Preview a TOP
get_previewRead-only
Capture a TOP node's current output as an inline PNG image. Use sample_grid for a lightweight N×N RGBA grid with per-channel statistics to check activity and color.
Instructions
Capture a TOP node's current output as an inline PNG image. This is read-only. The bridge may return the TOP's native output dimensions instead of the requested width×height; when they differ, the caption shows both. Only TOPs can be previewed (CHOP/SOP/etc. have no image). For a cheaper check of activity and approximate colour, pass sample_grid=N to return an N×N grid of RGBA samples and per-channel statistics instead of an image.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| width | No | Requested preview width (1–4096; default 640). The bridge may return a TOP's native output width; when it differs, the caption reports both native and requested sizes. | |
| height | No | Requested preview height (1–4096; default 360). The bridge may return a TOP's native output height; when it differs, the caption reports both native and requested sizes. | |
| 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. |