Is There A Way to Turn OFF Certain Tracks/Channels in The Animation?

[jimswinder]

Okay...I am working on a certain group of elements...in fact a specific track of my 8 tracks...is there a way to turn OFF all the other tracks in the animation screen, so you can isolate the one track (or tracks) you want to see?

I am getting distracted by all the other stuff going on in the animation!!! LOL

Another wishlist item?

Or just another un-original thought?

[ainsworth]

How about making a new sequence and only work on that one track or element? Then when you are done copy it to your original sequence.

I have the same issue. I try to watch only one element but my eye drifts to the others and doesn't come back.

[jimswinder]

ainsworth wrote:

How about making a new sequence and only work on that one track or element? Then when you are done copy it to your original sequence.

That would mean deleting everything in the animation but that one track...for each of my 8 tracks.

A lot of work and time...

and time is one thing I don't have right now!!! LOL

[ainsworth]

I didn't explain myself well.

If you only work on one track in the "new" sequence none of the others light up during playback.

[jimswinder]

ainsworth wrote:

I didn't explain myself well.

If you only work on one track in the "new" sequence none of the others light up during playback.

I think I knew what you meant...

but then if I wanted to do the same thing on another track, I would have to delete all the animation for the 7 tracks I did not want to see...

so, if I wanted to do that for ALL of my tracks., I would essentially have 8 different (9 if you count the one with ALL the animation) sequences to deal with.

[George Simmons]

Jim, I think you're still not seeing the forest, just the trees. If you create a new sequence each time you want to work on only one track there's nothing for you to be deleting afterward - except the sequence itself. Once you program the display element you're working on and copy those channels into your main sequence, you simplly delete the sequence you just worked on and create a new one to program the next element. No issue with multiple sequences at all to worry about.

[jimswinder]

George Simmons wrote:

Jim, I think you're still not seeing the forest, just the trees. If you create a new sequence each time you want to work on only one track there's nothing for you to be deleting afterward - except the sequence itself. Once you program the display element you're working on and copy those channels into your main sequence, you simplly delete the sequence you just worked on and create a new one to program the next element. No issue with multiple sequences at all to worry about.

I think you are looking at the wrong forest George!! LOL

When you Import your Channel Configuration, it also imports the animation you have drawn, which includes ALL of the channels...if I only want to see certain channels in the new sequence, I would have to delete those lights (channels) I don't want to see.

Unless you are suggesting I redraw my animation for every set of individual channels I want to see on every "new" sequence?

The point of this thread is to only "see" a certain few elements/channels in the animation, not ALL of them.

Last night I was working on my Mega Arches...so only wanted to see my Mega Arches in the animation when I played the sequence...not my Mega Arches, Mini Arches, Mega Tree, Weber Tree, Mini Trees, and everything else in my display!!

[jimswinder]

jimswinder wrote:

George Simmons wrote:

Jim, I think you're still not seeing the forest, just the trees. If you create a new sequence each time you want to work on only one track there's nothing for you to be deleting afterward - except the sequence itself. Once you program the display element you're working on and copy those channels into your main sequence, you simplly delete the sequence you just worked on and create a new one to program the next element. No issue with multiple sequences at all to worry about.

I think you are looking at the wrong forest George!! LOL

When you Import your Channel Configuration, it also imports the animation you have drawn, which includes ALL of the channels...if I only want to see certain channels in the new sequence, I would have to delete those lights (channels) I don't want to see.

Unless you are suggesting I redraw my animation for every set of individual channels I want to see on every "new" sequence?

The point of this thread is to only "see" a certain few elements/channels in the animation, not ALL of them.

Last night I was working on my Mega Arches...so only wanted to see my Mega Arches in the animation when I played the sequence...not my Mega Arches, Mini Arches, Mega Tree, Weber Tree, Mini Trees, and everything else in my display!!

[George Simmons]

Jim,

If you have a new, empty sequence and press the play button you'll see nothing in the visualizer - regardless of how many channels of animation you have in the configuration - you'll just hear the music.

If you want to see ONLY your mega-arches then start with a new empty sequence and program only the mega arches and when you press PLAY that's all you'll see in the visualizer.

[jimswinder]

George Simmons wrote:

Jim,

If you have a new, empty sequence and press the play button you'll see nothing in the visualizer - regardless of how many channels of animation you have in the configuration - you'll just hear the music.

If you want to see ONLY your mega-arches then start with a new empty sequence and program only the mega arches and when you press PLAY that's all you'll see in the visualizer.

Ohhhhhhhh...okay..

I had a Christmas tree sticking in my eye!! LOL :shock:

But I would STILL have to do that with each element I wanted to see separately, right...plus do all the timings over, etc? Seems like a lot of work for a work around...but then, most workarounds are.

Hence, would be nice to be able to turn off/on certain tracks/channels on the Visualizer...

I can see your way working if I was starting a new song (plan ahead...what a novel concept!!), but I am working on a song that already has most of the elements/tracks already done, so I would have to do a lot of deleting in the new "copied" sequence.

[RyanWPowers]

This is actually a very interesting post, because I'd like to do the same thing, but not just in the visualizer - I'd like it to literally stop sending commands to the controllers on a track by track basis.

I think it would be great if it worked like a multi-track audio editor. You'd have the following buttons on each track:

M - for MUTE - this would stop sending data from this track when playing back the sequence. Every track has it's own MUTE button and can be toggled on/off. It basically just kills that track during playback.

S - for SOLO - this would stop sending data from all OTHER tracks with the exception of the one selected so that you can focus on this ONE track in the sequence.

I found this need recently while trying to program an animatronic face with LOR and a servodog. It would be great if I could mute/unmute certain facial features while still working on others.

Is there an appropriate forum or forum thread where suggestions such as this should be posted?

[jimswinder]

RyanWPowers wrote:

This is actually a very interesting post, because I'd like to do the same thing, but not just in the visualizer - I'd like it to literally stop sending commands to the controllers on a track by track basis.

I think it would be great if it worked like a multi-track audio editor. You'd have the following buttons on each track:

M - for MUTE - this would stop sending data from this track when playing back the sequence. Every track has it's own MUTE button and can be toggled on/off. It basically just kills that track during playback.

S - for SOLO - this would stop sending data from all OTHER tracks with the exception of the one selected so that you can focus on this ONE track in the sequence.

Is there an appropriate forum or forum thread where suggestions such as this should be posted?

Exactly!!!! Didn't think about relating it to a Mixer Board!!

Well said Ryan!!

Send this and ALL your ideas/wants/desires to wishlist@lightorama.com

If enough people want/suggest it, they MIGHT incorporate it in a later release.

[scubado]

I also like this idea, very similar to Photoshop being able to turn off/on layers. I cannot send an email to the wishlist because my email program doesn't play nice on Windows 7. I need to get a new email program, currently using Outlook 2000.

[jimswinder]

scubado wrote:

I also like this idea, very similar to Photoshop being able to turn off/on layers. I cannot send an email to the wishlist because my email program doesn't play nice on Windows 7. I need to get a new email program, currently using Outlook 2000.

get either hotmail.com or gmail (Google).

Don't get one that is tied to your internet provider (like Comcast).

[emcee]

Please don't bash me for my low tech solution, but late in the evening, I too get a little "punch drunk" and get distracted easily.

I use a piece of cardboard or other opaque stuff to cover part of the monitor screen to reduce distractions. a piece of tape to hold it and I'm good to go. It works, but I must admit is hard to explain when the SO comes in and looks at me like I am a lunatic.

Just a thought, but you could put your animations in a maximum size visualizer format and in a windowed environment you could scroll part of the screen out of the window to hide some of the distractions.

YMMV.

Mike

[Max-Paul]

Jim, I started to read this post late, so this is going to be quick and dirty. But you still do not see what George is trying to get you to see. Right now, your just coming up with one problem after another.


So, create a new seq. call it megaArches. Import your channel info. yes you will need to set up the timing, but if you are doing like I am, all of it is .05 sec. Now you will not need to redraw any of your animation stuff. And you will have all of the tracks and channels. But leave all blank except for the mega arch channels. You can also have what ever song/seq open that you are working on. Copy what you have so far from your seq and paste it in your new megaArches seq. Work on only the mega arch channels play the megaArches and only thing you will see is your mega arch light up. Once you have it the way you like it. Copy the mega arch channels and paste them to the seq that has all of the channels.

Does this now make sense. And yes you will need a test seq. for each Track. And yes you will need 8 test seq. and a 9th that is your actual seq. that will be part of your show.

[jimswinder]

Does this now make sense. And yes you will need a test seq. for each Track. And yes you will need 8 test seq. and a 9th that is your actual seq. that will be part of your show.

I thought I had made it clear that I understood what George was saying!! LOL

Still would be nice to "Turn Off Channels" when you have put it all together so you could tweak it...instead of opening individual sequences to work on it and then having to copy and paste...

[Paul Roberson]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Maybe a drop down window in the animation window, like there is in the sequencer for tracks, and timing.