Layers Overview

In Designer, a layer is an element on a track or layer stack. Layers are used to generate audio, visual or control signals that combine together to sequence a show.

The power of layers comes from their ability to be stacked and combined together to create complex effects.

Visually, Designer uses mappings to control how layer content is applied from the Timeline to the screens in the Stage level.

Layers are composited in a variety of ways, please see the layer compositing page for more information.

To learn how to work with layers, see the working with layers section.

Layer categories

There are five main layer categories in Designer:

• Content
• Generative
• Effects
• Control
• Previsualisation

For more information about each category and the layers it contains, see the layer categories section.

Controlling layers

Layers can be controlled in a number of ways, including:

• Keyframing: Animate layer properties over time using keyframes.
• Expressions: Use expressions to control layers based on other layer properties or external control systems, including OSC, MIDI, etc.
• Sockpuppet: Use Sockpuppet to control layer properties in real-time using external control systems.