Sean Meighan
Welcome => Latest xLights/Nutcracker software => Topic started by: sean on June 20, 2016, 09:27:54 PM
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I am planning on adding folder to the next release "props". It will be located under the install directory. I am looking for spreadsheets (*.xlsx or *.xls) that have data for a custom model. Please! always start at channel 1 in your spreadsheets. Please put comments in the spreadsheet maybe giving the link to the place to buy the prop, Please give your name and optionally your email if people want to reach you.
On my machine xLights installs into C:\Program Files (x86)\xLights
so we might have
C:\Program Files (x86)\xLights\props\boscoyo\chromastar_v1.xlsx
C:\Program Files (x86)\xLights\props\holidaycoro\singingtree_v2.xlsx
C:\Program Files (x86)\xLights\props\seanmeighan\Cross_Star_v1.xlsx
.etc.
I think it might be useful to have a version number in case people edit the file later.
Now when people install they will have the data at hand.
Can someone gather list of all the spreadsheets on this forum or other groups and i will do the initial pull to my build directory?
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I love the idea but perhaps a better place for it is in a data directory outside of the Program Files structure. People routinely uninstall or perform actions outside of xLights thinking that the data in Program Files is just installation files and to get them back simply reinstall.
I hate to suggest it perhaps its time to think about the "xLights" show directory and create a new structure where each show and configuration would be a sub-directory in that structure, then things that are common across shows could be stored there, music, media, graphics etc in some form of standard structure. I know it would save me alot of space.
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To be a little clearer, I know the media (Songs, Video) can go into a separate directory pointed to my Media Directory, I talking about extending this to include graphic and models.
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This props directory is not going to be an official directory used by the program just a common place to store the files. They would get installed with the release. No reason to get all fancy because once you import a model you have it and are not dependent on the source file it came from.
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i am not sure what data directory i would use that is common across all windows 7,8,10
Should i assume a directory under documents?
As gil said, this is only a onetime drop of stuff you might pull in.
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Are you still going to maintain the songs folder under the install folder? I always wished you had put a link in the start menu for that folder as it would have made it easier for novice computer users to find. Hopefully you will put some links in the start menu for the props folder.
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Did this ever get added? I was looking for where the models were shared, but having problems finding them
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Did this ever get added? I was looking for where the models were shared, but having problems finding them
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Nope never added that I know about. Users share models on Facebook and here in the Show Assets subforum.
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Where would you like us to post new models we create? I'm sure one specific place would be easier than several different threads/forums/Facebook.
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What I want is the vendors of the props to publish xmodel files. Give us a xml file with their details etc and we place that in an XLights folder and we can have a model browser that pulls the models directly from the supplier.
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Where would you like us to post new models we create? I'm sure one specific place would be easier than several different threads/forums/Facebook.
I really don't like sharing models. I like to create my own. The first time I used a shared model it had a mistake that caused me to cut and splice a pixel up on the roof and wasted my time.
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Where would you like us to post new models we create? I'm sure one specific place would be easier than several different threads/forums/Facebook.
I really don't like sharing models. I like to create my own. The first time I used a shared model it had a mistake that caused me to cut and splice a pixel up on the roof and wasted my time.
Not every single person that uses this program is as skilled and on a computer as the guys writing the code. I will openly admit I'm stumbling through figuring out how to make this program work right now because I had poor results and bad lag on my show running LOR this past year. I was just looking for a holiday Coro singing tree and single strand snowflake to use.
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Sometimes it's one little step at a time, you figure out how to do this, and how to do that as it comes up. I had Pi problems, others had no pi problems. i can spend hours figuring out how xlights does something that I could do in LSP in a couple of minutes, and some folks can make xlights do stuff that I would spend hours doing in LSP.
Just approach it as one little learning step at a time and ask lots of questions. The facebook group is a good place too, lots more video examples there and quicker replies.
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Sean, please call them MODELS. All references in the application and the documentation is for MODELS.
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Where would you like us to post new models we create? I'm sure one specific place would be easier than several different threads/forums/Facebook.
I really don't like sharing models. I like to create my own. The first time I used a shared model it had a mistake that caused me to cut and splice a pixel up on the roof and wasted my time.
I can see both sides here - I do like shared models as they have helped me to get snowflakes setup much quicker than I could have on my own.
To Gil's point - I had put up my new snowflakes and the next night my wife told me I had a "light" out. I went out and sure enough one pixel not working at all - I thought I would just replace it once I brought props back in. The next day I added a candy cane and the bad pixel moved about 12 pixels! Wait a minute...went and looked in the model and a someone had mistyped a node number (28 instead of 38). I fixed that and pixel is not dead anymore. Were it not for me putting out that other prop I would have cut out 2 pixels and then had the exact same problem. So I would say shared is good but buyer beware...
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I have no problem if someone wants to setup a way to share models. We already share stuff on Facebook so that's where I go when I look. But it appeared someone was wanting ME to determine how we centralize this so I'm just saying I'm not your guy to do that because I'm not motivated since it's not a key feature for me. I'm not saying its a bad thing for the rest of you to do I just don't want to champion it.
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I think of a MODEL as something like a tree. In reality I have 23 tree MODELS. Each of them are PROPS that have unique properties and channel assignments. So there is a difference.
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Sean, please call them MODELS. All references in the application and the documentation is for MODELS.
I think i will call them custom_models.
This requests tarted with james from boscoyo studios. the directory structure is probabvly going to be something like
../custom_models/boscoyo/chromastar1.xmodel
../custom_models/boscoyo/chromamesh1.xmodel
../custom_models/holidaycoro/singing_tree1.xmodel
or maybe xls files with background images?
I could use peoples help in mining all the current places these files have been stored.
problems i see is how do you know what purchased prop the xmodel applies to?
what about peoples home grown props?
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Yes another issue is the exact same display element can be modeled more than one way. I know on FB another user and I both modeled the Matt Johnson 34 pixel snowflake but we used different sub-models and I'm pretty sure mine is rotated 180 degrees for where my first pixel starts.
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The custom models will get the shapes correct. It will be up to the users to plug in the pixels in that exact order, or renumber them to match how they want to plug them in.
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Sean, please call them MODELS. All references in the application and the documentation is for MODELS.
I think i will call them custom_models.
This requests tarted with james from boscoyo studios. the directory structure is probabvly going to be something like
../custom_models/boscoyo/chromastar1.xmodel
../custom_models/boscoyo/chromamesh1.xmodel
../custom_models/holidaycoro/singing_tree1.xmodel
or maybe xls files with background images?
I could use peoples help in mining all the current places these files have been stored.
problems i see is how do you know what purchased prop the xmodel applies to?
what about peoples home grown props?
I don't want this sean. I want James to set us up something we can call on his webpage and pull them down for the user. Yes it will require an Internet link to work but it means he can update it whenever he wants and we don't need to fuss. I just want one xml file from him defining where we can find the inventory online.
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This is not much different than the included song timing marks that come with every install. Just a helper to get started. This application should be standalone with no Internet connection needed IMHO.
There are MANY vendors for models, not just James. Granted the profits may increase by us including models, this is not to help the vendors, but to help the users.
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Keith; i would like vendors to provide xml files (boscoyo,holidaycoro) .etc. but they have not done so to daye. what about multiple models for the same prop? Some users create models and sub models. Some custom models are 20x30, others 40x40. Resolution. When vendors start providing *.xmodel files for what they sell we should include links. Providing them with the install just gives one place to look. Wr have user submitted xmodel and xls files in at least 3-4 places now.
I would rather be the recipient of files and i just need to package them.
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The problem sean is you get a hundred different versions of the same model. Who decides what the right one is and if you push multiple how does the user decide which to use. I prefer the vendors own this accountability.