Superstar Import Options

[nmiller0113]

So I thought I'd take the time to figure out what the superstar import options actually do.  I checked the manual and unfortunately it does not say in there.  So I'm going to pose some of those I'm not 100% sure on here.

• X/Y size?  I understand the concept but what does it really do?  Do I need to use it to match my dimensions in order to do a proper import?  On the screen it says "X/Y Size is ignored unless the sequence type is a Visualization".  I'm not sure what that sequence type is and what is the purpose of it.  Obviously it seems important for something and I'm just curious.  I did an import to a model that was X=16 and Y=200 yet I left the import settings at X=12 and Y=50, and all looked fine.  Well, I did have to modify the Image Resizing for it to scale out to my model since the sequence was made for a tree that was X=12 and Y=50.  Anyway, I'm just curious when or if I'd ever need to adjust that.
• Image Resizing Option - I think I understand what exact width or exact height mean here but what does the OR option do?  Is it making the calculation for the best resolution to fit my model based on either height or width?  I selected All and it seemed just fine, but I'm curious if I could be selecting a better option?

Thanks everyone!

[Phrog30]

There are basically two modes in SS, CCR or visualization.  So, the XY size is based on that.  The import should be automatic, so it will look at the XML file and choose for you.  I can tell you from experience if you are using visualization there is a good chance no matter what you do the import will not work.  The 360 degree tree with globe is a prime example.  I have this modeled in xlights as a tree and a globe.  In SS it's a visualization and effects are spanned across the globe and tree.  Good luck breaking those apart.  Just another reason to NOT use LOR software.

[Gilrock]

X/Y size is for telling the importer the size of the model you are importing.  I surely don't need the size of the model the effects are landing on because that's an xLights model and I already know its size.  You probably never need it if you don't know what a Visualization type is.  If you are importing purchased sequences usually just leave everything on the defaults.

I didn't write the image resizing feature but whenever I've used it the words you select seemed self-explanatory.  I don't have them memorized and would need to see all options to even know what you mean by the OR option.  I never scale the images I import.  If you are having to scale then your target model is significantly different sized from what you are importing and probably won't look that great.

[nmiller0113]

Thanks everyone!  All your responses made perfect sense.  Gil, I assumed that you wouldn't need to know that for the import since you know the model you're going to but I was curious why it was asking but Phrog30 explained why and now it makes sense.

Regarding the image resizing, here are the 4 options:

- Exact Height
- Exact Width
- Either Height or Width
- All

I've only used all and the either option and All got me the result I wanted which was a resized image which didn't look bad at all, but I'm sure it could if the tree was way out of scale with the original, but mine isn't really that much when you think about it...it's taller but only slightly wider.  Plus the SS sequences made for CCR's are 3 lights per pixel so 50 pixels is 150 lights and I'm doing 200.

One thing I did just realize though is that the 6 channel star effects don't get imported from the .SUP file.  Is anyone doing anything special to get those, if they need them, or am I just gonna have to pull them over in a data later from an LMS file?  Not a big deal, I can do that, but I didn't know if there was a trick I was missing.

[Gilrock]

From looking at code here's what they do:

- Exact Height:  Scales an image to the height of the target model ONLY IF the image height exactly matches the source model.
- Exact Width: Scales an image to the width of the target model ONLY IF the image width exactly matches the source model.
- Either Height or Width:  Scales any axis with a match based on the above logic
- All:  Does a proportional scale in both axes.

[nmiller0113]

Thanks Gil!

Does anyone know if the SUP Import Effects pulls in the 6 channel star configured in Superstar as well and I'm just missing it?  I use the 6 channel star that comes with the sequences I purchase and that's why I was curious.
 It's included in the SUP file and if there isn't a way to import it from the SUP file I'll need to use LOR to get it into xLights via an LMS data layer import.  I hope that makes sense.

[Phrog30]

Thanks Gil!

Does anyone know if the SUP Import Effects pulls in the 6 channel star configured in Superstar as well and I'm just missing it?  I use the 6 channel star that comes with the sequences I purchase and that's why I was curious.
 It's included in the SUP file and if there isn't a way to import it from the SUP file I'll need to use LOR to get it into xLights via an LMS data layer import.  I hope that makes sense.

When you import, you point to a model. Have you tried importing into the star instead of your tree? If the person that sequenced in SS was smart, they would have separated the effects. If they did, you could delete all but the star, save that file and use to import into the star model.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[nmiller0113]

Thanks, I actually did try doing the import for the 6 channel star alone but it appears that it doesn't import it.  Probably because it's configured as an AC ON/OFF effect in Superstar.  It's actually mapped *only* to the star and not on the tree in Superstar.  It's a completely different element in the sequencer.  In Superstar I see 5 different things happening at that point in time, but in the import into xLights I see only 4.  The only thing missing is the AC Star ON/OFF effects.  So I'm guessing that was intentional in the import design.

[Gilrock]

I don't remember how that data is structured in the sup file.  You have to actually open the file and inspect it to see how the star effects are represented and how xLights would know which effect goes where.  His effects don't say hey I'm destined for the tree while I'm destined for the star.  It's more like he just creates a grid that encompasses all objects so you have to know which rows are destined to your target model.  So I just end up looking at the X and Y values for the effects.  Like for a 12x50 ribbon tree I would ignore any effects with a Y value greater than 49 or x value greater than 11.

[nmiller0113]

I searched that SUP file and the only way I could see that you would know to *exclude* the star is if you ignored anything labeled as:

         <element ribbonIndex="100" pixelIndex="0"/>

         <element ribbonIndex="100" pixelIndex="1"/>

         <element ribbonIndex="100" pixelIndex="2"/>

         <element ribbonIndex="100" pixelIndex="3"/>

         <element ribbonIndex="100" pixelIndex="4"/>

         <element ribbonIndex="100" pixelIndex="5"/>

Otherwise there is no way I can see to differentiate it from any other scene.  Thoughts?

[nmiller0113]

I hit post on that last message prematurely.  I believe that ribbonIndex="100" represents the Star Object and the pixelIndex="0-5" represents the 6 channels of the star.

[nmiller0113]

It also looks like ribbonIndex="0-11" would represent the 12 tree strands and pixelIndex="0-49" would represent the 50 pixels per strand in the 12 by 50 tree.

[Gilrock]

Those 6 channel stars are lame anyways.  You should buy a Boscoyo 6 layer 270 node pixel star.