Using SuperStar with E1.31 Protocol

[Acguy1999]

Ok, so I'm a little confused (I'm lying, really confused) after reading the forums. So here's my project.

I've have a Mega Tree with 20 strings of WS2811 RGB lights. Each string is 16 Ft long with 48 nodes on each string which gives me 144 pixels/channels. This totals 2880 pixels/channels.

My plan was to use SuperStar to program my display since I currently have S3 Advanced and I use 2 - 16 channel controllers.

But what I'm starting to find out that it's a pain in the a$$ to get this accomplished in SuperStar since I need to draw the strings in the Visualizer the import it into SuperStar.

So of course I tried this using the Demo version of SuperStar but I only used 3 of my 20 strings for a test run, but I'm only able to control one of the 3 strings. I can't figure out how to get the other strings programmed. I did find and follow Brian's reply in this forum. http://forums.lightorama.com/index.php?/topic/29390-dmx-12-row-tree-in-ss-and-visualized/

Is there an easier way for programing DMX using SuperStar? Maybe a video tutorial (which I haven't been able to find)?

I would appreciate any help. I'm going to apologize in advance because I'm know I'm the first to ask this question.

Thanks

Brent

[BrianBruderer]

Making a mega tree is easy if you can use the Tree wizard, but you can't because the tree wizard only works for CCRs, CCBs, or CCPs.

Is your tree a 360 degree tree, or a 180 degree tree?

[Acguy1999]

It's 360 degree.

[BrianBruderer]

What is the Universe and Channel of the first pixel of each string? Is the first pixel at the top or bottom of each string?

After I have the information I can make a visualization for you.

[Acguy1999]

Brian, if I figured this out correctly the setup would look like this:

String 1 - Universe 1 Channel 1

String 2 - Universe 1 Channel 145

String 3 - Universe 1 Channel 290

String 4 - Universe 1 Channel 435

String 5 - Universe 2 Channel 75

String 6 - Universe 2 Channel 220

String 7 - Universe 2 Channel 365

String 8 - Universe 2 Channel 509

String 9 - Universe 3 Channel 144

String 10 - Universe 3 Channel 289

String 11 - Universe 3 Channel 434

String 12 - Universe 4 Channel 66

String 13 - Universe 4 Channel 211

String 14 - Universe 4 Channel 356

String 15 - Universe 4 Channel 501

String 16 - Universe 5 Channel 136

String 17 - Universe 5 Channel 281

String 18 - Universe 5 Channel 426

String 19 - Universe 6 Channel 85

String 20 - Universe 6 Channel 230 

[BrianBruderer]

Do you want the first channel to start at the bottom?

[Acguy1999]

yes.  The bottom is fine

[BrianBruderer]

I finished doing the visualizations. It requires doing a "real" visualization and a "row" visualization and then using the "import visualization pair" feature in superstar.

I used the tree wizard to make a mega tree from CCRs that have 48 pixels each. But the tree wizard makes each CCR be a fixture, and then all the CCR fixtures are put into one megatree "Prop." The "DMX" keyword only works in Props. So I had to delete the megatree prop and then I created 20 props, each prop containing one CCR. The I entered the "superstar DMX=x,x" into the comment line of each of the 20 props.

Superstar looks for CCRs that are all in a prop and then makes a matrix out of them based on the order they are in the prop. But since we had to make each strand be a separate prop, superstar isn't smart enough to put all the strands in the desired order.

To solve this, you must have two visualizations, a "real" visualization and a "row" visualization and then use the "import visualization pair" feature in superstar.

The visualization I just described making is the "real" visualization since it looks like the "real" light display. I saved it with the word "real" at the end of the name.

To make the "row" visualization I want the strands to be sorted into a row, this will tell superstar the order that the strands should be in. So I selected the first strand and moved it to the far left of the visualization. I then selected the second strand and moved it over to be just to the right of the first strand. Then I moved the 3rd strand etc. so that all the strands are ordered in a row from left to right. Note that you can leave them slanted, superstar looks at the center each light strand when figuring out their order. So just make it so the center of strand number 1 is to the left of the center of strand number 2, etc.

I then saved this file using a name with "row" at the end of the name.

You then launch superstar, click on the File menu and select "Import visualization Pair". In the dialog box that appears you need to specify the "row" visualization and the "real" visualization.

Click on "import visualization"

In the "import visualization" dialog box, select "vertical" and "wrap around"

I tried attaching the files to this reply, but it tells me the upload failed. So send an email to brian@superstarlights.com and I will reply to the email with the two visualization files attached.