Multiple Layouts

[Avind]

I currently run two shows, one at Halloween and one at Christmas.  I would like to be able to save two different layouts based upon the same setup.  The lights attached to the house are the same in both, but many of the models are different.  At this point I do not know how to have two different layout screens.

[Gilrock]

You can do it already if you layout in 2D mode.  Just create another preview.

[keithsw1111]

If the two layouts share some models then multiple previews can be useful. If not then I would just create 2 show folders.

[Charles Belcher]

Keith/Gil/Dan,

I am making a demo for a city and the target house has two viewable faces.  I would like to use the same models on both faces, since they already exist; North face on "Default" preview and East face on newly created "East" preview.  There are lots of models and I don't want to have to create a bunch of duplicates or make new ones.

I want to assign a model in the Default preview to position "A" and the same model in "East" preview to position "B".  This doesn't seem possible OR I am not doing it right.

If I am not doing it right then show me how.  If this is not possible then suggest how I should go about accomplishing this.

Thanks, as always,

Charles

[Gilrock]

The multiple preview feature for 2D requires the same model to have the same position in all previews.  I created the 3D mode as the solution.  Otherwise you gotta create copies of models in the additional preview and then overlay the channel mappings.

Why not just model it in 3D and then you can spin around the whole house like I show here?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3VacWrKEic

[Charles Belcher]

Gil,

I am working on 3D at the same time, but have run into a different problem with that.

I have a model made in "Sketchup 2017 Make", added materials to the model.  I then exported the .obj file and the associated .mtl file and put them in an "images" subfolder of my xlights "3d" show directory.

When I click the little "Add obj" button, select "Add Mesh", click the OBJ file and navigate to the .obj file and select it, the model shows up on the grid, but in very pastel washed out colors.

How do I get it to load the materials also?

[Gilrock]

All those files are text so open the OBJ file and see how it calls out the material file.  Make sure its not expecting it in a subfolder.  Then open the materials file and check how its specifying to paths to the images. 

What version of xLights are you using?

[Charles Belcher]

Gil,

I am using 2020.33

Attached are the .obj and .mtl files.  They look OK to me, but I don't look at these kind of files everyday.

Charles

[Gilrock]

Well you'd probably see your materials if you upgraded to the most recent version.  I made changes in December to prevent that pastel color situation.  In that old version you probably need to check the Diffuse Colors checkbox.

[Charles Belcher]

Gil,

Update:  I had been modeling in Sketchup Free which does not offer exports.  So, I had to make my model and upload it to 3D Warehouse, which I could then download into my old version 2016 Sketchup Make.  From there, I could export it to .obj with the .mtl materials.

It was at that point that I tried to bring it into xLights 2021.01 and I got the pastels.  So today I downloaded Sketchup Pro; brought in my model, added materials and exported it to .obj with .mtl materials file.

Brought that into xlights and all is well.
______________________

[Gilrock]

I'm glad you got it working.  If you have pastels in 2021.01 then I'd like to see a screenshot since I actually removed the code that draws those pastel colors.  In 2020.01 I just tested it and if it can't find the materials file it doesn't draw any surfaces at all (something I should fix) and if it does find the materials file but fails to find a particular image file specified in the material file it draws a grey surface.