What can I do with the lightning layer?

With the lightning layer you can render flashes of lightning.

How do I add a lightning layer?

Choose LAYER > Attach layer > Attach lightning to active layer... to attach a new lightning layer to the active layer.

The new lightning layer can be selected from the layers dropdown to make it the active layer.

Examples

The installer comes with shows demonstrating the possibilities of the lightning layer. Choose FILE > Open show... and select a show from the BluffTitler/Media/Shows/Lightning folder.

To quickly switch between your own shows and the ones that came with the installer, click on the Personal and App buttons in the upper right corner of the file dialog.

Parent to child

Flashes are rendered between 2 layers: the parent and the child layer. The parent layer is the layer the lightning layer is attached to. The child layer can be set with the Target Layer property.

Fractal dimension

When the Fractal Dimension property is set to 0, straight lines are generated.

Attach to light layer

When the Target Layer property points to a light layer, flashes are generated between the text and the light.

No target layer

When the Target Layer property is set to 0, the flashes are launched perpendicular to the layer surface.

Attach to yourself

If the target layer is the same as the parent layer, flashes are generated between different parts of the same layer.

Size

If the 2nd slider of the Size property is less than 1, the flashes do not reach their target.

Flashes per second

The number of flashes that are generated per second. Note that you can use values lower than 1. For example a value of 0.1 means that a flash is generated every 10 seconds.

Flash duration

The time a flash is visible in seconds.

Flash size

The 1st slider controls the thickness of the flash.

The 2nd slider controls the length of the Flash. When the Target layer property is set to 0 this length is absolute, otherwise it is relative to the distance to the target layer.

The 3th slider controls the detail level of the flash.

Colour 1

The colour of every flash is choosen randomly in between 2 colours. This property sets the 1st colour.

1st slider: red

2nd slider: green

3rd slider: blue

When you press <F3> and the mouse is inside the tool window, the standard Windows colour dialog is presented. When the mouse is outside the tool window, the colour of the current mouse position is copied: it's a colour picker!

Colour 2

The colour of every flash is choosen randomly in between 2 colours. This property sets the 2nd colour.

1st slider: red

2nd slider: green

3rd slider: blue

When you press <F3> and the mouse is inside the tool window, the standard Windows colour dialog is presented. When the mouse is outside the tool window, the colour of the current mouse position is copied: it's a colour picker!

Fractal dimension

This determines the shape of the flash: a higher value generates a more freakish shape. A straight line has a fractal dimension of 1, a shape that fills 2D space has a value of 2 and a value of 3 completely fills 3D space.

Branching

This determines the amount of branching. A value of 0 never branches.

Target layer

Flashes are generated between the parent layer (the layer the lightning layer is attached to) and the target layer. Take a look at the Layers dropdown to find the index of the target layer.

When the target layer is the same as the parent layer, flashes are generated between different parts of the same layer.

If this property is set to 0, the flashes are launched perpendicular to the layer surface. You can set the length with the 2nd slider of the Flash size property.