Introduction
The Content Protection feature allows compound creators to hide implementation details of their work, and optionally restrict which users can use their compounds at all.
Usage
Content creators must have their own instance of the compound, which they are working on as usual.
Once it's ready, they save a separate, protected version of it via File / Save As Protected.
Then, optionally, one or more users can be listed, who will be authorized to use the file (see more info in the Copy Protection section below). Leaving the list empty means anyone can use the file (though, of course, its implementation details will still be hidden to everyone).
Then a standard Save As dialog appears where the location and file name can be specified. This creates a new file, which even the creator can no longer edit.
This protected file is what should be sent to the end user.
IMPORTANT: Only save the top-level compound this way. If it references other linked compounds, you do not need to save them this way, nor do you need to give them to the user. This way, it does not matter if they also contain details you want to keep confidential. In other words, the protected compound will be completely self-contained and will not complain about missing linked compound references. But of course, the referenced images, videos, and shaders must still be included.
NOTE: the linked compounds contained by the protected compound are not automatically updated if the external file has changed. Please keep this in mind if you reference, for example, Common Library elements.
Shaders (.xshad) can also be protected in the same way.
Content Protection
- The protected compound is stored in an .xcomp file as usual, and treated as such, but its contents are encrypted.
- If you load a protected compound, it works fully, but nothing is visible in the Flow Graph — only a [PROTECTED CONTENT] label appears. Input and output pins are visible and can be peeked at, but not edited. The file cannot be saved again.
- If you insert a protected compound as a linked compound, it works fully, but cannot be opened with In-place Edit, cannot be Unlinked, and has no Open Import Source operation.
- If you copy/paste or clone a protected linked compound, the protection info is inherited — the copy cannot be opened, even if pasted into another document.
- If you save a document containing a protected linked compound, you will mostly get the usual XML file, but the sections describing the protected compound will be encrypted, so it cannot be extracted as XML either.
Copy Protection
- This is an optional feature that lets the creator restrict which users can use the file at all.
- When the creator chooses File / Save As Protected, a Content Protection Setup window appears where the users to be authorized can be listed. The users must be designated by their Public Username. If the list is left empty, the file will be usable by anyone (though no one will be able to see its contents, of course).
- IMPORTANT: The creator of the file will always be added automatically to the user list. Thus, he/she will always be able to use the file.
- When using the file on the target machine, the system checks the permission based on the username tied to the currently activated license.
- If you try to load a protected compound without authorization, you will receive the message "You are not entitled to use this protected content: filename"
- If you try to insert a protected compound as a linked compound without authorization, you will see the same message in red in the Log.
- If you try to load a document that already contains a linked compound that you are not authorized to use, you will also see the same message in the Log for each affected compound.
