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ruttetra · output · schema v2An authentic forward-scatter Rutt/Etra scan-processor. A 320x180 grid of sample points walks the Z source; for each point it reads the source luma, places it along an internally-generated H/V ramp, then displaces that position by (luma - 0.5) so bright pixels push their scanline outward and dark pixels recede - building a 3D heightmap relief out of the picture. Adjacent grid points within each row are joined into horizontal LINE segments, and the whole raster is drawn with additive (phosphor) blending over a black field, exactly like a CRT scope. With everything at default the ramp is a linear 1:1 mapping and Y Disp = -0.3, so the source is read upright and bright areas raise the terrain - the classic Rutt/Etra "raised landscape" look. Patch any video, image, or keyer into Z; sweep Y Disp (and X Disp) for relief depth, raise Intensity for a brighter glow, morph the X/Y Shape ramps toward triangle/soft/radial for warped scan geometry, and modulate the params with CV for animated topography. Z left unpatched binds a mid-grey sentinel (luma 0.5 = zero displacement), so the card shows flat scanlines rather than a black void. The card has a live preview screen; hiding the controls turns it into a resizable monitor (drag the bottom-right corner, double-click to restore) — a viewport only, it does not change the output resolution.
the faceplate
8 inputs · 1 outputs · 12 params
inputs
| id | cable | what it does |
|---|---|---|
z | video | Z (video) - the source frame. Its per-pixel luma (0.299R+0.587G+0.114B) is sampled at each of the 320x180 grid points and drives that point's outward displacement; the source RGB is also carried through as the scanline color. Accepts video, mono-video, image, or keys (upcast by the engine). Unpatched, a mid-grey 1x1 texture is bound so luma is 0.5 everywhere and the scanlines draw flat instead of going black. RGB video stream |
xShape | cv | X Shape (cv) - modulates the X Shape control, morphing the horizontal ramp shape (linear -> triangle -> soft-fold -> radial) that positions each scanline across the frame. control voltage (CV); modulates xShape (additive offset — ±1 CV sweeps the full range, centered on the knob) |
yShape | cv | Y Shape (cv) - modulates the Y Shape control, morphing the vertical ramp shape (linear -> triangle -> soft-fold -> radial) that stacks the scanlines down the frame. control voltage (CV); modulates yShape (additive offset — ±1 CV sweeps the full range, centered on the knob) |
xDisp | cv | X Disp (cv) - modulates the X Disp control, scaling how far each point is pushed left/right by its luma (bipolar around mid-grey). control voltage (CV); modulates xDisp (additive offset — ±1 CV sweeps the full range, centered on the knob) |
yDisp | cv | Y Disp (cv) - modulates the Y Disp control, scaling how far each point is pushed up/down by its luma; this is the main relief/height knob of the heightmap. control voltage (CV); modulates yDisp (additive offset — ±1 CV sweeps the full range, centered on the knob) |
intensity | cv | Intensity (cv) - modulates the Intensity control, scaling the brightness of the additively-blended scanlines. control voltage (CV); modulates intensity (additive offset — ±1 CV sweeps the full range, centered on the knob) |
xFreq | cv | X Freq (cv) - modulates the X Freq control, setting how many horizontal ramp cycles span the frame (0.25..8); higher values repeat the scan pattern across X. control voltage (CV); modulates xFreq (additive offset — ±1 CV sweeps the full range, centered on the knob) |
yFreq | cv | Y Freq (cv) - modulates the Y Freq control, setting how many vertical ramp cycles span the frame (0.25..8); higher values repeat the scan pattern down Y. control voltage (CV); modulates yFreq (additive offset — ±1 CV sweeps the full range, centered on the knob) |
outputs
| id | cable | what it does |
|---|---|---|
out | video | out (video) - the rendered Rutt/Etra raster: additive horizontal scanlines, luma-displaced into a heightmap, over a black phosphor field. Chainable into any video input and also feeds the on-card preview screen. RGB video stream |
params
| id | label | range | default | curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|
xShape | X Shape | 0..1 | — | linear |
yShape | Y Shape | 0..1 | — | linear |
xDisp | X Disp | -1..1 | — | linear |
yDisp | Y Disp | -1..1 | — | linear |
intensity | Intensity | 0..2 | — | linear |
tintR | Tint R | 0..1 | — | linear |
tintG | Tint G | 0..1 | — | linear |
tintB | Tint B | 0..1 | — | linear |
xFreq | X Freq | 0.25..8 | — | linear |
yFreq | Y Freq | 0.25..8 | — | linear |
xPhase | X Phase | 0..1 | — | linear |
yPhase | Y Phase | 0..1 | — | linear |
controls
| control | what it does |
|---|---|
| Intensity | Intensity (0..2, default 1.5) - multiplies the scanline color before the additive blend; raises or dims the overall glow of the raster (default 1.5 keeps the additive lines from looking too faint). It affects brightness only, not relief depth. |
| Tint B | Tint B (0..1, default 1) - blue multiplier applied to every scanline's color. Combine R/G/B to push the whole raster toward a monochrome CRT hue. No CV input (panel knob only). |
| Tint G | Tint G (0..1, default 1) - green multiplier applied to every scanline's color. Lower it to drain green from the phosphor tint. No CV input (panel knob only). |
| Tint R | Tint R (0..1, default 1) - red multiplier applied to every scanline's color. Lower it to drain red from the phosphor tint. No CV input (panel knob only). |
| X Disp | X Disp (-1..1, default 0) - bipolar amount that luma pushes each point horizontally. (luma - 0.5) * X Disp, so mid-grey never moves; negative and positive deflect bright pixels to opposite sides. |
| X Freq | X Freq (0.25..8, default 1) - horizontal ramp frequency: how many shape-ramp cycles span the frame in X. 1 = one pass; higher values repeat/fold the scan pattern across the width. Lives under the card's ADVANCED disclosure. |
| X Phase | X Phase (0..1, default 0) - phase offset added to the horizontal ramp after the frequency multiply and before shaping, sliding the X scan pattern sideways. Panel knob only (no CV input); under the ADVANCED disclosure. |
| X Shape | X Shape (0..1, default 0) - morphs the horizontal ramp shape that lays the source across each scanline. 0 = linear (1:1, the unwarped raster), ~0.33 = triangle, ~0.66 = soft-fold (raised cosine), 1 = radial (distance from center). The card prints the current name (linear / triangle / soft / radial and the crossfades between them). |
| Y Disp | Y Disp (-1..1, default -0.3) - bipolar amount that luma pushes each point vertically; this builds the 3D relief. The default -0.3 makes bright pixels rise (the classic raised-terrain look). |
| Y Freq | Y Freq (0.25..8, default 1) - vertical ramp frequency: how many shape-ramp cycles span the frame in Y. 1 = one pass; higher values repeat/fold the scanlines down the height. Lives under the card's ADVANCED disclosure. |
| Y Phase | Y Phase (0..1, default 0) - phase offset added to the vertical ramp after the frequency multiply and before shaping, sliding the Y scan pattern up/down. Panel knob only (no CV input); under the ADVANCED disclosure. |
| Y Shape | Y Shape (0..1, default 0) - morphs the vertical ramp shape that stacks the scanlines down the frame, through the same linear -> triangle -> soft-fold -> radial sequence as X Shape, with the current name shown on the card. |
source
ruttetra.ts on GitHub.