400 pixels wrapped around a 9 ft Christmas Tree - Sample Sequence

[BrianBruderer]

Thats really cool. I'm not sure how you got the sequence to coordinate so well with the released version of SuperStar. Did you sequence them all together or separately? Could you email the visualization to me at brian@superstarlights.com

[Frank Farmer]

I sequenced them all together and I didn't use the visualizer. I hate the visualizer.

[BrianBruderer]

If you didn't use a visualization then you must have used CCR mode. Can you describe some details of how you sequenced them?

[Frank Farmer]

Correct. Selecting CCR mode I setup 14 CCRs (2 CCR's for each Tree), Vertical mode, straight, full ribbons.  In the editor I selected Wide Grid, so I'm basically looking at a vertical grid.  I just keep in mind that the lines go around the tree and 1/2 the bulbs are 1/3 way up the tree.  Each string on a tree is exactly opposite each other, starting a the bottom of the tree, spiraling upwards.  All the sequencing is done using morphs, in this example going from the top left of the matrix to the bottom right with another morph is going from top right of the matrix to the bottom left.  I typically morph using just Red, Blue and Green, letting the overlapping morphs create new color combinations.

I spent a lot of time running different morph combinations and watching them on the trees. The tree's were built in July and I worked on the Sequencing through October.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Frank Farmer

[BrianBruderer]

I'm impressed with the patterns you were able to do that way. With the new feature you will be able to do even more because each tree gets mapped to a square grid so it enables you do more easily do the vertical spinning effects.

[Frank Farmer]

I'm looking forward to it!

Any idea when this will be released. I'm finishing up my 4th of july sequences and will be starting on my Christmas sequences soon.

[Rick Creed]

Hello Brian, this is a picture of a tree that I hope to use your new feature with

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kk54b9we0unkcpd/2014-08-02%2019.14.16.jpg  

[BrianBruderer]

When I click on the link I get an error 404. I think you should be able to attach the .jpg file to the message without using dropbox.

[cancolby]

This year I am responsible for a very large Christmas show that will feature a 40 ft. Christmas tree that I plan on spiral-wrapping (not vertical strips) with about 1,500 RGB LEDs (not CCBs).

 

I really want to be able to sequence things like you made in your demo in the original post. Very nice work. I also would love to be able to map video onto the pixels. I've been a LOR user for 8 years but have never gotten into SuperStar. If these features will be available soon I'll definitely go with SuperStar.

 

Does SuperStar have any problem controlling 1,500 non-LOR pixels through a SanDevices E682 E1.31 controller?

Is there an anticipated release date for the spiral-wrapping feature of SuperStar?

[Ron Boyd]

You'll need the at a minimum the 24 CCR or 40 CCR version. Superstar will not control the actual lights, but after export to the sequence editor, you can control them as long as you have the "Advanced" license.

[BrianBruderer]

That would be really cool to have a 40 ft wrapped tree. I would love to "make it happen." There are several factors involved in making a tree like that. I will cover them best I can.

 

1) I can make an alpha version of the superstar software available for you to use regardless of when the next S3 release is.

 

2) The SuperStar software is limited to a resolution of 50x50 pixels when doing a wrapped tree. This means that the first wrap around the bottom of the tree cannot be more than 50 pixels. For example, if your tree is 40 ft high and has a circumference of 75 ft at the bottom, and the first wrap is 50 pixels, then the spacing of your pixels must be 1.5 ft or 18 inches.

 

3) With pixels spaced at 18 inches, it turns out that it takes 1250 pixels to wrap the rest of the tree and you end up with 50 wraps around the tree. So you will have a sequencing grid of 50x50 pixels. If you wanted, you could use 1200 pixels and then you would end up with 48 wraps around the tree.

 

I have tried the above settings in SuperStar and scrolled text around the bottom of the tree and it looks very good. As you would expect, spirals and other effects look very good as well.

 

The software on my computer currently supports a 1250 pixel tree as described above, but it assumes the pixels are LOR pixels. I have to think through the best way to make it so you could use it with non-LOR pixels.

 

You mention that the height of the tree is 40 ft? What is the diameter of the tree at the bottom?

[bisquit476]

• LOR Software Version:2.7.6

 

you need S3 to use Superstar if I'm not mistaken.

[BrianBruderer]

I believe SuperStar became a part of S3 with v3.2.0

[cancolby]

I currently (and for the past several years) use S2 which predates the limiting license options of S3. For this year's project, however, I will likely upgrade to S3, and I will definitely upgrade if programming wrapped LEDs with SuperStar is the optimal route to take.

 

The dimensions of the tree is the bane of this project because it will be a real tree delivered about 5 days before opening night. Our estimate is 40' or even a bit more, but I plan on contacting the tree company to work out a deal where perhaps we can choose a specific tree months in advance and get the precise measurements.

 

Brian, I would love to work with you on the testing / large-tree development of this wrap-plotting feature of SuperStar. If we figure out pixel strand and tree height specifics, you are welcome to take the configuration file, program a show, and I'll send you a video of the result. Use it as a demo. I'll PM you my email address for further correspondence. I admire your work on SuperStar based on what I've seen online.

 

I currently have a SanDevices E682 and 100 RGB LEDs for testing, but the length between pixels is only three inches. I'll look around for longer spacing strands. I'll also keep in mind the current 1,250 pixel limit. Last year I designed a 30' Christmas tree lightshow that used 800 CCBs. Due to a late October start, and the fact that I programmed all of it in LOR S2, the programming could be better. That's why I'm dedicated to doing things differently and better this year for this different venue. 

[BrianBruderer]

I can commit to getting the software to work but unfortunately I cannot commit to doing a sequence. There are a couple of other hurdles to jump, one is getting lights at an 18 inch spacing. This is necessary for a tree that large. The other hurdle is knowing the dimensions. If it is a real tree I don't think there is any way to know the exact dimensions in advance. After knowing the dimensions, SuperStar can quickly figure the number of wraps and the spacing between the wraps, and that determines the dimensions of the sequencing grid. Any sequence that is written will be written specifically for the dimensions of that grid. So there wouldn't be time to create a well synchronized sequence. And the other problem is that since the tree is real, it is unique and any tree you might get the next year would have a slightly different sequencing grid.

[cancolby]

Oh you certainly don't need to make a sequence, I was just offering in case you wanted to test things out on that scale.

 

 

 

For example, if your tree is 40 ft high and has a circumference of 75 ft at the bottom, and the first wrap is 50 pixels, then the spacing of your pixels must be 1.5 ft or 18 inches.

 

Based on my estimate, I think the circumference will be much smaller than that. If the base of the tree has a diameter of twelve feet, which is about what I worked with last year, the circumference would be 38 feet.

Yes unfortunately this year's tree will be different than all other years. But I'm not concerned about programming posterity. On the bright side, it will force myself to be creative and make a new sequence entirely for the following year.

 

I'll do my best to figure the dimensions of the tree, hopefully the tree company can help. If I get the dimensions and a strand of lights with adequate spacing, things could all work out.

[BrianBruderer]

With a circumference of 38 ft the spacing between each pixel should be something like or 9 or 12 inches. The idea is that the sequencing will look best if the spacing of the pixels is close to be "square". In other words, the horizontal spacing between the lights should be about the same as the vertical spacing between the wraps. So it is important to know the approximate diameter and height of the tree.

 

The other thing I just realized is that SuperStar assumes the tree is a perfect cone shape. This is generally true for artificial trees, but for a real tree it is not true. So I'm afraid the "wrapped tree" feature in SuperStar just isn't going to work for an artificial tree.

[BrianBruderer]

I got to thinking. The wrapped tree feature allows you to specify a bottom diameter and a top diameter. So you could do your tree in two pieces. The bottom piece would be from the bottom up to most of the way towards the top. And then the top piece would be from there to the top. You should be able to get a close approximation of a real tree that way.

 

Hope the above makes sense.

[LightguyGreg]

Here is a video showing samples of effects using 400 CCPs wrapped around a 9 ft Christmas tree. Give SuperStar the height of your tree, the diameter of the base, and how many pixels you have to wrap around the tree and SuperStar calculates where to place each wrap and automatically generates a visualization of the CCPs on the tree. What I did was put a zip tie to mark where the end of each wrap is, then you wrap the tree and adjust the wraps so that all the zip ties line up on the tree. The innovation is that you no longer need to have parallell vertical strings of lights going up the tree, you can now wrapped the lights which gives a more "natural" look and spreads the lights more uniformly on the tree.

 

I will make a video on how I wrapped the tree within the next few days.

Hi Brian-  Any insight on when this update may be released and also did you have a chance to make a video on how you wrapped the tree?

 

Thanks

Edited August 12, 2014 by LightguyGreg

[BrianBruderer]

Sorry, have not made a video tutorial yet.

 

Don't know when the next release will be but you can get an alpha version of SuperStar with the Wrapped Tree feature in the Tools menu by doing the following:

 

1) Shut down SuperStar

2) Look for SSEdit.exe. It will be in one of the following two places:

c:\Program Files\Light-O-Rama\SSEdit.exe
c:\Program Files (x86)\Light-O-Rama\SSEdit.exe


3) Rename it to something like SSEdit_original.exe

4) Use the link below to get the new SSEdit.exe and copy it to the same place where you renamed the original SSEdit.exe

http://superstar.synchronizedchristmas.com/SSEdit.exe


5) Launch SuperStar. If you have done everything correctly, it will say v0.1408.9 in the title bar in the upper left of the program.

6) Click on the Tools menu and you should see the wrapped tree feature listed.