Preview a TOP
get_previewRead-only
Capture a TOP node's current output as an inline PNG image for visual inspection, or get a lightweight RGBA sample grid as JSON for a cheaper status check.
Instructions
Capture a TOP node's current output as an inline PNG image so you can see what was created — read-only, it creates and modifies nothing. Returns the image (scaled to width×height) plus a caption with the node path and actual dimensions; only TOPs can be previewed (CHOP/SOP/etc. have no image). For a much cheaper check (is it alive / roughly what colour?) pass sample_grid=N to get an N×N grid of RGBA samples + per-channel stats as JSON instead of an image.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| width | No | Width of the captured preview image in pixels (1–4096; default 640). | |
| height | No | Height of the captured preview image in pixels (1–4096; default 360). | |
| job_id | No | Collect a previously deferred capture (from a delay_frames call) by its job_id. | |
| node_path | No | Path of the TOP node to capture. Required unless collecting a deferred job by job_id. | |
| pre_pulses | No | Parameters to pulse in the SAME frame immediately before capturing — e.g. reset a feedback loop or fire a timer so a transient is actually visible. All targets are validated before any fires (all-or-nothing). | |
| sample_grid | No | When set (2–16), return a lightweight N×N grid of RGBA samples + per-channel min/max/mean as JSON instead of an image — 10–50× cheaper. Use this when you only need to know whether the output is alive / roughly what colour it is, not its spatial detail. | |
| delay_frames | No | Defer the capture by N frames (to catch an event that appears a few frames after a pulse). Returns a job_id + wait_ms instead of the image; call get_preview again with that job_id to collect the result. |