First year with pixels questions

[ValentinoRx]

So, this may have been covered before but I can't find a suitable answer. I am going to purchase some 12 strip tree sequences and then sequence the rest of the props and house with xLights. Would I have to set up all my channels in LOR, paste in the .lms file that I purchased, transfer to xlights, then go to town on the rest of the display? Is there another way to do it?

Thanks in advance

[Phrog30]

See this post: http://nutcracker123.com/forum/index.php?topic=1038.msg5514#msg5514

I have been using XL4 for a whopping week or two, so not the best for advice, but I will try to help any way I can.  My first question, are the sequences you are purchasing LMS or SUP (SuperStar).  I bought several sequences from Brian, and from memory he sends them as SUP.  Gil has started on a SuperStar import, but right now it's only for Morphs.  So, to get it 100% you must export from SS to SE (Sequence Editor).  Now you have a LMS file.  You can add this file as a layer in XL4.  The cool thing about a layer is if you make any changes to this sequence via LOR software, you can simply reimport and all changes will appear.  Now, all of this is assuming channel arrangement has been setup.  The post I linked talks about this.  I had similar questions.  I did what Gil does, put my LOR stuff in the first network(s).  And, if you put the networks all at 510, then if you ever add anything there isn't anything to change in XL.  I did my best to plan my channel arrangement so it's future proof.

So, to answer your question, when you get the sequences, you will need to setup the channels.  Again, you need to find out how the files come.  If they are SUP, then you will need to setup the channels in the LOR visualizer, then import that into SS, then export to SE, and finally push to XL.  If it's already a LMS file, then you have to do it in channel config within SE.  You could also do this for SS after you export to SE, but it's a lot easier to do the channels within visualizer, in my opinion.  You don't have to concern the rest of your display.  For the LOR files to work with XL, all you need is the LOR channels configured correctly.  Another thing to consider, the files you get, are they setup for LOR RGB stuff, or DMX?  If it's LOR, then you will probably have more work to do, especially if it's written in SS, as up until LOR's newest S4, they didn't have a DMX tool for models in the visualizer (however, you could alter in XML).

My advice, find out how the files you purchase will come, then go from there.

My files I bought from Brian were using LOR CCP, so I have to convert to DMX.

I hope I made sense and didn't ramble too much.

James

[Gilrock]

I created a channel config in LOR that had all my DMX channels.  I think there may be a new option in SuperStar to not export with macro channels.  I didn't have that so I had to define extra DMX channels to cover the macro channels for CCR.  Then I exported from SuperStar, opened up the sequence in LOR SE, and then copy pasted it over into another sequence that had all the channels setup so it did a perfect overlay of the data when I did that.  I don't follow what James is saying about defining the channels in the Visualizer.  I never used that method cause I ran into a prop limit in the visualizer so I quit using it.

[Phrog30]

I created a channel config in LOR that had all my DMX channels.  I think there may be a new option in SuperStar to not export with macro channels.  I didn't have that so I had to define extra DMX channels to cover the macro channels for CCR.  Then I exported from SuperStar, opened up the sequence in LOR SE, and then copy pasted it over into another sequence that had all the channels setup so it did a perfect overlay of the data when I did that.  I don't follow what James is saying about defining the channels in the Visualizer.  I never used that method cause I ran into a prop limit in the visualizer so I quit using it.

Yep, the 1024 fixture limit.  I think the silliest limit ever.  I never could find anyone to explain a good reason for that limit.  If you were to draw the model one pixel at a time, you would certainly hit that limit in a hurry.  I instead took the model that Brian created, and edited in XML to DMX.  I forget exactly what I did, but it worked.  Now, it doesn't matter as they have a DMX tool.

I think you are right that LOR has an option to strip the macro stuff.

James

[ValentinoRx]

I was going to buy a few from Robert. Holidaysequences.com. I think he can send them in Los format. Would that make them DMX instead of LOR RGB?

[ValentinoRx]

If that's the case am I correct to assume that using the layer method I just start my XL channels at 1801?

[Gilrock]

Yep my ribbon tree is 1800 channels and I built a control box dedicated to that tree with one string per ribbon using Universes 1 through 12.  So in xLights setup my first 12 DMX universes are defined as 150 channels and that's where my purchased sequence data plays.  The rest of my yard starts at channel 1801.

That 1024 fixture limit was probably the straw that broke the camel's back and caused me to look elsewhere for sequencing software.  At the time I was getting into pixels and it was a pain to try to model them in the LOR Visualizer.  So I wrote a program called VisualizeThis that was able to read and edit the XML to easily insert new DMX props.  That's when I ran into the fixture limit and got pissed because I dumped a lot of time into that program.  I also had a program called ChannelThis that I used to manage LOR channel configuration files and to easily add or renumber channels.  The fact that I felt the need to write those 3rd party tools was part of the problem in the first place.

[ValentinoRx]

Is there a way to do a whole house model in XL and not include the mega tree?

[Phrog30]

Is there a way to do a whole house model in XL and not include the mega tree?

Oh absolutely!  Probably the best feature in XL.  After you create model groups, just select the ones you want and then build whole house model (label as you see fit).  You can have multiple whole house models and they don't have to be "whole house" models.  A whole house model can be two mini trees if that's what you want.  No other software suite out there even comes close to this!

There are tutorials, I think, on this specific subject.

James

[ValentinoRx]

Ahhhhh. Understood. Thank you

[jnealand]

When you create a whole house model it creates it from whatever is displaying in the preview at that time.  Model groups make it easy to turn off/on things in the preview.  A whole house model cannot be edited, so if you need to make a change you need to give it a new name or delete the old one first.  I have not tried using the same name in xl4, but I recall that in xl3 when I tried it I had a problem so I just started naming my with longer names and sometimes a date such as "WH-11-28".  YMMV

[ValentinoRx]

I did my front door and garage door with a custom model. Is there an easier way? A candy cane model would be a good idea as well.

[dkulp]

As an FYI:  starting with the next build of XL4, whole house models may be obsolete.  I hope you didn't get to attached to them.   :-)

Seriously, Model Groups can be added to the sequencing grid directly and have effects and layers added to them just like regular models.   Internally, at render time, a WHM is created and used for rendering.   It's created with whatever models are in the Group at render time.  Thus, if you update the Model group with new models and hit the render all button, it will then use those new models.   

[Gilrock]

Yep that will be a nice addition.  I think the only scenario where someone needs a WHM now is when they need to move things around on the display and want to capture a snapshot in that position and then move things back for normal previewing.

[ValentinoRx]

I'm starting with groups now. Reminds me of controllers in LSP. I was able to nicely sequence 1 minutes worth of a song, 4 arches in about 20 minutes today. I still can't get the visualizer to work in S4.