[Newbie Question] How do I see both the pixel editor and sequence editor animations in one window?

[Kennan]

Ok, so my last years light show consisted only of normal lights. On off. Plain and simple, it used only the sequence editor. Now for this year, I want to add pixels, which you do via pixel and/or superstar editor. I have them both the lights and pixels programmed, but how do I view them all in one window like the animation window from sequence editor? If there is a way (and I'm sure there is), how do you do it?

[k6ccc]

Assuming you are using S4 and not S5, the answer is Visualizer.

 

[Dennis Laff]

If your using S4 and the pixel editor you can watch the sequence play in the pixel editor preview window .

[k6ccc]

1 hour ago, Dennis Laff said:

If your using S4 and the pixel editor you can watch the sequence play in the pixel editor preview window .

Will that show everything, or only the portion created in PE?

 

[Dennis Laff]

You can put all your props into the pixel editor preview , you can import all your props from visualizer  when viewing preview you select where props where sequenced to view .

[Kennan]

On ‎4‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 6:48 AM, k6ccc said:

Assuming you are using S4 and not S5, the answer is Visualizer.

 

I know that, but how? I've tried reading the PDF files on the LOR site and they really don't get me anywhere...

[k6ccc]

7 minutes ago, Kennan said:

I know that, but how? I've tried reading the PDF files on the LOR site and they really don't get me anywhere...

Are you unclear on how to build a visualization for your display or on how to make use of it?

 

[Kennan]

1 minute ago, k6ccc said:

Are you unclear on how to build a visualization for your display or on how to make use of it?

 

I've always just used the animation window in SE, and yes, I am unclear on how to build a visualization.

[k6ccc]

The animation window in SE is FAR more limited than Visualizer.  I never used it after Visualizer came out in S3 (about a week after I installed the last S2 version).

Visualizer breaks down your display into Props.  Props are generally major display elements.  For example, in my display, I have props for: Arches, Pixel Tree, Pixel Star, Eves, Roofline, etc.  Props can also be quite small.  For example I have a Prop called Garage which only has three lights.  Props are made up of Fixtures which may be a single bulb or multiple.  For example, on my Pixel Tree, there are 12 fixtures.  Each fixture is one 50 pixel string.  The actual channel assignments can be done at the Fixture level - HOWEVER, there is a Wizard for channel assignments at the Prop level that can make the channel assignments VERY easy.  For example, when I changed my pixel tree from 12 strings x 50 pixels to 24 strings x 100 pixels, it took less than 30 seconds to run through the channel wizard to change the channel assignments.  Props or individual fixtures can be moved around the screen to make them either match something close to reality, or something that works for you, but may not match the physical reality.  For example, my visualizations have never matched reality.  I have an odd shaped yard and it just worked better to have things on screen laid out as vertical or horizontal elements rather than a bunch of odd angles.  This is my 2016 visualization (for the purists, this screen capture is from SuperStar, but the layout comes from Visualizer):

Once you have the Visualization built, you push the play button (I think that's what it's called) which puts Visualizer into the right mode to display lighting commands.  Then in SE, select the play command to enable Visualizer and play your sequence (or portions thereof).  Visualizer  will play all the lights.  Note that it is easier if you have multiple monitors s you don't have to fight which screen is on top of which.  As I recall, you DO have to have enhanced networking enabled in Network configuration IF you are doing stuff that requires it (playing intensity files from SuperStar or Pixel Editor).  You also need to have the LOR Control Panel running (which in turn starts the Comm Listener.

 

[GriswoldStyle]

2 hours ago, Kennan said:

I've always just used the animation window in SE, and yes, I am unclear on how to build a visualization.

My first year I used the animation window. The second-year I watch some tutorials about the visualizer I will never go back to the animation window again. The visualizer works so much easier and it displays different props and things like that you can find a lot of prop files for things such as spiral trees, pumpkins for Halloween different stuff like that.

This visualizer tutorial link really helped showed me how to use the visualizer.  It may help you so I will share it with you. I'm sure there's other people's videos out there that may help as well but this is one that helped me. I haven't ventured into pixels so I'm not sure about that portion of it but building a basic visualizer file with RGB and everything is shown. Hope this helps

 

Edited May 1, 2018 by GriswoldStyle
Forgot link.

[k6ccc]

BTW, Visualizer goes away in S5.  However you can (at least sort of) import a visualization file in the new Preview Editor (and at least in some cases, it will work right).

 

[Kennan]

2 hours ago, GriswoldStyle said:

My first year I used the animation window. The second-year I watch some tutorials about the visualizer I will never go back to the animation window again. The visualizer works so much easier and it displays different props and things like that you can find a lot of prop files for things such as spiral trees, pumpkins for Halloween different stuff like that.

This visualizer tutorial link really helped showed me how to use the visualizer.  It may help you so I will share it with you. I'm sure there's other people's videos out there that may help as well but this is one that helped me. I haven't ventured into pixels so I'm not sure about that portion of it but building a basic visualizer file with RGB and everything is shown. Hope this helps

 

Ok, about after an hour of watching and reading tutorials, I got the hang of it, but I still have one question. So, our light show has these "nets" of lights (basically a matrix) that runs down the wall. And they are NOT pixels. How can I re-create this in the visualizer? The only thing I see for it is the Matrix Wizard, but that only supports pixels (or so I think).

[GriswoldStyle]

Is the net of lights all on one channel?

I have lights that go up and down my walls what I did is use the draw light string in the visualizer created the light strings and made them go up and down the wall just like they do on the house. The first year I did that but last year I just drew one outline for each color of Lights. Not sure if that is what you meant but you can use the light strings to draw lines up and down the Walls.

[Kennan]

1 minute ago, GriswoldStyle said:

Is the net of lights all on one channel?

I have lights that go up and down my walls what I did is use the draw light string in the visualizer created the light strings and made them go up and down the wall just like they do on the house. The first year I did that but last year I just drew one outline for each color of Lights. Not sure if that is what you meant but you can use the light strings to draw lines up and down the Walls.

yes, each wall (net) is on one channel.

[GriswoldStyle]

Mods please forgive me if I'm not allowed to do this but I'm not really sure if this is allowed if not please delete it.

Here is a page of Lor props. You should be able to download the net light prop file from the following site they have a bunch of different lor props and fixtures free to download. Just use the visualizer to import the prop or fixture 

http://www.landolights.com/main/component/option,com_remository/Itemid,54/func,select/id,24/orderby,4/page,7/

Edited May 2, 2018 by GriswoldStyle

[GriswoldStyle]

Just wanted to follow up with you.

Did the net lights fixture work for what you were trying to accomplish?

[Kennan]

7 hours ago, GriswoldStyle said:

Just wanted to follow up with you.

Did the net lights fixture work for what you were trying to accomplish?

Yes

[GriswoldStyle]

46 minutes ago, Kennan said:

Yes

Good deal.. there's a lot of other props and fixtures on that site as well. Should help you out quite a bit for any future ideas you may have

[Kennan]

23 hours ago, GriswoldStyle said:

Good deal.. there's a lot of other props and fixtures on that site as well. Should help you out quite a bit for any future ideas you may have

One more question, how do I visualize pixels...? I've looked really everywhere and haven't found a solid tutorial.

[k6ccc]

2 minutes ago, Kennan said:

One more question, how do I visualize pixels...? I've looked really everywhere and haven't found a solid tutorial.

Individual pixels are just single bulbs in Visualizer.  Strings of pixels are just that - strings.  I have S5 on this computer, so I can't tell you exactly what the icon looks like, but it's one of the icons for different light types.

 

[Kennan]

1 minute ago, k6ccc said:

Individual pixels are just single bulbs in Visualizer.  Strings of pixels are just that - strings.  I have S5 on this computer, so I can't tell you exactly what the icon looks like, but it's one of the icons for different light types.

 

So, does the visualizer run only through SE, meaning that I have to somehow (I'm pretty sure I know how) merge the PE sequence w/ the SE sequence?

[k6ccc]

Yes.  PE uses a Preview, but that is only for stuff in PE, just as SuperStar has it's own visualization (although that is derived from a Visualizer file).  Sequence Editor and the Show Player can drive Visualizer.

 

[k6ccc]

A reminder that all this changes with S5...

 

[Kennan]

2 minutes ago, k6ccc said:

Yes.  PE uses a Preview, but that is only for stuff in PE, just as SuperStar has it's own visualization (although that is derived from a Visualizer file).  Sequence Editor and the Show Player can drive Visualizer.

 

Ok, and you merge the sequences using intensity files if I am correct?

[Dennis Laff]

Pixel editor will preview props sequenced in superstar. I generally sequence my 12 string ccr tree in superstar then play that sequence in pixel editor as I sequence my other pixel props in pixel editor than your able to watch everything sequenced in PE.  SE.  And Superstar. on pixel editor preview screen ,been doing it this way since PE started 

Edited May 3, 2018 by Dennis Laff