Starting SoundSync

SoundSync can be launched from the Alias Utilities menu by clicking the word Utilities, dragging down until SoundSync is highlighted, and then releasing the mouse button.

SoundSync can also be launched by typing the following usage statement in a UNIX shell:

soundsync [<options>] [<keyset filename>]

SoundSync's options are as follows:

-a	specifies Audio mode. If you include this option, SoundSync beeps whenever keyframes are inserted or deleted. This option can be useful to confirm insertion of keyframes when the keyframe area is very crowded.
-B	specifies batch mode. See the information below about running SoundSync in batch mode.
-fps <rate>	specifies the rate in frames per second. The default frame rate is 30; for film applications, the frame rate should be set to 24.
-nogeom	specifies that only images are to be used for the keyshapes and that the geometry in the specified file is not to be interpreted. If this is not specified, SoundSync tries to tessellate the geometry it finds in files and presents a best guess at 3D versions of the keyshapes. This mode loads the file data more quickly.
-shape [1/0]	toggles ShapeShifter loading and tessellation on and off. 1 is on and 0 is off. For most platforms, the default is on (1). If ShapeShifter is toggled off, none of the controls associated with ShapeShifter are available as keysets.
-tess <uval><vval>	specifies the tessellation level in both u and v for uniform tessellation of objects loaded into SoundSync. The default is 2.
-txt [1/0]	toggles texture map loading on and off. 1 is on and 0 is off. The default is set according to the type of hardware you are running SoundSync on. For Reality Engine platforms, the default is on (1). For most other platforms, the default is off (0).
-v	displays processing information as it reads files and operates on data.

The usage statement for SoundSync in batch mode is as follows:

soundsync -B <track_file> <apply_wire_file> <dag> <offset> 
<output_file> <keyset>

where:

-B	specifies that SoundSync is to be run in batch mode.
track_file	specifies the file with the suffix .track that you want to load.
apply_wire_file	specifies the model on which to apply the animation.
dag	specifies the name of the "apply" day node.
offset	specifies any shifting from 0 for the application of animation from the track_file to the apply_wire_file.
output_file	specifies the file where the output wire file is to be saved.
keyset	specifies the name of the keyset file to be created.

Environment Variables

SoundSync interprets the following environment variables:

SS_NOCONFIRM	sets SoundSync to not ask for confirmation when exiting the program, even if you have made changes that haven't been saved.
SS_FPS	sets the value to use as the frames per second value.
SS_VERBOSE	sets SoundSync to display all warnings and messages.
SS_AUDIO	sets SoundSync to run in audio mode.

Environment variables are read before command line arguments. Therefore, the -fps <rate> option overrides the SS_FPS environment variable.

SoundSync reads and interprets your Alias Preferences file which is set using Preferences Edit Alias preferences.... Because of this, you can switch back and forth from Alias to SoundSync and maintain your project directories.

Frame Rate

No direct interface within SoundSync is provided for altering the frame rate. It is set at runtime and once a session is begun, it is considered unchangeable. The track file that is saved from SoundSync contains this frame rate information. Changing the frame rate by editing the track file can cause problems because it has the effect of applying a time warp to the animation when it is run back through SoundSync. A time warp is either speeding up or slowing down the playback.

By default, SoundSync treats all timing information in 30 fps mode. The frame rate is saved as a part of the track file. You can use other frame rates by running the code with an explicit frame rate (such as soundsync -fps 24) or by setting the environment variable SS_FPS.

For keyframes and the soundtrack, the frame rate is only relevant for display. For the shot list and for application of frames to wire files, the frame rate is not changeable.