"Perfect" Loop for effects?

[tinadmx]

For any non-specific pattern (butterfly, bars, twinkle, wave, etc), what is the trick to getting a PERFECT (or near perfect) loop of the animation without resorting to trial and error?

In Lightkey (is that a banned word?), I can set up a pattern to loop on a specific time, (e.g. twinkle, 6 second loop).  I can export, and now I have a perfect loop with a 6 second capture to store in my DMX controller (a few KB).

I can't seem to find the option in xLights to do the same.  Any pattern I create requires a ton of fidgeting and fudging to find the spot where it loops.  I've been resorting to VERY long patterns, but they are huge and aggravate me when I catch the loop jump.

[keithsw1111]

Unfortunately since the beginning of time effects have not been written for looping and thus i have no answer for you. Some effects of course would be impossible but I agree that some like bars, spirals, butterfly would be nice if like colourwash there was an option to make them return to their start point for seamless looping.

[dkulp]

Some effects have a "cycles" setting or movement setting where, if set to a full integer amount, would cycle all the way back to the beginning and thus would work.   Bars does that, spirals, couple others work.  Most don't.

Anything with any randomness also does not.  Meteors, snowflakes, circles, etc... where things are placed randomly definitely would not.

[tinadmx]

Thanks anyway. Perhaps a #2021featurerequest, @keithsw1111?

Anyway, I appreciate all the openness and sharing and caring in this community.