Ball TracerDownload trial
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Docs / 01

Install and activate

Ten minutes, most of which is Resolve restarting.

Before you start

  • You need DaVinci Resolve Studio. The free edition does not load OpenFX plug-ins at all, so there is nothing to install into.
  • Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. There is no Mac build.
  • You will need to allow the administrator prompt, because the plug-in goes into a folder shared by every OpenFX host on the machine.

The build is not code-signed yet. Windows will say the publisher is unknown. That is expected at this stage, and it is described honestly rather than hidden: choose More info, then Run anyway. Signing costs money that this project does not spend until it has customers.

Installing

  1. Quit DaVinci Resolve completely. Not minimised — closed. The installer checks, and refuses to run while Resolve is open, because Resolve keeps the plug-in file locked while it is running.
  2. Unzip the download somewhere you can find it, such as your Downloads folder.
  3. Right-click install.ps1 and choose Run with PowerShell. If Windows refuses, open PowerShell in that folder and runpowershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File install.ps1.
  4. Say yes to the administrator prompt. The script explains why it is asking before it asks.
  5. It copies the plug-in to C:\Program Files\Common Files\OFX\Plugins\BallTracer.ofx.bundle, clears Resolve's plug-in cache so the new build is actually rescanned, and prints the version it installed.
  6. Start Resolve. The plug-in is under Effects Library > OpenFX > Ball Tracer. Drag it onto a clip like any other effect.

Before tracking a long range, set Playback → Timeline Playback Resolution to Half. It is the only thing that decides how many frames fit into a single pass, and at Full you will run out of graphics memory on a long shot.

Activating your licence

Until it is activated the plug-in works completely, but writes TRIALdiagonally across the picture. Activation removes it.

  1. Add Ball Tracer to any clip and open the Inspector.
  2. Open the Licence group at the top of the panel.
  3. Paste your key into Licence Key and press Enter.
  4. Press Activate. This needs an internet connection, once.
  5. Licence Status changes to Activated — thank you, and the TRIAL mark stops being drawn.

The mark is still on a frame I already rendered

Resolve caches rendered frames, so a frame it drew while you were in trial mode still has the mark baked into the cache. Use Playback → Delete Render Cache and it will redraw clean.

Your key is not stored in your project

The key field is cleared after every use and the key is never written into the project file. That was checked directly against a saved project, an exported .drp, Resolve's databases, the Fusion preferences and the logs. Sending someone a project cannot leak your key.

Moving to another computer

Press Deactivate on the machine you are leaving. That releases the activation so you can use the key elsewhere. The TRIAL mark comes back on the machine you deactivated.

Working offline

After the first activation the licence is cached on your machine. It re-checks roughly every 7 days when it can reach the internet, and you can work offline for up to 30 days at a stretch before it asks you to connect. If your computer's clock is set earlier than the last check, it will say so — put the clock back and restart Resolve.

Uninstalling

Close Resolve, then run install.ps1 -Uninstall from the same folder. Your licence stays in %APPDATA%\BallTracer so reinstalling does not cost you an activation.

Still stuck

Try troubleshooting, or write to support@balltracerplugin.com. One person reads it, and the reply comes within 2 business days.