Composition: Wisps

This composition has the "Image Generator" protocol enabled. Yes, the time port is roughly equivalent to Requested Frame — it fires for each display refresh, with the number of seconds since the composition started.

Protocols are useful in a few ways:

• In 3rd-party host apps, like CoGe, you can use compositions that adhere to the Image Generator protocol. By using a protocol to provide output (instead of a window), you can feed the output back to the host app for it to apply further processing/compositing. (Or you can use a Render X to Window node, but it'll show up in a window by itself, independent of the host app.)
• In Vuo 1.1.0 (coming in a few weeks), you'll be able to offline-render movies for compositions that adhere to the Image Generator protocol. It'll have functionality similar to Kineme QuartzBuilder (spatial/temporal supersampling). In order for temporal supersampling to work, we need to be able to execute the composition at a specified time, which is why the protocol is needed (it provides the time input port).
• Once Vuo supports subcompositions, the Image Generator and Image Filter protocols will provide an easy and standard way to use macros to generate/filter images, and to easily swap them out — similar to KinemeCore's "Transmutate" function.