custom prop creation - where to start?

[TexasLights]

For this year, I want to add some custom props.   One that I found that looked like fun was this spinner / star combination

https://www.doityourselfchristmas.com/wiki/index.php?title=StarFlake_Spinner

I was trying to work out where to start.   Both the Spinner and the Stars are standard props so I could create these as 3 props, the spinner, and 2 different 6 side stars.    And then I guess group them into a group.

But wondering if that is the right  path. 

The custom prop looks like another option, but it seems a shame to start from scratch since the existing ones were pretty close.  

Just wondering how you all went about doing it? 

 

 

[gsmith37064]

I like to design the custom props myself, but if it's already created, why not use it? I see no need to reinvent the wheel unless they do not match up.

Yes you would take the 3 props and create as group with them.

If you do this one, I would like to see it in action. It looks pretty darn cool.

 

[dougd]

I use a lot of 3d printed props. Once I have the prop made, I take a picture of it and then import that picture into the custom prop grid and start numbering away. Very easy to do.

[TexasLights]

So I found a couple of props in the default set, a "spokes", and "star" and also worked out how to group them with overlay to get a shape that matches what I want. 

But there is one thing I can't figure out.   In the spokes prop, it only allows specifying the number of spokes, and pixels per.   So for 16 spokes, it comes up with 16 channels with just the 12 pixels each, but I would like a better pattern, using like a 12 out and then 12 back. 

so I still come back to creating a custom one or importing from xlights if I can find one closer to what I want.  

Just want to make sure I haven't missed something.

[TexasLights]

I found someone had done an xmodel based on the same design.    I can import it fine into S5 and I can control how the pixels are mapped out...  All good... 

But, the xmodel has submodels for the spokes and stars, but when it imports in the preview, I get effort rows for each section of lights within the single object.   I can group the whole object but I can't group the sub effects groups.    I can create multiple objects, and delete the effect rows not needed but that seems like it is creating more work than needed.    Again, looking for suggestions if anyone has done this.

SpinnerStarFlake.xmodel

Edited February 27, 2020 by TexasLights

[gsmith37064]

I am only seeing 1 model with 20 effect rows when I imported it. I understand why so many effect rows as it makes it easy to program certain parts of the spinner.

What are these submodels you mention? Why are you grouping anything when it's only 1 model? Are you trying to expand all the channels inside of the editor?

 

[TexasLights]

13 hours ago, gsmith37064 said:

I am only seeing 1 model with 20 effect rows when I imported it. I understand why so many effect rows as it makes it easy to program certain parts of the spinner.

What are these submodels you mention? Why are you grouping anything when it's only 1 model? Are you trying to expand all the channels inside of the editor?

 

if you look at the original diagram or the sample below, there are models for the spinner, the stars and even a snowflake.   I am just trying to do something similar once I get it into S5.   I can importthe same prop 5 times and delete the extra effect rows so I have one that is just the spinner, one for each star and one for the snowflake. I thought there might be something else possible since I am new to both the custom props and xmodel import.   You can also see in the sample below, where they just wanted to program the spinner portion.