Custom Coro - Preview Pixel Moving Problem

[scodavis]

For the ten months of the year (January through October) when my Christmas show isn't running, I am creating ten 100cm x 80cm coro props that will decorate the peak of my house.  I'm currently working on the first one - I have the layout completed, and I even did a wiring diagram, which I have imported into the Preview editor of S6 (attached).

What I want to do is insert the pixels (which I've done) but I need to be able to drag each individual pixel to its proper location in the preview.  It won't let me do that.  How do I do that?

[Jimehc]

Add New Prop > Custom > Custom Light Placement > Insert that image > start counting Pixels (Dots in the image)

[Jeremiah Ackermann]

15 hours ago, scodavis said:

but I need to be able to drag each individual pixel to its proper location in the preview.  It won't let me do that.  How do I do that?

The answer is to use the "Advanced" prop shape, as it lets you drag individual pixels around. Just like the "custom" prop shape, it has the custom light placement dialog. In either prop type, the custom light placement is really defining how motion effects get applied to your prop.

To see how that works, import an LOR snowflake or spinner and look at the prop definition and custom light placement. They use the advanced prop type and the custom light placement will not look like a snowflake or spinner at all. The light placement is done in such a way so that effects will look/behave better. For example, if you want to do a bars effect from left to right on the snowflake arms, it will actually go circular around the snowflake. This is typically what you want to happen with effects, but if you want to do a left-right effect on the entire LOR snowflake, you need to put the snowflake in a group and select the "use preview" version. Making this group makes the snowflake appear more like it would with a custom prop type and renders the effect entirely different.

With that said, I wish custom prop shapes could just be used. Then to get the effects to render a particular way, more options when defining motion effect rows would need to be specified. I have long desired the ability to use a custom prop shape and define a path throughout the prop in a way that it appeared like a single stand of lights. If that was possible, I could use effects meant for single stands which let me do light chases around a prop's edge. This could be really handed for high density props as well that many coro vendors have.