Forward virtual routing handles signals that follow a Shape's main direction. Some routing designs also contain signals that travel the other way:
Return video to a camera or contributor.
Intercom listen paths.
Confidence feeds.
Other feedback or control paths.
Buttons models these as reversed slots. A Matching Preset can use Reverse Routing to apply their mappings together with the forward route.
It can be easier to understand reverse routing after first reviewing the equivalent forward route. Reverse paths can change destinations that are not obvious when an operator is focused on the main source-to-destination route.
Warning
Taking one route with Reverse Routing enabled can replace sources for both forward and return destinations. Become familiar with the operation and its routing consequences before deploying it in production.
A Virtual Bundle has two logical sides, Incoming and Outgoing. They name the bundle's sides, not the direction a signal travels. A normal slot carries its signal from the Incoming side to the Outgoing side, but a reversed slot carries a return signal the opposite way, between the same two sides.
A Shape's Main Direction defines the normal direction of most slots. A reversed slot flips its effective routing direction:
On a source Shape, normal slots send forward and reversed slots receive a return signal.
On a destination Shape, normal slots receive forward and reversed slots send a return signal.
The bundle detail always shows Incoming on the left and Outgoing on the right. A reverse row changes the routing role and arrow direction, not the side on which the slot is displayed.
Under Slots, open the add-slot list and pick a Video port type. If Video is already used by the forward slot, the list offers the other Video types, such as Program or Preview.
Rename the new slot Return Video.
Turn on Reversed for that slot. Its role badge changes from SOURCE to DESTINATION.
Select the destination Shape, such as Studio Monitor or the applicable production-area Shape.
Turn on Reverse Slots.
Add a Video slot for the return source, the same way.
Turn on Reversed for that slot. Its role badge changes from DESTINATION to SOURCE.
Save the Shape.
A reversed slot is not merely tagged as a return. Its effective source or destination role is inverted, which affects compatibility, selection, locking, visibility, matching, and execution.
Open each affected Virtual Bundle and expand its route details. A reversed row's arrows point back (←), and its physical selector lists the opposite kind of port: destinations on the source-side bundle, sources on the destination-side bundle.
Warning
Mapping the source-side bundle's return row to a physical destination routes that destination straight away. Until a return route is taken, Buttons routes None to it, which replaces whatever it was showing. Use a return destination that's off air, or take the complete route straight afterwards.
For the source-side bundle:
Find its reversed Return Video row.
Open the selector on the side that accepts the return signal.
Choose the intended physical return destination.
Review the staged route and select Execute Routes.
For the destination-side bundle:
Find the reversed return-source row.
Open its selector.
Choose the physical port that supplies the return feed.
Review and execute the staged route.
These operations create the physical edge mappings for the reversed slots. When the virtual-to-virtual route is taken, the Matching Preset adds the reverse slot-to-slot mapping. Buttons then follows the completed path from the physical return source to the physical return destination and creates the required physical route request.
Select Auto-match, or add the intended reverse rule manually.
Confirm that the return source slot maps to the source bundle's return destination slot.
Remove any reverse rule that should not be part of the operation.
Save the Preset.
Auto-match Forward Only rebuilds only the forward rules. Auto-match includes reverse rules, and it's only available while Reverse Routing is on. Once saved, the Preset shows a ↩ marker after its name in the Matching Presets list.
Turning Reverse Routing off removes reverse rules from the Matching Preset. It does not undo routes that were already executed.
Select the virtual source and destination bundles.
Select the Matching Preset with Reverse Routing enabled.
Confirm that the yellow ↩ reverse marker appears in the staged bundle row.
Open Preview preset mapping.
Inspect every forward and reverse rule.
Identify every physical destination that can change. The preview shows slot-to-slot rules, not physical ports, so check each reversed row's physical mapping in the bundle details as well.
Select Take.
Review the routing report. It lists the reverse mapping under Virtual Mappings Added and the return route under Direct Route Requests. A forward path that's already active isn't requested again, so it doesn't appear.
Verify both the main signal and the return signal at their real endpoints.
The route now expresses two related intentions:
Forward: Camera video/audio → production destinationReverse: production return source → Camera return destination
The Matching Preset expands both intentions into virtual slot mappings. Buttons resolves the complete forward and reverse paths and creates the required physical route requests. Each physical destination still has its own route state, locks, availability, and possible failure.
When a Shape uses Nested Shapes, configure reverse routing consistently across the Nested Shapes and their Matching Presets:
Enable reverse slots on each Nested Shape.
Add and map the reverse slots provided by each Nested Shape.
Enable Reverse Routing on the Matching Preset used between the Nested Shapes.
Verify that Matching Preset independently.
Enable reverse slots on the Shape that uses the Nested Shapes where required.
Use that Matching Preset in the rule between the Nested Shapes.
Enable Reverse Routing on the Matching Preset for the complete Shapes.
Preview the complete expansion before taking the route.
When Reverse Routing is disabled on a Matching Preset for Shapes that use Nested Shapes, only forward-only Matching Presets are offered for rules between the Nested Shapes. This prevents reverse behavior from being introduced by a referenced Matching Preset.
Exclusive Destination clears destination ports that receive no matching source when the Matching Preset is applied. It is independent of Reverse Routing and can make the operation broader still.
Enable it only when an unmatched destination must be cleared to make the destination conform exactly to the Preset. Before using it with reverse routing, identify the unmatched destinations on both directions and verify that clearing them is intentional.
