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Fetch Media Tools Docs

Installation & First Run

Vector installs like any other desktop application. The NDI® runtime and the Stream Deck plugin come with it.

What You Download

Section titled “What You Download”
  • Windows — an .msi installer.
  • macOS — a .app bundle, an .app.tar.gz and a .dmg, signed with a Developer ID, with the disk image notarised.
  • Linux — an AppImage, with the NDI® library inside at usr/lib/.

What the Installer Installs

Section titled “What the Installer Installs”
  • The NDI® runtime — Processing.NDI.Lib.x64.dll on Windows, libndi.dylib on macOS, and libndi.so.6.2.1 with a libndi.so.6 alias on Linux. You don’t install it separately.
  • The Stream Deck plugin — vector.sdPlugin, at Fetch Vector.app/Contents/Resources/vector.sdPlugin on macOS, beside vector.exe on Windows, and at usr/lib/vector/vector.sdPlugin on Linux. The bundle in an installation always matches the plugin that runs.
  • The Windows runtime libraries — MSVCP140.dll, VCRUNTIME140.dll and VCRUNTIME140_1.dll. A machine without the Visual C++ redistributable still starts.
  • Vector’s own artwork — assets/, and THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.txt.

First Launch

Section titled “First Launch”

A fresh install is unlicensed, so the window opens on the 1x1 layout: the header shows Layout: 1x1 and a yellow Product not licensed, the grid shows a red Layout ‘1x1’ not found, and the Sources Palette shows Layout “1x1” - 5 slots with five empty cells.

Enter a key and the four layouts become selectable: Colorist, DIT, QC and Broadcast. The license window waits in the Help menu, and the Color window, the Input settings surface, the Scope Properties pane and the Stream Deck report all stay closed until you open them.

A run prints two lines before the window appears: === Fetch Media Tools | Vector ===, then Logging to: {path}. That file opens with the banner Fetch Media Tools | Vector {version} starting, and takes Vector’s diagnostics and any panic.

Where Vector Saves Your Settings

Section titled “Where Vector Saves Your Settings”

Vector’s directory is separate from Fetch Laika’s on every platform.

  • Windows — %APPDATA%\FetchMediaTools\Vector\config\ for settings and layouts, and %APPDATA%\FetchMediaTools\Vector\data\ for logs.
  • macOS — ~/Library/Application Support/com.FetchMediaTools.Vector/.
  • Linux — ~/.config/vector/ and, for the log, ~/.local/share/vector/.

Inside it:

  • sources.json — the Sources Palette and every application preference, including the screenshot directory.
  • layouts/ and pads/ — the directories older versions used, still read by the store. layouts/ is where the Manage Custom Layouts import picker starts.
  • logs/vector.log — rotated at each start, with five previous runs.
  • license_key.txt and activation_token.lic — the key you typed and the signed token issued for this machine.
  • screenshots/ — the fallback directory, used when a platform has no Pictures folder. By default they go to your Pictures folder, or wherever the Screenshots tab points.

The Compositor Flags

Section titled “The Compositor Flags”

Vector renders on the GPU by default. Two flags put it on the other processor, and one environment variable asks for a route machine-wide.

  • --gpu-compositor — compose on the GPU, the default. The flag puts it back after something turned it off.
  • --cpu-compositor — compose on the CPU.
  • VECTOR_GPU_COMPOSITOR — 1, true or yes asks for the GPU, 0, false or no for the CPU. Any other value is reported.

The first one that is set decides: a flag beats VECTOR_GPU_COMPOSITOR, which beats the choice saved on the Input surface, which beats Vector’s own default. The last compositor flag wins.

Both routes show the same picture.