No activity in model preview and house preview (Mac / 4.0.20)

[willem]

Hi there,

For some reason, there is no activity in the model preview and house preview when I play a sequence.

Here some additional information:
- this is my first try at xlights 4, i watched a lot of tutorials, so thought i was good to go
- I set up my channels (dmx controller, 16 channels)
- I ran a test with my controller attached, and saw that the hardware was working (first time playing with it, so was really happy)
- I created models, one single string model and four custom models, mapped them to the proper channels
- Dropped them in the preview, which looked fine. when the sequence is not running, then i see all the models in white displayed, can move them around, etc.
- created a sequence
- added some timing marks
- put the first ON effect on a string and on other models...

When there were no ON effects yet, the house preview showed the models in white. As soon as I dropped an ON effect, all the models went black, where I expected all to go black except for the one I just dropped. When I then play the sequence, everything stays black.

I tried this with an older version (4.0.16 i think), deleted that one, and tried it again with 4.0.20. I am running xLights on a Mac.

Thanks!

[Gilrock]

Did you hit "Render All" or save the sequence first? 

[willem]

Did you hit "Render All" or save the sequence first?

Not sure where Render All is... I did save it.

I now found that when I add a RGB String, that one is showing in the previews. Same as a Window model.

[Gilrock]

The Render All button is the Green Gear near the save buttons.  If you hit that it guarantees all effects and data layers will be rendered to the sequence object.  Doing is a Save does the same thing so Render All is a way to render without saving.

So you said an RGB string is working.  What type of model isn't working?

[willem]

Did some further testing, and found the following:
- Tried this with both String model and Star model
- when I add Single color - white only, they do not work / have the issues as described above
- when i make those RGB with 50 individual nodes, and put them on ON, then they show up in RED (expected white here?)
- when i make them single color blue - same thing as white
- but, when i make them single color red, then they DO show up when playing!!
- tested green as well, but same as with White

for further testing: i set them back to RGB string, 50 notes, and dropped a colored effect on there. a chase with red and green is showing up correctly.

I also get an error message when creating models (to big to post here, but can send it via PM or email if you would like). Also, i can do a screenshare if you want to.

[Gilrock]

There are ways you can create a setup that will cause single color strands to not work right in the Preview.  Are you sure you aren't routing the channels that control those strands to more than one model?

[willem]

There are ways you can create a setup that will cause single color strands to not work right in the Preview.  Are you sure you aren't routing the channels that control those strands to more than one model?

I solved it. Stupid beginners mistake. The colors that I put in the ON effect on the single colored strand was red... where the strand itself was white. Hence the strand did show red, when I turned it into a Red string.