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Xlights/Nutcracker User

Manual

By Sean Meighan

Version: 1.0

Last Updated:

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Table of Contents

Xlights/Nutcracker User Manual

1

1Introduction

3

Xlights

3

1.3Nutcracker

3

1.4Xlights+Nutcracker

3

1.5Xlights+Nutcracker is free!

3

1.6.5Hardware Controllers

4

1.6.5.7 DMX

4

1.6.5.8 OpenDMX

5

1.6.5.9 Pixelnet

5

1.6.5.10 LOR

5

1.6.5.11 D-Light

5

1.6.5.12 Renard

5

1.7Nutcracker

6

2Download and Installation

6

2.3Download

6

2.4Installation

6

3SETUP

6

3.3Verify

6

4TEST

6

4.3How to Select/Unselect Channels

6

4.4Testing Channels

6

4.4.5regular lights

6

4.4.6dumb rgb

6

4.4.7smart rgb

6

4.5Save Test Group

6

5CONVERT

6

6PREVIEW

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7NUTCRACKER

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7.3Effect Classes

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7.3.5None

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7.3.6Bars

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7.3.7Butterfly

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7.3.8Circles

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7.3.9Color Wash

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7.3.10Curtain

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7.3.11Fire

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7.3.12Fireworks

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7.3.13Garlands

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7.3.14 Life

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7.3.15 Meteors

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7.3.16Piano

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7.3.17Pictures

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7.3.18Snowflakes

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7.3.19Snowstorm

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7.3.20Spirals

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7.3.21Spirograph

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7.3.22Text

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7.3.23Tree

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7.3.24Twinkle

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7.3.25SingleStrand

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7.3.26Faces

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7.3.27Wave

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8SCHEDULE

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1

Introduction

Xlights was written by Matt Brown. Nutcracker was written by Sean Meighan.

Xlights

Xlights was created in 2010 by Matt Brown. Matt, a LOR user, wanted a show player that would have

low system requirements and high performance. Xlights has been a reliable player used by

hundreds of Christmas Light enthusiasts over the last 4 years.

1.3

Nutcracker

Nutcracker was written by Sean Meighan in 2012. Sean, who was new to Christmas Lights, wanted an

easier way of creating effects on smart RGB devices. Sean came up with the concept of defining

a model (Megatree, matrix, arches, .etc.) and then dropping effects (butterfly, spirals, text, .etc.)

onto the model. Nutcracker 1 and 2 were developed as a web application. To create effects you

would log into the web , define models, drop effects.

1.4

Xlights+Nutcracker

In January 2013 , Matt Brown took the web based code that Sean had written and re-wrote into C++

and made Nutcracker part of xLights. This produced a real time Nutcracker product. An

Example: The snowflake effect took 5 minutes to generate effects using Nutcracker 2 , in

Nutcracker 3 (The xLights port) , that same effect now took less than 5 seconds.

Amazing work by Matt!

1.5

Xlights+Nutcracker is free!

Both Matt and Sean have always believed their software should be made available free to the lighting

community. The sources of xLights/Nutcracker is available to download from github. You can

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download the free sources from https://github.com/smeighan/xLights.

Illustration : Matt Brown and Sean Meighan at The

Academy show in 2012

1.6

1.6.5

Hardware Controllers

Easy configuration to any hardware controller. Choose from USB driven data or E1.31. These are the

current choices: DMX, OpenDMX, Pixelnet, LOR, D-Light, Renard

1.6.5.7

DMX

DMX controllers (or LOR or D-Light controllers in DMX mode)

attached to an Entec DMX USB Pro, Lynx DMX dongle,

DIYC RPM, DMXking.com, or DIY Blinky dongle.

Last Channel should be 512 or less, unless you are using

a DIY Blinky dongle (in which case it can be up to 3036).

1.6.5.8

OpenDMX

DMX controllers (or LOR or D-Light controllers in DMX mode) attached to an LOR dongle, D-Light

dongle, HolidayCoro programming cable, or Entec Open DMX dongle

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1.6.5.9

Pixelnet

Pixelnet hub attached to a Lynx Pixelnet dongle.

1.6.5.10

LOR

LOR controllers attached to any LOR dongle.

Max of 8 channels at 9600 baud.

Max of 48 channels at 57600 baud.

Max of 96 channels at 115200 baud.

Run your controllers in DMX mode for higher throughput.

1.6.5.11

D-Light

D-Light controllers attached to a D-Light dongle.

Max of 8 channels at 9600 baud.

Max of 48 channels at 57600 baud.

Max of 96 channels at 115200 baud.

Run your controllers in DMX mode for higher throughput.

1.6.5.12

Renard

Renard controllers connected to a serial port or a USB dongle with virtual comm port. 2 stop bits are

set automatically.

Max of 42 channels at 9600 baud.

Max of 260 channels at 57600 baud.

1.7

Nutcracker

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Download and Installation

2.1

Download

2.2

Installation

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3

SETUP

3.1

Verify

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TEST

4.1

How to Select/Unselect Channels

4.2

Testing Channels

4.2.1

regular lights

4.2.2

dumb rgb

4.2.3

smart rgb

4.3

Save Test Group

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CONVERT

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PREVIEW

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NUTCRACKER

7.1

Effect Classes

7.1.1

None

7.1.2

Bars

You can create horizontal or vertical bars. The direction of travel can be specified. You can ask for a

3D effect from them.

First BAR effect.

Layering: Effect 1. Just show Effect 1

Sparkles: 200. Sparkles are turned off

Brightness: 100%. Brightness is shown as it was calculated by the effect

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Contract: 0%. No enhancement to Contrast that was generated.

Effect shown on 20x120

Megatree, 180 degrees

Effect Shown on 32x32 Vertical

Matrix

Bar effect with direction set to

“up”.

Notice how the same effect looks

like on different models.

Effect shown on 20x120

Megatree, 180 degrees

Effect Shown on 32x32 Vertical

Matrix

Bar effect with 3D turned on. 3D

causes a fading of the bar. We are

using the direction called

“compress”.

7.1.3

Butterfly

Effect shown on 20x120

Megatree, 180 degrees

Effect Shown on 32x32 Vertical

Matrix

Butterfly effect with colors set to

“rainbow”. With the “rainbow”

color, checked colors are ignored.

Effect shown on 20x120

Megatree, 180 degrees

Effect Shown on 32x32 Vertical

Matrix

Butterfly effect effect with colors

set to “palette”.

3 colors have been checked, Red,

Green, Blue. The checked colors

are used to color the butterfly

effect using the “palette” color

process.

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7.1.4

Circles

7.1.5

Color Wash

7.1.6

Curtain

7.1.7

Fire

7.1.8

Fireworks

7.1.9

Garlands

7.1.10

Life

7.1.11

Meteors

7.1.12

Piano

7.1.13

Pictures

7.1.14

Snowflakes

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7.1.15

Snowstorm

7.1.16

Spirals

7.1.17

Spirograph

7.1.18

Text

7.1.19

Tree

7.1.20

Twinkle

7.1.21

SingleStrand

7.1.22

Faces

7.1.23

Wave

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SCHEDULE