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Hook

A helper to get Jitter objects draw and tranform with SPARCKS render and transform nodes

Hook Node

Bridge Jitter Objects into SPARCK

Hook integrates standard Max/Jitter GL objects (like jit.gl.mesh, jit.gl.gridshape, jit.gl.model, etc.) into the SPARCK ecosystem. It handles context management, render group assignment, and transformation linking automatically — so your existing Jitter patches can render alongside SPARCK content without manual configuration.

Reference

The following properties can be configured for this node:

Property Type Description
drawto - set the render group. Capture/Beamer/3DViewer have an equivalent in which you can choose which group to render.
material - select one of sparcks material nodes
shader - select one of spracks shader nodes
parent - parent transformation node
position (local transformation) position x y z
rotation (local transformation) rotation x y z
scale (local transformation) scale x y z
Inlet Type Description
properties properties properties | use message [set <propertyPath> <value(s)>] (without node/<nodeName> at the beginning) to set internal properties
Outlet Type Description
link message link to object to place it into the sparck-context. It sends 'enable' 'drawto' 'shader' material'
link message link to object to connect it to sparck transformation. It sends 'anim' message

How It Works

Two-Outlet Connection System

Hook provides two outlets that connect to different aspects of your Jitter object:

Outlet Purpose Messages Sent
First outlet Rendering context and appearance enable, drawto, shader, material
Second outlet Transformation control anim message

Connect both outlets to your Jitter GL object to fully integrate it into SPARCK.

Basic Setup

Connecting a Jitter Object

To integrate an existing Jitter GL object (e.g., jit.gl.mesh):

  1. Create a Hook node
  2. Connect Hook's first outlet to your Jitter object (for context/rendering)
  3. Connect Hook's second outlet to your Jitter object (for transformation)
  4. Set drawto to choose which render groups display your object
  5. Optionally set parent to link to a SPARCK transformation hierarchy
  6. Optionally assign a SPARCK material or shader

Your Jitter object now renders in the SPARCK context and responds to SPARCK transformations.

Render Group Control

Controlling Visibility

Use drawto to specify where your Jitter object appears:

  • Enable the 3DViewer checkbox to see it in the preview
  • Enable Beamer checkboxes to include it in projector outputs
  • The render group system works identically to native SPARCK content nodes like Canvas and Model

Transformation Integration

Using SPARCK Transformations

Hook provides full transformation support:

  • parent: Link to any SPARCK transformation node (TfmNode, RigidBody, etc.)
  • position/rotation/scale: Apply local transformations

Your Jitter object inherits the full transformation hierarchy, including motion capture data if parented to a RigidBody.

Material and Shader Assignment

SPARCK Materials and Shaders

Apply SPARCK rendering features to your Jitter objects:

  • material: Assign a SPARCK Material node for consistent lighting/appearance
  • shader: Assign a SPARCK shader node for custom effects

This allows Jitter objects to benefit from SPARCK's shader system, including projection mapping shaders like SpatialShadery.

Why Use Hook?

Always Use Hook for Jitter Integration

When connecting Jitter objects to SPARCK, always use the Hook node rather than trying to specify contexts manually. SPARCK manages multiple rendering contexts:

  • Sparck-Context: Main rendering context
  • Viewer-Context: 3DViewer display
  • Output-Context 1-4: Final output windows

Hook ensures your Jitter objects render to the correct context and integrate properly with SPARCK's rendering pipeline.

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Last updated: 2025-12-04 | Edit this page on GitHub