Looking for input on creating items in layout

[nutz4lights]

Hey all,

I'm way behind and am trying to get everything setup in xlights the next day or two so that I can at least turn on all of my pixels for Halloween.  I'm pretty sure I won't do music at this point until Christmas.

So, I am drawing all of my models in layout.  Did the roof line, pretty straight forward, just single lines.  I'm curious what others might do for a bush shaped object that contains either 65 or 130 pixels.  The previous several years my bushes were dumb RGB nodes and I converted them to pixels this year due to wanting to sparkle the whole display at the noise level.

Also a decent sized oak tree....There's around 1800 pixels in it, no particular order, just how it was wrapped... Any suggestions on what you would do after having experienced sequencing in xlights?

Thanks so much,

Louie

[vincerules]

I'm sure there are better ideas, but for my spiral tree I just did a vertical line. That may work for your big tree. It allows you to do some nice top to bottom/bottom to top effects that look pretty cool. Also works well with whole house effects.

[nutz4lights]

Ok cool, thanks!  That's one way.

Louie

[bassnbuck]

if you use excel at all you can create a custom layout and import it into your model.  I did that for my arch which is all filled in with 1400 pixel and it worked will.

[nutz4lights]

I have used excel to draw out some of my Christmas elements that are very defined shapes.  What I'm concerned about with the bushes is that the pixels are sort of drizzled randomly over a several foot by several foot area.  In the oak tree as well, I could probably figure out which pixels were roughly where, but it would be complicated by the fact that the strands are wrapped "out and back" style.  I'm not sure I could represent that in excel.  Too random maybe?

Louie

[jnealand]

Remember that the models are only an approximation of your layout not a scale drawing.  You may be expecting to much.