Using Workflows

Workflows dramatically simplify the chaining of multiple processes by automating the links between them.

They also manage the process outputs (in the Volume tab), keeping the processes and their resulting volumes together and in the same order.

Fundamentals

A workflow acts as a folder, into which any number of processes can be dragged. The order of the processes defines the order of execution; the output from one process is automatically the input for the next process. This is why you cannot select the first input volume for any process inside a workflow.

  1. To create a workflow, click the blue + icon > New Workflow.
  2. To add a process to that workflow, select a workflow and click the blue + icon > New Process. Alternatively, right-click the workflow, and select New Process.
  3. In the Create Process window, search and add the preferred process.
  4. Drag a process to change its order in the workflow or drag it out to remove it from the workflow.

Note: You can add subsequent workflows by right-clicking anywhere on the Process window and selecting New workflow. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Shift+N to add a new workflow.

Creating a workflow in the Process tab also creates a corresponding folder in the Volume tab, where all of the workflow processes' outputs are placed. That folder is always kept in workflow-execution order (which is why you cannot add to, remove from, or reorder the contents of the folder in the Volume tab).

Workflows are usually about record-based processing (such as shots, CMPs, IL/CL image gathers, and so forth). 

An initial Volume Sort (records) process is required to define the records passed through the system.

Some processes in Insight, however, do not operate record-by-record. Volume Smoothing, for example, operates on 3D windows. These workflows run using the Volume Export functionality.

Variables

In some workflows, the same Insight product will be used in many different processes, and in such a case updating the value of this product manually would require searching through all the processes in the workflow. 

Workflow variables alleviate this problem by allowing an input's value to be set to a variable instead of a specific value.

Changing a variable's value then automatically changes the value of all linked inputs. New variables can be created in the Variables section of the workflow process and an input can be linked to a variable by clicking the gear icon > find and link inputs. Currently, only volume inputs are supported.

  1. Input Volume: The input volume for the first process in the workflow (which will of course flow through to the subsequent processes).
  2. Blue + button: Create a new variable. Type a variable name and select the volume from the dropdown menu.

Refer to the following video for a demonstration on using Workflows: