Updating existing Sequences for PE use?

[htebault]

I have many sequences from last year that blended SS created CCR tree effects with traditional sequencing. The final sequence file has a configuration file that included all the props/channels.  This year, I have added four CCB arches and am working with PE to incorporate those into the total show.

In the PE video, it states to build a sequence file without "those channels that PE will use".

I had been using last year's files, and the Migrate tool in PE to import the SS channels, but had not gone in and removed the sequence file configuration for those channels. As work steps this year, I would open last year's sequence file, use Tools/migrate and select the CCR tree. The overall set of props does display as expected in PE. I would then save it, and save the intensity file.

Do I have to rebuild/import a set of channels that only apply to "Non-pixel" items in all my sequences ?  I really don't want to find out on the first day of the display that there is a problem running the show because of how I modified the files using PE and Sequence Editor.

(last year configuration included two networks, Std network was all LOR gear, and Aux network was the CCR Tree and the Sequence configuration listed all those props/channels in each sequence) This year the Std network is adding four CCB arches.

[MattBrown]

On this help page:

http://www.lightorama.com/help/import_from_sequence_editor.htm

It lists 4 steps to the migration:

Using this function should be part of a 4 step process:

 

1.	Make a backup copy of your Sequence Editor and Pixel Editor files. The Save As function can be used for this purpose.

2.	Use the “Import from Sequence Editor” function described here to import the channel data into the Pixel Editor. This step does not make any changes to the Sequence Editor file (that comes in step 4 below).

3.	Verify that all of the data was imported correctly by playing the sequence in the Pixel Editor.

4.	Use the “Remove prop channel data from Sequence Editor” function described in the next section to remove the data from the Sequence Editor LMS or LAS file. This will reduce the size of the file and inactivate the channels that were migrated.

It sounds like you have done steps 1-3, but left out step 4. You need to perform that step, then regenerate your intensity data files. Then you should be ready to go!

Matt Brown

[htebault]

Matt - thanks for this quick reply. I will now go back and do that removal step.

[htebault]

I just did the removal step, and find several files for this sequence. Last year, I had four files ending in "sup.lms", "sup.lms.bak", "sup.lms.lcs", "sup.lms.lsv".

After the deletion, I now also have "sup.lms.pe.lid", "sup.lpe", "sup.lpe.bak", "sup.lpe.ccrtree2 <-listed as a Windows Movie file, and two backup files created during the deletion step "sup-20161027-131136.lms" and the .lms.pe.lid version of that file.

So, my question is after PE completes, which of these files should I actually keep and use ?

Looking through the PE Help menu, it appears the "sup.pe.lid" is the intensity file created by PE

LCS = Compresses LMS ? (i think)

LSV = <sequenceEditorView version="2, a control file of some sort

LPE appears to be a SE generated file

LPE.ccrtree2 (movie file) appears to show effects I generated for my 12 CCR tree prop.

BAK files are just backups 

I am guessing that the LMS and/or LCS plus the LPE and LPE.ccrtree2 files are required to run in the show schedule and control the lights. By pointing the show schedule to the LMS file, it would pickup anything else it needed in the same directory.

[MattBrown]

LPE is the Pixel Editor file - needed for editing, but not for playback.

The only files you need for playback in SE or the Show Player are the LMS/LAS sequence file and LID intensity data file.

Matt

[bobschm]

I need to chime in here, Matt.

I have almost the same situation. Last year I had sequences with mostly LOR props (standard LED strings) and a few RGB props I called Verticals which were running SS effects.

This year I added new RGB props (136 icicles) and programmed both the new icicles AND the old verticals (migrated in) in PE. It all looks good in the PE visualizer.

Now what? I updated the network settings to enable the new universes on the new board for the icicles, leaving the old settings on the old RGB verticals. I connected the icicles (after test mode worked), but they do not respond to a sequence. I haven't tried the old vertical props, so I don't know if they work or not.

Do I need to add all 3000+ new channels (Vegomatic) to the channel configuration in SE or does PE take care of that? Will PE overwrite the SS effects or will I need to delete the SS effects from the SE sequence?

 

[MattBrown]

On 11/4/2016 at 8:18 AM, bobschm said:

Do I need to add all 3000+ new channels (Vegomatic) to the channel configuration in SE or does PE take care of that? Will PE overwrite the SS effects or will I need to delete the SS effects from the SE sequence?

Channels used for PE sequencing must NOT appear in your SE sequence. If there is overlap, then the Show Player will get confused and what gets shown on your actual lights will be unpredictable.

Therefore, the answer to your first question is "no" - do not create the PE channels in SE. The answer to the second question in that the 4th step in the migration process mentioned earlier in this thread is required to remove the SS effects from your SE sequence (assuming you've successfully completed the first 3 steps). 

Matt

[bobschm]

Matt, I hate being dumb but I cannot figure out why I can't control the pixels from a sequence.

As it stands now, I can run test modes on my Alphapix controller. I can ping the board and configure it via web browser. I have my LOR dongle plugged in, control panel running with shows disabled (red light bulb) and "control lights" checked in SE.

I can see the PE props in the sequence and they all seem to be in place and on the correct universes. I notice that the older SS props are still in the channel configuration even after running the REMOVE function you pointed out, but they are listed as "migrated to PE xxxx" (the xxxx are various identifiers) with no device listed for them.

My other controller is set up as Multicast and the new Alphapix is set to Unicast. Will that be a problem?

I must be missing something, but I can't figure it out. Any ideas what I could check?

[bobschm]

Ok. Got it controlling lights. But I'm still curious about running both Multicast and Unicast at once. I'll search for an answer on that.

[htebault]

On 11/5/2016 at 9:48 AM, MattBrown said:

Channels used for PE sequencing must NOT appear in your SE sequence. If there is overlap, then the Show Player will get confused and what gets shown on your actual lights will be unpredictable.

Therefore, the answer to your first question is "no" - do not create the PE channels in SE. The answer to the second question in that the 4th step in the migration process mentioned earlier in this thread is required to remove the SS effects from your SE sequence (assuming you've successfully completed the first 3 steps). 

Matt

 In a converted SE/SS sequence, the Channel Configuration reflects teh "migrated to PE-...." for channels 1-150, but control channels 151-157 are not migrated and remain configured. Is this a problem, should I manually remove all the CCR control channels ?

I have found I am loosing granularity (details in the CCR tree display) with the converted file, and am trying to understand why. Running the sequence with SE - the display is fine, run the converted PE sequence fails to display many element details. 

The base sequence is the GodBlessTheUSA sequence from SuperStar - so the actions and elements are quite defined (tanks going up/down, US Flag, moving anchors, etc. It began with the Superstar, then exported to a SE file to be mixed with other lights. For converstion, I took that composite SE file, and imported just the 12 CCR channels, then saved the new file, and saved the intensity data. It is that converted file I am running in PE to run the lights.

Is there some way to better troubleshoot why this is happening.

[htebault]

In further testing, it appears the SE file was somehow damaged which then caused the conversions not to work properly.  I went back to the master SS file and created a new SE output that now does work properly.  Importing that newly created SE file with conversion tools now does seem to display correctly on the screen. i will run a full test tonight with the CCR tree that is setup for the season to confirm.

Strange - I've used that SE file for the past couple of seasons, and this caught be by surprise.

[htebault]

On 11/12/2016 at 9:02 AM, htebault said:

In further testing, it appears the SE file was somehow damaged which then caused the conversions not to work properly.  I went back to the master SS file and created a new SE output that now does work properly.  Importing that newly created SE file with conversion tools now does seem to display correctly on the screen. i will run a full test tonight with the CCR tree that is setup for the season to confirm.

Strange - I've used that SE file for the past couple of seasons, and this caught be by surprise.

Full scale testing shows the PE generated files are not showing all detail. I have opened up a trouble ticket with LOR.  I started this with the initial SS file and created a fresh SE format sequence.

Three step testing was done. on a 12 CCR tree

1. run PE with PE version - loss of details seen

2. run SE with PE version - loss of details seen

3. run SE with SE version - sequence runs with details properly shown.