S3 visualizer vs the old animation screen.

[jfelix]

Well after using LOR for the last 7/8 years I am extremely comfortable with using the old animation screen as that is what I've always used. This year I have been thinking of switching to the visualizer in S3. I have been searching posts, downloaded the object maker, and tried to play with it some.

My question is, is it worth making three switch or should I just keep using three animation screen as I have since 05?

Is there a benefit or is it just more realistic looking and that is it?

[Don]

One of the benefits is that when you have 2 or more colors in the same place, you longer have to 'stack' them on top/beside the other colors.

 

For example, I have 2 mega trees, 6 sections per tree, 4 colors per second. (See wonderlandchristmas.com for video.) In the animator I had to draw 48 pixels for the two trees (24 per tree) so I could see everything on the tree. With the visualizer I can simply assign the channels to the trees, and they will be shown on the tree where they actually are, not beside/on top of each other.

[sharpsvillelights]

I have been using LOR for 5 years and have always used animator.   However, this year I am using the LOR CCP lights.  Because each CCP bulb has 3 RGB channels that represents 300 lights which had to be mapped in animator. Animator was not an efficient solution for this so I began exploring visualizer. 

 

There is a learning curve with visualizer and seeing how I had 352 channels it took alot of time building the props and fixtures.  I found the following advantages which visualizer has over animator.

1.  If you using multiple color strings of lights on a display item (bush/tree) you simply draw one light string and assign all the colors to it.  In animator you have to draw a light string for each color.

2.  Using the visualizer wizards (arches, trees etc), you are able to get a more realistic view of what your display will look like.

3.  Since visualizer is a separate LOR program and not tied to a particular sequence, changes can be made to it and instantly used by any sequence.  In animator if I made a single change, I had to import it to each sequence I developed.  If you have several sequences, this takes alot of time. 

4.  If you are using RGB lights animator is very difficult to use.

[Dad02]

Used the animation screen for years but switched to the visualizer his year. There was a small learning curve but I like it much better. Some things are still painful but overall it's worth the switch.