Panel: Presets¶

The Presets Panel is where chart presets are managed.

Components: Installation¶

../_images/ch_panel_presets_none.png — Presets not installed or directory not found.¶

Button: Install Presets¶

Opens the file browser. Select a folder that will contain the ChArtist-Presets folder.

Button: Choose Preset Folder¶

Opens the file browser. Select a folder that contain existing presets.

Components: General¶

List: Preset Type¶

../_images/ch_panel_presets_type.png — The Preset Type List.¶

Select the preset type. Only the selected preset type will be shown in category and preset dropdown lists. The options are:

Full
- Full presets contain properties and socket values for all chart components.
Partial
- Presets that contain only selected properties and socket values or tags.
Animation
- Presets that contain keframed properties or socket values..

Components: Preset Menu Box¶

../_images/ch_panel_presets_menu.png — The Presets Menu box.¶

Allows selection and management of installed presets. The dropdown lists are filtered based on the selection of List: Preset Type.

List: Category¶

Select the preset category. This selection will update List: Sub category.

List: Sub category¶

Select the preset sub category. This selection will update List: Selected Preset.

List: Selected Preset¶

Select a preset to apply/edit/delete.

Label: Applied Preset¶

Shows current applied preset info (Full presets only).

Button: Refresh Presets¶

Refreshes the dropdown lists. Necessary to refresh the preset information if presets have changed outside of Blender. For example, you have manually edited the preset JSON files, or removed/added presets from the presets folder.

Button: Delete Preset¶

Deletes the current selected preset. A confirmation dialogue will open to prevent accidental deletion.

Note

This deletes the current selected preset in List: Selected Preset. Not the applied preset shown in Label: Applied Preset. This will permanently delete the preset file from the installed presets location on your hard drive.

Components: Preset Controls¶

../_images/ch_panel_presets_controls.png — The Presets Controls box.¶

Button: Apply Preset¶

Applies the selected preset to the chart.
Updates Label: Applied Preset.
Full Presets:

Applies all compatible properties and socket values to chart components.
Partial Presets:

Applies only saved tags, or solo properties to chart components..
Animation Presets:

Creates NLA tracks based on tags saved in the preset file. Open NLA Editor to edit applied animations.

Animation Utilities box.¶

Once an animation is successfully applied, additional options become available.

Button: Clear tracks¶

Clears all ChArtist related strips and tracks in the NLA editor.
Removes empty animation data.
Hides the Animation Utilities box.

Button: Tracks to Dopesheet¶

Sends all ChArtist NLA strips down into the Dope Sheet editor.
Hides the Animation Utilities box until actions are pushed down in NLA.

Toggle: Apply Tags¶

Reveals the Apply Preset Tags box. Select or deselect tags to Apply. Tags will be applied from the preset selected in List: Selected Preset.

../_images/ch_panel_presets_partial_tags.png — The Preset Apply Tags box.¶

Tip

The selection in List: Selected Preset may be changed while the Apply Tags toggle is active. In order to apply partial tags from different presets.

For Partial and Animation presets only tags that are saved in the preset file will be initially shown. Full presets show all tags by default.

Toggle: Cancel Apply Tags¶

Closes the Apply by Tag box.

Button: All (Tags)¶

Selects all tags.

Button: None (Tags)¶

Clears all tag selections.

Button: Refresh (Tags)¶

Reloads all tags and clears selection.

Button: Apply Selected Tags¶

Applies the selected preset properties and socket values only for the selected tags.

Note

When Applying by tag, for full/partial/animation presets. Be sure to use the Button: Apply Selected Tags at the bottom of the tag selection box. The Button: Apply Preset will always apply all saved properties and socket values for the selected preset file.

Toggle: Lock Tags¶

Values with locked tags will not be overwritten when applying a full preset selected in List: Selected Preset.

Note

Lock tags functions much the same as Toggle: Apply Tags.

The main difference is that it changes the applied preset label, where applying by tag is like applying a partial preset, it does not update the applied preset label.

Toggle: Cancel Lock Tags¶

Clears locked tags and closes the Lock Tags box.

Toggle: Edit Preset¶

Reveals the Preset Edit box. Only for full preset types.

../_images/ch_panel_presets_full_edit.png — The Full Preset Edit box.¶

Toggle: Cancel Edit¶

Closes the Edit box.

String: Category (Edit Mode)¶

Shows the current category. The preset sub category will be saved in this category. Folders will be created in the installed presets location if modified.

String: Subcategory (Edit Mode)¶

Shows the current sub category. The preset file will be saved in this sub category. Folders will be created in the installed presets location if modified.

String: Description (Edit Mode)¶

Type a description for the preset. This will appear as a tooltip when hovering on the preset in List: Selected Preset.

List: Type (Edit Mode)¶

Select preset type to be saved. Will default to Full Preset, leave as is unless it is desired to save a full preset as a partial preset.

Toggle: Pick Properties (Edit Mode)¶

When Enabled, allows picking of quick settings. A Checkbox will be created next to compatible properties and input sockets in the Chart Setup panel. After saving the selection will appear as quick settings when applying the preset.

Button: Save (Edit Mode)¶

Overwrites the currently applied preset shown in Label: Applied Preset.

Warning

Changing String: Category (Edit Mode) or String: Subcategory (Edit Mode) during editing will save the preset in a different folder, essentially creating a new preset. The existing preset will remain in the original sub category before editing and will be unaffected by changed values.

If it is desired to overwrite the existing preset, then leave Category and Subcategory unchanged.

Toggle: Save New¶

Reveals the Save New Preset box. The image below shows the different modes of save new preset depending on preset type.

../_images/ch_panel_presets_new_all.png — New Preset box for Full, Partial (By Properties), Partial (By Tags), and Animation presets.¶

Toggle: Cancel New¶

Closes the Save New Preset box.

String: Name¶

Type a name for the preset. A date stamped with random suffix will be generated automatically, change as desired.

String: Category¶

Type a category. The preset sub category will be saved in this category. Folders will be created in the installed presets location if needed.

String: Subcategory¶

Type a sub category. The preset file will be saved in this sub category. Folders will be created in the installed presets location if needed.

String: Description¶

Type a description for the preset. This will appear as a tooltip when hovering on the preset in List: Selected Preset.

List: Type¶

Select preset type to be saved. Will default to List: Preset Type_ selection, leave as is unless it is desired to save a full preset as a partial preset.

Toggle: Pick Properties¶

Full Presets:

When Enabled, allows picking of quick settings. A Checkbox will be created next to compatible properties and input sockets in the Chart Setup panel. After saving the selection will appear as quick settings when applying the preset.
Partial Presets:

When Enabled, allows picking solo properties to save. The partial preset will only save properties selected. When Disabled, partial presets use the tagging system instead.

Button: Get Properties¶

Partial presets only.

Selects properties defined the selected preset in List: Selected Preset. and lists them in the Solo properties section. Useful for creating variations of the same partial preset.

Button: Save Preset¶

Full Presets:

Saves all compatible properties and socket values to a preset file.
Partial Presets:

Saves selected tags, or solo properties to a partial preset file.
Animation Presets:

Saves keyframed properties and socket values to an animation preset file.

Components: Quick Settings¶

For full presets only. Display properties and socket inputs defined with Toggle: Pick Properties. Differs from preset to preset.

../_images/ch_panel_presets_qs.png — Preset Quick Settings.¶

Components: Preset Folder¶

../_images/ch_panel_presets_folder.png — Presets folder box.¶

Button: Open Folder¶

Opens the system file browser inside the installed presets folder.

Button: Change Folder¶

Opens the file browser. Select a folder that contain existing presets.

Usage Examples¶

Install Presets¶

On first load, the Presets Panel will display as below. Install presets to access the full panel functionality.

Click Button: Install Presets.
Select a folder that will contain the ChArtist presets folder.

Note

Once presets are installed it will load automatically when Blender starts.

Video: ChArtist Preset Installation

Change the presets folder¶

Click Button: Change Folder if presets are already installed.
Click Button: Choose Preset Folder if no current presets are installed.
Select a folder containing presets.

../_images/ch_presets_change_folder.png — Selecting a presets folder location.¶

Note

ChArtist preset system requires the chosen directory to contain folders named “Full”, “Partial”, and “Animation”.

Do not select any of the sub folders, simply open the parent directory and select Change Preset Folder.

The image above illustrates this process where the example path is:

X:\Chartist Demo\Your Custom Preset Folder\

Apply a Preset¶

Select Preset
- Choose a preset type: List: Preset Type.
- Choose a preset category: List: Category, and sub category List: Sub category.
- Choose a preset: List: Selected Preset.
Apply Preset

Video: Apply Full Presets and use Quick Settings

Option A: Apply Complete preset.
- Click: Button: Apply Preset.
Option B: Apply selected tags only.
- Toggle: Toggle: Apply Tags.
- Select desired tags to apply.
- Click: Button: Apply Selected Tags.

Save a new Preset¶

What and how presets save depend on the preset type.

Save a new Full Preset¶

Adjust Values as needed in Setup Panel.
Select Full Preset in List: Preset Type.
Navigate to existing preset category: List: Category, and sub category List: Sub category. or skip this step.
Press Toggle: Save New.
Type a name in String: Name.
Type a new or existing preset category: List: Category, and sub category List: Sub category.
Optional: Pick Properties.
- Select Toggle: Pick Properties.
Selecting custom properties to include in chart quick settings.¶
- From the Chart Setup Panel, choose properties to include as quick settings.
Click Button: Save Preset.

Save a new Partial Preset¶

Adjust Values as needed in Setup Panel.
Select Partial Preset in List: Preset Type.
Navigate to existing preset category: List: Category, and sub category List: Sub category. or skip this step.
Press Toggle: Save New.
Type a name in String: Name.
Type a new or existing preset category: List: Category, and sub category List: Sub category.
Option A: Pick Properties
- Select Toggle: Pick Properties.
Selecting properties to save to partial preset.¶
- Optional: Click Button: Get Properties.
- From the Chart Setup Panel, choose properties to save.
Option B: Pick Tags
- Deselect Toggle: Pick Properties.
Selecting tags to save to partial preset.¶
- From the Tags to Include box, select tags to save.
Click Button: Save Preset.

Save a new Animation Preset¶

Note

Animation presets work best when paired with existing full presets.

This is not always the case, many values will work with all combination of components.

Select or create a full preset (optional, see note above).
Create keyframes on compatible properties and input sockets in the Chart Setup Panel. Also set frame interpolation if required.

Note

Adding just one keyframe on a value will work and save to the animation preset. However, its recommended to at least add two keyframes and create boundary keyframes at the first and last frame of the animation in the dope sheet.

Select Animation Preset in List: Preset Type.
Navigate to existing preset category: List: Category, and sub category List: Sub category. or skip this step.
Press Toggle: Save New.
Type a name in String: Name.
Type a new or existing preset category: List: Category, and sub category List: Sub category.
Click Button: Save Preset.

Change the default preset¶

Note

When Initially mapping data Chartist will load the default preset.

ChArtist will always load the first preset in the list, this is why the category and preset name are 00_Default. Creating categories or presets within this category that precede 00_Default - Like “000_AAA” - might cause errors.

Important

This will permanently change the default preset, to get the original default back presets need to be re installed.

Apply the preset:
```
Full/00_Default/00_Default/00_Default
```
In List: Category, List: Sub category and List: Selected Preset select the preset that should replace the default preset.
Click Toggle: Apply Tags.
Select all tags and Click Button: Apply Selected Tags.
Click Toggle: Apply Tags (Cancel Apply Tags) to Close Tag box.
In List: Category, List: Sub category and List: Selected Preset select the default preset as in the first step, but don’t apply it.
Click Toggle: Edit Preset.
Click Button: Save (Edit Mode).

The default preset is now updated permanently.