Layout change after SuperStar Export to Sequence Editor.

[NkySpike65]

I'm trying to understand what influences the change from how I set my lights up in Visualizer to work in SuperStar, so when I export the superstar file to the LOR Sequence Editor they come out with the same layout. As you will see in the diagram below, they do not have the same order of layout.

I know I am using non-lor type of lights, and have assign dmx channels to command lines. But those lights with the same dmx universes are not grouped together either.

Here is a diagram showing the channel layout in Visualizer where I use Real and Row for SuperStar, and after I Exported the SS file to Sequence Editor.


To help clean it up, I put the dmx channels in their Groups.

[NkySpike65]

As for How I set up my ROW in Visualizer. 

*Star, *Pixel Tree, *Columns, *Roof Lines, *Arches, & *Floods.

[BrianBruderer]

Those are excellent diagrams, thanks for including them, it helps me understand exactly what you are asking.

 

The way I thought the code was written was to simply put them in order of the universe and channel numbers. But that does not appear to be happening. I know that is what it does for LOR controllers, but it looks like it is not doing it that way for DMX controllers. I would have to do some more research to explain what is happening.

 

What I can say, is that the order that the controllers are exported in is unrelated to the order that they appear in the row or real visualization. And you have no control over the order in which it exports the controllers. It would be a desirable feature to have, but currently that's how it is.

[NkySpike65]

Thanks Brian, just wasn't sure if there was a step that I needed to do, or was missing. 

[wmilkie]

I noticed the same issue a couple of weeks ago, but thought it was something I was doing wrong.

Very nice diagrams

[BrianBruderer]

I looked at the code briefly and it looks like it is trying to sort on the lightorama network and channel information even when it is DMX. And it is rather unpredictable as to what lightorama info is there. So the sort order is unpredictable. I will look into this later this summer. Right now I have my head deep into some other code in preparation for the Planet Christmas convention in Biloxi.

[NkySpike65]

Thanks again Brian for all your hard work. I understand, and please take your time.

[BrianBruderer]

I got a chance to work on the DMX code and have fixed the problem. The order of the DMX strings was being determined by whatever order they appear in the .lee file which is normally the order in which you created them, but if you delete and add things the order can be unpredictable.

 

I have fixed it so that the code will export them in "universe, channel" order.

 

Note however, that I found several problems in your visualization. For example, for the Arches you had "superstar dmx=1,11" and you meant to do "superstar dmx=11,1"

Also, you grouped strings into props that did not have contiguous dmx channel assignments. For example, you have one prop for all 5 of your "Lower Columns" and in the prop you have "superstar dmx=7,1". What superstar will do is assign Universe 1, channel 1 to the start of the first string and then assign channels contiguously to each of the next strings in the prop. In your channel map you show that columns 1 and 2 are contiguous, but column 3 starts at Universe 8, channel 181. So what I did was create two props, one I called "Lower Columns 1,2" and it uses "superstar dmx=7,1". Then I created another prop called "Lower Columns 3,4,5" and it uses "superstar dmx=8,181"

 

Another point this brings up is that the superstar code does not detect duplicate dmx channel assignments when using the "superstar dmx=x,y" keyword. If it did then it would have given you some warnings on your visualization.

 

The fixes I have done will be in the next release. But also realize that in the next release the visualizer will have a "DMX Pixel Wizard" tool and it would probably be best to use it instead of the "superstar dmx=x,y" keyword.

[NkySpike65]

Thanks Brian,
I'll definitely will use the "DMX Pixel Wizard", putting in all those command line I kept getting myself mixed up.
Last year was my first time working with DMX and Pixels. I used 4 pixel controllers on the house to avoid loss of power or data going to the pixel strips. So I divided the lights up in 4 section as well and assigned each one it's own universe.
Lower Left - Universe #7 - (Lower Column #1, #2, and Lower Roof #1, #2).

Lower Right - Universe #8 - (Lower Column #3, #4, #5, Lower Roof #3, #4).
Upper Left - Universe #9 - (Upper Column #1, #2, Upper Roof #1, #2).
Upper Right - Universe #10 - (Upper Column #3, #4, #5, and Upper Roof #3, #4, #5).

When I did the prop layout in visualizer for ROW, I put all the columns together and put all the roof line together. So when I wanted to do a morph with all the columns at the same time, the starting pixel box for each one was right next to each one.. 

Thanks again Brian for all you hard work!


 

Edited September 18, 2014 by NkySpike65