FxTemplates is a technology designed to help developers create, manage and distribute products for Final Cut Pro based on Motion Templates.
To create a new FxTemplates project, launch the FxFactory application and select the New → Templates command under the File menu:
Creating a new FxTemplates project
At the heart of each FxTemplate is a document format based on Mac file packages. Multiple Motion Templates are grouped inside a single logical container. Each package also contains effect thumbnails, media referenced by your templates and custom fonts that may be required to use your product in Final Cut Pro.
A unified development UI provides access to both basic and advanced features that are available with FxTemplates:
FxTemplates window
The idea is simple: you use FxFactory to build your product, and let FxFactory handle product installation, licensing and asset management for you.
Overview
- Existing Motion Templates can be imported to a new product simply by dragging Motion project files from the Finder onto the Templates list.
- Templates are arranged in groups. Different types of effects may be grouped under a single category. FxFactory will take care of installing each template in the correct location based on its type (effect, generator, transition or title).
- The template theme can be changed easily, without having to edit the
XMLdata in the Motion project. - Only a single thumbnail graphic is stored for each template. The thumbnail graphic stored in the FxTemplate does not have to be in the
PNGformat. Thumbnails can beJPEGfiles to make products smaller and thus faster to download. - Media files used by each template are automatically imported and stored in the FxTemplate. Multiple templates can reference the same media files in order to make product packaging more efficient.
Advanced Features
- Developers can rename templates, template categories and/or themes without fear of breaking project compatibility for end-users. This allows developers to easily re-categorize their effects within the Final Cut Pro effect browser even after products have shipped.
- FxFactory guarantees reliable deployment of your products. Templates are installed and deployed consistently on all systems. This ensures that users do not have to deal with effect missing/offline errors.
- An FxTemplate may have dependencies on another product, be it an FxPack or a different FxTemplate. The FxTemplate can share a single licensing structure and inherit state through this dependency. This allows for seamless deployment of products that are a combination of Motion Templates for Final Cut Pro and native plug-ins for all other video applications.
- If you have created high-quality thumbnail graphics to represent your product in Final Cut Pro, you do not have to worry about Motion overwriting those thumbnails when you save the template: FxFactory will preserve the thumbnail graphic until you explicitly request it to use a different one.
- Multiple versions of a template can exist within the same product. FxFactory allows you to assign version numbers and mark templates as Obsolete, which has benefits for developers and end-users alike. Developers can immediately distinguish between current/working copies of an effect and previous versions which should be left alone for compatibility reasons. Users can more easily identify obsolete effects in the Final Cut Pro effect browser.
- If multiple templates within your product reference the same Media (e.g. a large movie), there is no need to distribute multiple copies of those files to your users. FxFactory lets you embed a single copy of an asset which may be referenced by multiple templates.
- FxFactory can apply a watermark to the output of any templates being used without a license. The watermark allows you to distribute a trial version of your product. The user can unlock the product and remove the watermark simply by purchasing a registration code from our online store.
- FxFactory performs product-integrity checks to ensure that users are indeed using the product you shipped to them. Any changes to the Motion projects are detected and - whenever possible - fixed automatically.
- FxFactory handles systems with multiple user accounts seamlessly. Products are automatically installed for any new user the first time they fire up Final Cut Pro or FxFactory.
Immediate Benefits to Users
- Users can disable products simply by toggling a checkbox inside the FxFactory application.
- Users can easily license your FxTemplate-based products via the FxFactory application. Previous purchases are associated with the account, allowing users to easily restore a working configuration.
What’s next?
Familiarize yourself with the FxTemplates development UI: