PE Feature Requests

[greg.duguid]

I've been working on a project at work this week and am bouncing between my laptop at work and my desktop at home. It would be really helpful to be able to import/export your Favorites in the Effect Generator. I've created effects on both systems that I really like and need to use them together in one show. I know I could write down their various settings on the computer they exist on and then rebuild them on the other machine, but I'm lazy, and IF I had a bunch of them built, that would get VERY tedious!

 

Another feature that I am not sure isn't already in the system and just haven't figured out yet would be if we can choose to load a Favorite Effect in either the right or left window within the Effect Generator screen. I would like to transition from one effect to the other and can't seem to load two Favorites at once.

[MattBrown]

It would be really helpful to be able to import/export your Favorites in the Effect Generator.

 

This is a great suggestion and I have added it to my list of requested enhancements. As a work-around you have a couple of options:

1. The easiest and safest would be to create an animation sequence and add each of your favorites at 1 second intervals to the sequence. Copy the LAS and LPE files for the sequence to your other computer. Open the copied sequence, then double-click on each effect - which will open the Effect Generator - and then save that effect to your favorites. Close the Effect Generator, double-click on the next effect, and repeat.
2. Favorite effects and previews are stored in a file: Light-O-Rama\PixelEditor\LORPixelEditorData.xml. You could copy this file from your work computer to your home computer. However, if you overwrite the version at home with the one from work, you will lose all of the previews and favorites on your home computer. If you are comfortable editing text files using Notepad or Notepad++, you could copy just the favorites section into the version on your home computer. Favorites are in the section tagged "<FavTree>...</FavTree>"

I would like to transition from one effect to the other and can't seem to load two Favorites at once.

 

Watch the PE tutorial video. It gives a detailed explanation of how to crossfade from one effect to another - and you don't need to load 2 effects into the Effect Generator to do it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5unIkAJjauU

 

Matt

[greg.duguid]

This is a great suggestion and I have added it to my list of requested enhancements. As a work-around you have a couple of options:

1. The easiest and safest would be to create an animation sequence and add each of your favorites at 1 second intervals to the sequence. Copy the LAS and LPE files for the sequence to your other computer. Open the copied sequence, then double-click on each effect - which will open the Effect Generator - and then save that effect to your favorites. Close the Effect Generator, double-click on the next effect, and repeat.
2. Favorite effects and previews are stored in a file: Light-O-Rama\PixelEditor\LORPixelEditorData.xml. You could copy this file from your work computer to your home computer. However, if you overwrite the version at home with the one from work, you will lose all of the previews and favorites on your home computer. If you are comfortable editing text files using Notepad or Notepad++, you could copy just the favorites section into the version on your home computer. Favorites are in the section tagged "<FavTree>...</FavTree>"

 

Watch the PE tutorial video. It gives a detailed explanation of how to crossfade from one effect to another - and you don't need to load 2 effects into the Effect Generator to do it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5unIkAJjauU

 

Matt

After writing this I had a few revelations. I discovered the xml file and successfully copied the appropriate data from one computer to the other!

 

And yes, it was a palm to the forehead moment when I remembered that each prop has two tracks to allow crossfading from one to the other!

 

Thanks Matt! I have other ideas for tweaking effects in the Effect Generator, but those will have to wait for when I am not dozing.

[packen]

Matt,

 

 Any chance of PE having an instant sequence option like SS has?

[MattBrown]

Matt,

 

 Any chance of PE having an instant sequence option like SS has?

 

Not any time soon I'm afraid. A lot of other things that need to be done first.

 

Matt

[Powers_Ronald]

Here are some suggestions from my use of  PE:

 

Sparkles as one of the effects. Sometimes you want just to have the different color sparkles on a black background.

 

Static pattern for a line of strings. I wanted to make the strands look loke a normal multicolor stand, no movement.

 

All/None check box on the import from SE tool. I needed to import four props from SE, but haduncheck 42 others. It would have been better to select NONE and then select only the four I wanted.

 

Use of the keyboard arrows after selecting a time slot with the mouse. Once the info box pops up in PE, the keyboard arrows are locked. Make this work like SE, when the arrows work even when the box is open. 

[Dennis Laff]

Matt like the nesting on the star props.

[MattBrown]

 

Here are some suggestions from my use of  PE:

 

Sparkles as one of the effects. Sometimes you want just to have the different color sparkles on a black background.

 

The Twinkle effect in the just released 4.3.0 version will do that for you.

 

 

Static pattern for a line of strings. I wanted to make the strands look like a normal multicolor stand, no movement.

 

The LinesVertical effect in the just released 4.3.0 version will do that for you (set speed to 0).

 

 

Use of the keyboard arrows after selecting a time slot with the mouse. Once the info box pops up in PE, the keyboard arrows are locked. Make this work like SE, when the arrows work even when the box is open. 

 

This has been fixed in 4.3.0.

 

 

 

All/None check box on the import from SE tool. I needed to import four props from SE, but haduncheck 42 others. It would have been better to select NONE and then select only the four I wanted.

 

I will add that to the list.

 

Thanks! Keep the suggestions coming!

 

Matt

[Powers_Ronald]

Thank you. Overall I love PE. It is allowing me to add some very nice effects to my display.

[tonan]

In my shows I use SS to create a "text marquee" to inform viewers before each song what radio channel to tune to. (some people arrive late and don't see the printed signage so DMX marquee easily catches their attention).  Looks like PE may be a better choice for that and much more strait forward than SS.  Before my shows start though I would really like to implement a "count down" timer to show minutes remaining until the show starts (for people who arrive too early).  Is there a way to include the system clock as an effect in PE? Thanks. 

[MattBrown]

You can't display the system clock, but there is a Countdown effect that will count down the seconds.

Matt

[parts223]

It would be immensely helpful to have the effect generator as a 'tool window' as opposed to a modal window. It would be really nice to be able to dock the effect generator on the left of the screen and then just select and insert the required effect. Currently there is a lot of needless mouse clicking to achieve this.

 

Additionally it would be great to have a docked 'favorite effects' window. For the favorite effects you would be able to just click the favorite effect and then insert that effect. Currently the left top pane only starts getting filled with effects that are used in the current opened project. This is not much help when starting a new project from scratch. That pane could also list the name of the effect you are inserting as certain curtain effects do not render well until viewed in the sequence.

[MattBrown]

It would be immensely helpful to have the effect generator as a 'tool window' as opposed to a modal window. It would be really nice to be able to dock the effect generator on the left of the screen and then just select and insert the required effect. Currently there is a lot of needless mouse clicking to achieve this.

 

Additionally it would be great to have a docked 'favorite effects' window. For the favorite effects you would be able to just click the favorite effect and then insert that effect. Currently the left top pane only starts getting filled with effects that are used in the current opened project. This is not much help when starting a new project from scratch. That pane could also list the name of the effect you are inserting as certain curtain effects do not render well until viewed in the sequence.

 

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback. Maybe we make floating windows an option -- users with smaller screens may choose to keep things modal, while users with large screens or multiple monitors would want floating windows? In any case, I've added these to my list of potential future enhancements.

 

Matt

[LightguyGreg]

Hi Matt- 

 

Maybe this is already an option and I just can't seem to figure it out- but lets say I wanted to make a candy cane arch with 10 candy canes and 10 smart pixels per cane- so a string of 100 pixels all together. The way I plan to string the pixels through is from bottom left up through the curve of the first cane then thru the curve and down the cane on the second, so on and so forth so the end of the pixel string ends at the bottom of the 10th cane. 

 

Do I need to draw 10 individual candy canes in pixel editor with 10 pixels each and basically move them around to "draw" out the arch? When I tried last night because there are only 10 pixels per cane its hard to see the candy cane outline in editor since the pixel count per is so small. Is there another way to do this?

 

Thanks. 

 

Never mind- I think I figured it out using the custom option.

 

Thanks!

Edited December 28, 2015 by LightguyGreg

[MattBrown]

Hi Matt- 

 

Maybe this is already an option and I just can't seem to figure it out- but lets say I wanted to make a candy cane arch with 10 candy canes and 10 smart pixels per cane- so a string of 100 pixels all together. The way I plan to string the pixels through is from bottom left up through the curve of the first cane then thru the curve and down the cane on the second, so on and so forth so the end of the pixel string ends at the bottom of the 10th cane. 

 

Do I need to draw 10 individual candy canes in pixel editor with 10 pixels each and basically move them around to "draw" out the arch? When I tried last night because there are only 10 pixels per cane its hard to see the candy cane outline in editor since the pixel count per is so small. Is there another way to do this?

 

Thanks. 

 

Never mind- I think I figured it out using the custom option.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, creating 10 candy cane props using the "Candycane-Left" or "Candycane-Right" shape would be the best way (or even better, create 1 named "candycane-01" then make 9 copies). Did you change the bulb size in the preview? That should make them more easily visible.

 

Matt