House Modeling

[michaelc]

I've been following many of Sean's Videos and have been using XLights to run my shows for the last year or so but did not really use nutcracker since there were no pixels.  I have 1 universe of old LOR/REN SS16/SS24/REN49LSD... etc channels controlling everything from Incandescent minis to Dumb LED single color single strand lights.  This year I'm adding pixels  8 universes (E681 Mega Tree, RF1_Mini Trees) and would like to take advantage of a whole house model but I have questions:
1) Can I add my original DMX lights to a preview?  If so,  can it be a whole house preview/model
2) Is there a video or guide to help me set this up for the older lights?  It's very hard to identify the subject of many of Sean's videos since the names are just the dates of the tutorial sessions without subject context.
3) Assuming I can get a single preview that shows both my older lights and the new pixels models, will a whole house effect work on the old light channels. 
Ideally I'd like to do color sweeps across the yard.
Thanks

[jnealand]

1) Can I add my original DMX lights to a preview?  If so,  can it be a whole house preview/model

I have all my DMX lights in my preview include a 64 string megatree and 16 three color mini trees, plus a number of static elements like my tune to sign, a small nativity, a Merry Christmas sign, etc.  You just need to define them in a model and select "single color" as type of string.  I do not include my static elements in the whole house model.  Everything that has "Part of my display" checked when you create your whole house model will be included in the model.  So turn that checkbox off for elements that should not be sequenced when using the wholehouse model.

2) Is there a video or guide to help me set this up for the older lights?  It's very hard to identify the subject of many of Sean's videos since the names are just the dates of the tutorial sessions without subject context.

Maybe, but not that I know of.  I think you just have to watch a bunch of the videos and things will start to jell.  Topics can be widely varied in most tutorials because of the questions the participants ask.

3) Assuming I can get a single preview that shows both my older lights and the new pixels models, will a whole house effect work on the old light channels.

Yes, it causes chases across my mini trees and spins on my old school megatree 

[michaelc]

Thanks


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[michaelc]

One other question.  As I'm adding models to my preview, they are showing up off screen on the bottom left.  There are few that I cannot click on and move.  Is there a trick to this?

you can also edit your xlights_rgbeffects.xml (Please do a "File,Backup" before editing anything)
 
On your model lines the offsetXpct,offsetYpct set where a model will be drawn on the PREVIEW screen
It has a value from 0.0 to 1.0. a value of 0.5 for both will put the model right in the center of the preview.


 <model name="MTREE" offsetXpct="0.3774" offsetYpct="0.5350" PreviewScale="0.4600"
 <model name="Star, Coro Topper" offsetXpct="0.3758" offsetYpct="0.7723" PreviewScale="0.0500"

[JonB256]

I increase their size to HUGE, move them, then reduce them.

[michaelc]

That worked.  Thanks.  I have a related question now.  My first universe of channels is non rgb lights that are sequenced in vixen.  I've created models in NC for them and everything looks great.  I've now created a whole house model and added some timing events in NC.  If I add a whole house effect for a given timing mark, does it wipe out all the vixen data?  I ask this because while all of Sean's videos say all the data they need is in the xml file, I noticed that when I do a straight conversion from vixen 2.1 to xlights  there is no xml file created.  What is the software behavior programmed to be in this instance.  How much of the vixen data in xlights gets overridden when applied to a whole house model.


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[michaelc]

I would love for the existing vixen data to be treated like another effect layer that can be mixed in to the whole house primary effect with no loss of the data.


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[jnealand]

If the channels in vixen are not the same as channels used in models that have been included in the whole house creation, then you are good to go.  but if you had the vixen programmed stuff and they had models and those models were marked as "part of my display" then if they were included in the whole house model any sequencing will wipe them out.  That is why the model groups just released are so important.  You can set up a model group for display elements that you do not want sequenced by NC and turn them off in the preview before you click create whole house model.  For instance I have a number of elements that are static and do not get turned on and off in most sequences so I do not want them in my wholehouse model.  Things like my tune to sign, an inflateable, a blowmold, etc. 

Seans comment about the xml files being used to re-create your display need further understanding.  The vixen part of your sequence was NOT created by using XML.  The XML only contains what was last selected in the display elements that are in the grid when you pressed save.  fyi, you put arches in the grid, programmed and saved it.  Then you remove arches and add a megatree, program and save.  The arches just got lost since they were no longer in the grid.  Ask me how I know about that one.  LOL

[michaelc]

I'm not sure I was clear.  Here are the steps I've taken in order:
1) Program Universe 1 in vixen 2.1 using DIYFloods, Rainbow Floods, Incans, Super strings, Superstrips, blow molds, etc.
2) Convert Vixen 2.1 Sequence to Xlights
3) Setup a Preview of my house including all the Universe 1 Objects
4) Added a few models for RGB elements
5) Added timing marks for a song to nutcracker
6) Added effects to the NC models
7) All looks great in Preview.
.....
Using the Preview that now includes all the Universe 1 objects and the newer RGB elements, I created a whole house model

Here is an example of what I would like to happen:
1) At 0:00 of the song only the universe1 elements are on doing what the Vixen 1 converted sequence tells them to,  I would think all the RGB models and Whole House Model would be set to NONE
2) From 0:30 to 1:00,  I want a whole house model to do an effect (maybe a pinwheel),  All the individual models would be set to NONE
3) From 1:00 to the end, I want Universe 1 objects doing what was originally programmed in Vixen and I will add specific element effects to the RGB models.  I would set the Whole house model for this portion to NONE.

Is this possible.  I don't want to lose all the programming I've created in Vixen if I create a Whole House Model.

[jnealand]

Whatever models are in the grid determines what data is saved to a sequence.  When you put your vixen objects in the grid, create a whole house model, and then sequence the whole house model all elements that are in the whole house model are sequenced and overwrite whatever was there prior to the save.  I do think you are going to need a huge understanding of how NC saves data and writes it out to the file.  You can set the wholehouse model to none, none for the 1st 30 seconds and that should not overwrite what you already have there and then do effects from 30 to 1 using the wholehouse, but you will need to set the other elements to none, none, and you have to be aware of the order of the elements in the grid since at save time the data is rendered from left to right by placement of elements in the grid.  With the latest release you can now move elements left and right.  This is not possible in earlier releases.

[michaelc]

Thanks.  I guess understanding how a straight Vixen to Xlights conversion data save is different than a save when a model is in the NC tab would be beneficial. 

If I'm understanding you correctly, if all my models are in the grid, and I have the vixen items set to NONE and they are all to the far left.  Whatever programming was on those channels from the conversion should remain.   Only if those models get effects added for a time sequence in NC would they get overwritten.  FOr instance if the Whole house in a given time sequence has an event.

One other item which goes back to trying to understand how the data gets written out.  If I create say 20 time marks in NC for effects  Each model would write out 20 events.  How does this data get merged with the fact that vixen conversion is writing data out for every 50ms?  If there is a video or explanation of how the saves work, please point me to it.   Thanks

[jnealand]

Data gets rendered to the final xseq file in a left to right fashion.  If the models for the vixen sequence stuff are on the left and other things like the wholehouse are on the right.  The last thing to the right wins.  But you can move the columns around so you do have some control over that.  And you can control what elements are included in your wholehouse model.  Animated lighting takes a lot of thought and planning.  This is my 7th year and I still find I am missing things on setup as I go thru each years plans.  The hardware and the software have to match up and it is very easy to miss things.

Don't confuse timing marks and writing out an event.  An event is written every 50ms for the duration of the gap between timing marks.

None, none just tells nutcracker to leave whatever was there alone for that column time period.  But if another column has the same channels defined in the model and it is to the right then it will overwrite everything that is the left most columns regardless of what you have in those leftmost columns.  Boy this is hard to explain in writing.  You need to watch as many video tutorials as you can.  There is much to know and very little written down today.

[michaelc]

Jim,

Thank you for all the information.  I think I understand now.  I"m going to play around (probably the best way to figure it out).