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Layer Seed

Intro​

The Layer Seed can be connected to an attribute in order for that attribute's parent Layer to pass unique values to its output connections.

Layers such as the Duplicator can automatically 'seed' random numbers to its Input Shapes but this is not true for individual Layers where, for example, 3 Random Behaviours are required to generate 3 random numbers. Rather than managing several Layers, a Layer Seed can, for example, be connected to a single Random Behaviour's Seed attribute to generate different random numbers for each of the Layers it's connected to.

UI​

Offset - Offset the value to generate new seeds.

Example
  1. Create a Text Shape.
  2. Click the Text Shape's
    Button iconGenerator
    button and choose Random Date.
  3. Select the Text Shape and then Cmd/Ctrl + D twice to create two duplicates.
  4. Move them apart in the Viewport.
  5. Right click on the Random Date String Generator's Seed attribute > Add Utility > Layer Seed.

The Random Date passes a different seed to each Text Shape which renders a unique date.

Example
  1. Create an Ellipse.
  2. Create a Color Array.
  3. On the Color Array, click the + Add button 3 times to add 3 indices.
  4. Set a unique color for each index.
  5. Connect colorArray.id→ellipse.fillColor.
  6. Uncheck Auto Index.
  7. Right click on the Color Array's Index attribute > Add Utility > Layer Seed.
  8. Right click on the Color Array's Index attribute > Add Expression...
  9. Enter %4.
  10. With the Ellipse selected, hit Cmd/Ctrl + D several times to create several duplicates of the Ellipse.
  11. Move the Ellipses apart in the Viewport.

Each Ellipse is given a random Fill Color from the Color Array.

The %4 Attribute Expression (modulo 4) converts the values from the Layer Seed to a value between 0 and 3 to match the number of ids in the Color Array.