Question about SS Export results

[bob_moody]

I have a viz file that I brought into SS. Played with it to make sure its behaving the way I want it to. I did not leave any effects in the file, I just exported it to SE. I had done the same procedure with another prop earlier that worked fine. 

The prop is a pair of 5x17 pixel megatrees each with a 5 point (20 pixel) star on top

The trees themselves exported as expected. A group for each of the 5 legs and each group containing 17 RGB defined pixels. 

The stars on the other  hand are what have me confused. They are defined in VIZ as 20 separate single bulbs of channel type RGB (Fixtures) assigned to a single prop 

I would have expected the export would have created 40 RGB channels. Instead what I got was 120 single channels, first one is red, next green then blue .. then repeat ad infinitum for the remaining 117 channels. 

The fixtures are defined as RGB then why wouldn't SS export them as such? 

Bob 

[bob_moody]

As it turns out, when I add all the new channels to my 2016 channel config and group them as I want, The grouping doesn't matter when I copy the SS export into the Sequence editor. 60 channels is 60 channels regardless of how they are grouped.(assuming they are in the correct order) So the question isn't really an issue that will stop me from continuing. 

However, I did go back and verify that when I ran the channel wizard that I was selecting RGB, Therefore it seems it should be exporting the channels as RGB channels and not single channels. 

Bob

 

 

 

 

[BrianBruderer]

Yes, I agree it would be desirable for superstar to export the single bulbs that are RGB as RGB channels. But it turns out that it is not an easy problem to fix with the current design.

When exporting superstar exports the channels in channel order. That seemed like the simplest most straightforward way to organize the export. However, you are allowed to assign any channels you want to to a single bulb that is RGB. In other words, the channels are not required to be in order.

I'm not saying it can't be fixed, just that I have looked into fixing it and it is not a simple fix, it requires that I change how superstar organizes the channels.

[k6ccc]

Here is what I did (before using intensity files starting last year).  In my "standard" configuration in SE, I had a track that was in EXACTLY the order that SuperStar did the export..  So what I would do is open the export file in SE, then create a new file in SE and import the standard configuration.  Then copy the entirety of the export sequence and paste it into the track of the blank sequence that was in the SuperStar order.  Yes, it takes a while.  Once that paste was completed, I would never use that track again as it had served it's purpose.

Now I don't have to worry about that as everything for Christmas 2016 will be export from SuperStar as intensity files.  There will only be one channel in the SE configuration, and that channel will be on all the time (it controls a cooling fan).

 

[bob_moody]

Brian,

Thanks for the explanation... just a thought... what if there was a switch on the export screen regarding single bulbs. Put the decision on the end user to determine if the channel for each RGB node are in sequential order. If we check the box assume we know what its for and create the bulb as an RGB node or when presented with a single bulb look at the next two channels. If the RGB box is checked and the channel numbers are sequential then create the RGB node else create as single channels. The export code may not be that granular hence the reason you haven't already implemented the option but what the heck .. I'll toss it out there (making absolutely NO assumptions as to how the export function works in code) ... 

One final thought. I created the star on my mini mega tree by placing bulbs in the holes of an image of the actual star. Therefore the order was correct in sequence and channel identification. So I have the perfect layout for the code to identify the channels in order but as we all know, that's not always the case. In programming (and life), nothing is foolproof because fools are so ingenious... LOL.. (No insult intended to anyone .. its just an old joke I heard a long time ago)

 

Jim, 

thanks for the tip... After reading your reply a couple of times I think that is basically the same solution I have. 

Thanks again to both of you .. 

Bob 

 

[BrianBruderer]

That is a good suggestion. But there is not a release planned until after Christmas. And the plan is to better integrate SuperStar into the sequence editor next year, and part of that is to pass sequence information directly to the sequence editor and thus eliminate the need to export a file and then copy/paste etc. So the problem should go away after the integration.

[bob_moody]

OUTSTANDING !!!! I can certainly wait .. 

In the mean time I guess I should at least READ what intensity files are ... 

I strayed to the dark side momentarily (you know that tall soldier looking guy that cracks nuts at Christmas time).. and well lets just say it didn't take much for me to come back home .. 

So I stuck a crowbar in my wallet, bought my license renewal and .. WOW .. I was missing a lot of new things in S4. Like, I don't have to use the program I wrote to strip the macro channels after an export .. I dont have to keep a CCR version and a DMX version of my pixel tree to use visualizer then drop the CCR track for production.. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Good times ... 

Thanks for the hard work Brian.. I can assure you .. I appreciate it !!! 

Bob