AEIO_ModuleInfo

This is the structure where your AEIO will define its basic properties.

Notice that, in addition to describing the filetypes and extensions supported by your AEIO, you also describe your signature and behavior using the AEIO_ModuleFlags. We love flags.

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AEIO_ModuleInfo Members

Member	Purpose
sig	A long, uniquely identifying your plug-in. Many developers prefer to use a decidedly Mac-ish four character code here. Please let us know what sig you’re using.
name	Descriptive name for your AEIO plug-in.
flags	Set of AEIO_ModuleFlags.
flags2	Set of AEIO_ModuleFlags2.
max_width, max_height	The maximum dimensions supported by your format.
num_filetypes	The number of filetypes supported by your AEIO.
num_extensions	The number of file extensions supported by your AEIO.
num_clips	The number of clipboard formats supported by your AEIO.
create_kind	The macOS four character code for files created by your AEIO.
create_ext	The file extension for files created by your AEIO.
read_kinds	This array of 16 AEIO_FileKinds need not be entirely filled out, but the first [num_filetypes + num_extensions + num_clips] ones must be populated, in that order.
num_aux_extensions	The number of auxiliary extensions supported by your AEIO. Say, for example, that you’re writing an AEIO to import information from a 3D program that saves scene information into a .123 file, and camera information into a .xyz file. The .xyz would be an auxiliary extension; it’s not necessary to get the rest of the scene information, but it’s associated with the .123 files.
aux_ext	The file extension of the auxiliary filetype(s) supported by your AEIO.

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Behavior Flags

AEIOs set these flags (like effect plug-ins use global outflags) in AEIO_ModuleInfo.flags to indicate their behavior to After Effects. Some flags are only relevant to input, and some are only relevant to output.

AEIO_ModuleFlags

Flag	Purpose	I or O?
AEIO_MFlag_INPUT	AEIO is an input module.	Input!
AEIO_MFlag_OUTPUT	AEIO is an output module (one plug-in can be both).	Output!
AEIO_MFlag_FILE	Each clip imported directly corresponds to a file, somewhere.	Both
AEIO_MFlag_STILL	Supports still images, not video.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_VIDEO	Supports video images, not stills.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_AUDIO	Supports audio.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_NO_TIME	Time information isn’t part of the file format. This would be the case with numbered stills, with individual frames imported based on the composition’s time settings.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_INTERACTIVE_GET	A new input sequence necessitates user interaction. This would be the case for a non-file-based input module.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_INTERACTIVE_PUT	A new output sequence necessitates user interaction. This would be the case for a non-file-based output module.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_CANT_CLIP	The AEIO’s drawing functions cannot accept dimensions smaller than the requested dimensions.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_MUST_INTERACT_PUT	The AEIO must display a dialog box, even if a valid options data handle is available.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_CANT_SOUND_INTERLEAVE	The AEIO requires that all video data be processed, then sound data (instead of interleaving the processing the video and audio).	Output
AEIO_MFlag_CAN_ADD_FRAMES_NON_LINEAR	The AEIO supports adding non-sequential frames.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_HOST_DEPTH_DIALOG	The AEIO wants After Effects to display a bit-depth selection dialog.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_HOST_FRAME_START_DIALOG	The AEIO wants After Effects to display a dialog requesting that the user specify a starting frame.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_NO_OPTIONS	The AEIO does not accept output options.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_NO_PIXELS	The AEIO’s file format doesn’t actually store pixels. Currently unused as of CS6.	(unused)
AEIO_MFlag_SEQUENCE_OPTIONS_OK	The AEIO will adopt the sequence options of its parent if a folder is selected.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_INPUT_OPTIONS	The AEIO has user options associated with each input sequence. NOTE: the options information must be flat (not referring to any data contained in external pointers or handles).	Input
AEIO_MFlag_HSF_AWARE	The AEIO will provide horizontal scaling factor (pixel aspect ratio) information for each new sequence. This prevents After Effects from guessing.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_HAS_LAYERS	The AEIO supports multiple layers in a single document.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_SCRAP	The AEIO has a clipboard parsing component.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_NO_UI	After Effects should display no UI for this module (do not combine this flag with AEIO_MFlag_HOST_DEPTH_DIALOG or AEIO_MFlag_HOST_FRAME_START_DIALOG)	Input
AEIO_MFlag_SEQ_OPTIONS_DLG	The AEIO has sequence options accessible from the More Options button in the Interpret Footage dialog.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_HAS_AUX_DATA	The file format supported by the AEIO has depth information, normals, or some other non-color information related to each pixel.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_HAS_META_DATA	The file format supported by the AEIO supports user-definable metadata. If this flag is set, the embed pop-up in the output module dialog will be enabled.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_CAN_DO_MARKERS	The file format support by the AEIO supports markers, url flips, and/or chapters.	Output
AEIO_MFlag_CAN_DRAW_DEEP	The AEIO can draw into 16bpc (“deep”) PF_EffectWorlds.	Input
AEIO_MFlag_RESERVED4	Special super-secret flag. Doesn’t do anything…or does it? (No, it doesn’t.)	???

AEIO_ModuleFlags2

Gotta have dem flags…

Flag	Purpose	I or O?
AEIO_MFlag2_AUDIO_OPTIONS	The AEIO has an audio options dialog.	Output
AEIO_MFlag2_SEND_ADDMARKER_BEFORE_ADDFRAME	The AEIO wants to receive marker data before outputting video or audio (useful for MPEG streams).	Output
AEIO_MFlag2_CAN_DO_MARKERS_2	The AEIO supports combined markers; URL flips, chapters, and comments.	Output
AEIO_MFlag2_CAN_DRAW_FLOAT	The AEIO can draw into float (32-bpc) worlds.	Input
AEIO_MFlag2_CAN_DO_AUDIO_32	Supports 32-bit audio output.	Output
AEIO_MFlag2_SUPPORTS_ICC_PROFILES	Supports ICC profiles.	Both
AEIO_MFlag2_CAN_DO_MARKERS_3	The AEIO supports combined markers; URL flips, chapters, comments, and cue points.	Output
AEIO_MFlag2_SEND_ADDMARKER_BEFORE_STARTADDING	The AEIO wants to process markers before video during export.	Output
AEIO_MFlag2_USES_QUICKTIME	On MacOS, prior to the host calling AEIO_AddFrame or AEIO_OutputFrame from AEIO_FunctionBlock4, it will lock the global QuickTime mutex.	Output