Gate and Eyes++

lpearse

Forgive me if this has been discussed, but I can't find it. Or maybe I'm still fuzzy on Gate's upstream pull techniques.

I am trying to make a patch where the movie player starts when a viewer arrives, and plays until the end of the video if they leave, but goes to another video if they stay.

In order to do this I use a Gate to pass or restrict the Object Count from Eyes++, which is sent video through a Difference actor, but as soon as the Gate is off, then Eyes++ stops seeing anything.

Is there a way around this? I want Eyes++ to see again once the video has finished, and had thought that sending a trigger from the end of the movie would do it, but no such luck.

Is this because Gate has turned off items earlier in the signal flow?

dbini

would it help to use a comparator actor instead of a gate? the comparator can send true or false values which are often easier to work with than the on/off of the gate.

mark

Dear Lukas,

I'm assuming the only output from Eyes++ you are using is the count. The way the "upstream pull" thing works, is that if there is no route to an output, then processing stops at that point. The logic here is that if an actor's output isn't needed, then don't execute it.

The solution is just to connect the object count to a Calculator actor. Even though this actor isn't connected to anything else, it will serve as an "output" and cause the Eyes++ to continue to function, even if the gate is closed.

But really, I'm unsure why you're using a Gate actor in the first place. Why not just use a Comparator actor, and test to see if the object count is greater than 0. If it is, 'output' will be 1. If not, 0. Then connect 'output' from the Comparator to the 'visible' input of the Movie Player. Or to the intensity of the Projector.

Best Wishes,
Mark

lpearse

Thanks for the tip about the Calculator.

I need the gate so that a new video doesn't start when the audience moves, only when they show up.

It's working now.

Cheers

LP

mark

Dear Lukas,

Well, I'm quite sure you could use the Comparator to achieve your goal. But if it works, great.

Best Wishes,

Mark