experience :slight_smile:

One more thing actually that came to mind: if you don’t want to recreate all replicants when changing the master, tryout using clones.

Cheers
Markus

I never added a component to this discussion. But I guess for others look for slitscan this might be useful.

Cheers
Markus
slitscan.tox (1.92 KB)

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