Visualizer, not the place to start?

[eurbani]

I'm a newbie. I've searched the forums and the help file and I think that you cannot export your channels from the visualizer. Am I correct?

If so, I feel like I'm missing something. I wanted to set up my display on the visualizer. Sort out what I was going to do and then export those channels so that I could use them i the Sequencer.

So, if I am right. What are some good methods to plan/organize your display and channels?

[Aaron Maue]

Since you can do all sorts of rearranging and organizing in the sequencer to make sequencing easy, I have focused my energy this year in keeping lights that are in the same basic vicinity in my display together on the same controller. I've got a large yard, so this means a lot less extension cord.

Last year, I didn't realize how easy it was to reorganize the channels in the sequencer for easier sequencing, so I ended up with some crazy long extension cords. I'm tripling my channel count this year, so I'm trying to keep controllers close to the stuff they control and trying to keep lights that are close together on the same controller.

[WilliamS]

You can but it takes work. The way I did it was built the setup in Visulaizer, then used SuperStar to import the Vis file. From there you can export to Sequencer. This is also based on having a SuperStar license.

[MCas4380]

I like to make my channel layout in Excel spreadsheet to get a good idea of what I want to do. Then build my channel layout, then the Visualizer. Here is a great channel load calculator / plan another member created.
http://forums.lightorama.com/view_topic.php?id=31269&forum_id=76&highlight=spreadsheet post 6
I found this helpful.

[LOR Staff]

Correct, there is no way to export a channel config from the Visualizer to the Sequence Editor. I'll add that to the wishlist.

[dgrant]

Actually that's a good idea. I like that possibility. Since both the visualizer and the sequencer use the same information...would be nice to assign the channels based on the visualizer.

[LOR Staff]

When we initially designed the Visualizer, one of the main parts of the design was to keep the Visualizer as separate as possible from the Sequence Editor. That's why there is not a lot of connection between the 2. We called it a 'Loose Integration'.

The idea was that a loose integration would allow the user the freedom to first plan where he wanted elements to be placed on his stage -- allowing the whole design to be virtual and without regards to physical equipment or channels.

Once the design was done the user could then determine the best equipment to purchase and where it was best to put that equipment physically. For some people, cost or security is the major factor so they may decide to run a lot of extension cords. For others flexibility is key so they may decide to purchase extra controllers and leave some channels empty.

After the user had selected his physical equipment, he could go into the sequence editor and begin assigning the channels. The he would import channel reference into the Visualizer as a reference file and have it wire everything.

[pixeldigger]

I haven't used the Visualizer yet, so my comments may not be as relevant as I hoped.
I never assign channels to ANYTHING until after the show is built. I install lights, then connect them to the nearest controller.If I have more lights over here, I put a controller over here, more there . . . you get the picture . . .
I then turn on [unit1 channel 1] in the hardware utility and see what lights up. I then and assign that in the sequence editor. It doesn't take as long as you might think, and it keeps you from having to worry about how long the extension cords will be. A "channel" in the animator/sequencer/visualizer need not have anything to do with "hardware" until you are ready to run the show.

[eurbani]

pixeldigger wrote:

I haven't used the Visualizer yet, so my comments may not be as relevant as I hoped.
I never assign channels to ANYTHING until after the show is built. I install lights, then connect them to the nearest controller.If I have more lights over here, I put a controller over here, more there . . . you get the picture . . .
I then turn on [unit1 channel 1] in the hardware utility and see what lights up. I then and assign that in the sequence editor. It doesn't take as long as you might think, and it keeps you from having to worry about how long the extension cords will be. A "channel" in the animator/sequencer/visualizer need not have anything to do with "hardware" until you are ready to run the show.

This is brilliant!

[LOR Staff]

eurbani wrote:

pixeldigger wrote:

I haven't used the Visualizer yet, so my comments may not be as relevant as I hoped.
I never assign channels to ANYTHING until after the show is built. I install lights, then connect them to the nearest controller.If I have more lights over here, I put a controller over here, more there . . . you get the picture . . .
I then turn on [unit1 channel 1] in the hardware utility and see what lights up. I then and assign that in the sequence editor. It doesn't take as long as you might think, and it keeps you from having to worry about how long the extension cords will be. A "channel" in the animator/sequencer/visualizer need not have anything to do with "hardware" until you are ready to run the show.

This is brilliant!

The Visualizer can work in this kind of situation as well, using 'Virtual' channels. Virtual channels are basically matched up by name - as long as you don't specify a device type, if the name of the channel matches the name of the channel in the sequence editor, it works.

More info here:
http://www.lightorama.com/help/virtual_channels.htm