Importing DMX RGBW Flood from Vixen2

[meman]

I've been running an AC LED string show for 10yrs with Vixen2, Lynx DMX controllers and 12v AC Lynx Aether Floods.
I FINALLY managed to migrate some of my props to pixels this year. My biggest fear was porting all my sequences to xLights/ F16v3 to make it easy to run DMX & E131 at the same time.

But the import feature made it pretty easy after a few tries to understand how it works.

I've gotten all my DMX models built, and the imported sequences run great....except for the Aether Floods.
In Vixen, they are represented by 4 channels for RGBW, and you adjust color by varying intensity of each channel.

In xLights, I tried creating both the DMXFloodlight and DMXAreaFlood models. Set number of channels to 4, Red=1, Blue=2, etc. But if I import the Vixen RGBW channels to  the xLights RGBW channels...the render crashes xLights.

It seems that these models must have the DMX element applied at the DMX Model level in the sequence. Trying to set a RGB or W channel to "on" by itself crashes xLights.

I was able to get the floods imported and working great by just creating 4 string/1 node model. But of course, it doesn't look so cool in my model preview.

Just wanted to run this by the experts and see if there is some tweak/hack of the xml file I could make make  that would allow me to import the sequences into the built in DMX Flood models.

Thanks,
Mike E.

[keithsw1111]

If you can define it in such a way that crashes xlights post your rgbeffects. Networks and xsq and we will take a look.


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[prof]

when you add a dmxfloodlight to the layout - set to 4 channels, if you edit the strand/node name properties you can name the 4 nodes red-green ... etc, as the names  are blank by default. Then in the sequencer add it to the display element list. Then if you double click on the name of the floodlight it will display the strand row, double clicking on the strand will display the four nodes. This is where you can move your imported rgbw effects to. once the nodes have been named it may help with the import directly.

[meman]

Prof, that is the logical path I tried. Life is WAY better if your models/nodes are named exactly as those you are going to import.

I think this problem is more of an effects conflict in the sequencer, since the DMX Flood Models were intended to be used to build a sequence from scratch using the DMX effect. Its sliders control 0-255 of each channel.

When you expand the Model in the sequence window, the DMX effect can only be assigned to the Model...not the string or node (else it will crash). This works great, and moving the red slider in the effects settings fills in the red node under the DMX Effect in the sequence screen, like layering effects for pixels. The model preview lights red as expected.

If it were going to allow an individual node be controlled outside of the DMX Effect sliders, feedback logic would have to exist to adjust the DMX Effect sliders with any level changes made directly to the RGB or W nodes.

I believe that is why the imports fail. 

I attached files for a simple test. One Flood model in the layout. And a test sequence that had the DMX Effect assigned, before I imported the levels of each node from Vixen. This will load and remain stable until you try to render or save.

You simplify the test by just creating a new sequence based on the Model, and trying to set a node to ON (with or without DMX Effect layered). It will crash quickly.

Thanks guys !

[Gilrock]

If you just want to turn on red you don't need to use the DMX Effect and it doesn't need to be placed on the Node.  Just use an On effect set to red at the model level.

[meman]

Gilrock, you make a good point. Even if I was building a new sequence from scratch, the DMX effect is kinda useless for floods, because I use a ton of fades in my shows. And that effect doesn't fade.
So the ON effect is the more appropriate effect to be using.

But that brings me back to the original dilemma of using the DMX Flood Model.
No matter how its represented in xLights, the RGBW floodlights themselves are controlled by four DMX channels.
There is no way to import 4 channels from an existing sequence into one "Model"

I don't mean to open up a can of worms and waste a lot of folks time for something that I might be the only one who has ever tried. So to be clear, I have found a workaround that will let me import 10yrs worth of work.
Instead of using the DMX Flood Model, I simply created a DMX SingleLine model with 4 strings/1 node. String Type Single Color.
The four channels from Vixen map to each node, and it plays back the floods perfectly.
The downside is that model will be hell to alter, or create new sequences with (see image).

[prof]

Have you tried copy paste your imported tracks into the four nodes on the dmx flood. Then for anything new, drop the new color effect onto the top level of the flood

[Gilrock]

Just to clear one thing up the DMX effect does support fading.  You click the arrow on the right and create a value curve that can fade the channel up down and all around during the duration of the effect.

[meman]

Just to clear one thing up the DMX effect does support fading.  You click the arrow on the right and create a value curve that can fade the channel up down and all around during the duration of the effect.

Excellent. I see it now. Still getting used to xLights....huge learning curve coming from Vixen.

Thanks !!