The Batch module is designed to facilitate inter-module workflow and quicken interactivity as you create effects. Batch provides a flow graph environment where you perform procedural compositing with integrated access to almost all Smoke modules and image-processing commands. An effect you create in Batch—a Batch FX—is a setup applied directly to one or more timeline segments.

You use the Batch processing environment to assemble a process tree of clips and nodes (Smoke operations) where the result of each operation serves as the source for the next one. Because a Batch pipeline is not fixed, you have the flexibility of reordering and editing nodes.

You can work in a timeline-based environment within Batch while performing procedural compositing. Each clip has an associated timeline, which you use to perform editing functions, build sequences, apply transitions, or do vertical compositing by applying soft effects.

The first Batch setup you enter is with a selection of EditDesk record timeline segments. Each time you create a Batch FX, you enter a new setup for the selected timeline segments.

You can bring clips of any resolution and bit depth into Batch. However, some nodes require that the clips be of the same resolution and bit depth. You can change these clip settings directly in Batch.

You can continue work that you performed on a clip before bringing it into a Batch setup. For example, if an EditDesk module process was applied to a clip, you can continue to edit the settings by accessing the clip's history from Batch. If a soft effect was applied to a clip on the EditDesk record timeline, you can make further changes to the soft effect by entering Batch with the clip after it was modified with the soft effect.

When you are finished working in Batch, you output your results back to the EditDesk record timeline. The output resolution is based on the EditDesk timeline resolution. If you saved both your setup and clips, you can go back into Batch in another session to continue working on a setup.

The Batch module is available only in Smoke 2K.