LOR, DMX, Falcon, Motion effects, and Channel-Level sequencing strangeness.

[Frankieswi]

Scenario:

I have a 250-pixel coro pumpkin.  I dont need it to be super bright.  I have isolated it to a single port on my Falcon controller by using a virtual port.  i had a little weirdness in setting up the universes....but this works: (E1.31 config) Universe 23 has 510 channels, Universe 24 has 375 defined (more than i actually need). (String Ports config) Port 23 starts with channel 1, for 171 pixels, ending in Universe 24, channel 3.  There is a virtual port set up for Universe 23, which is defined as universe 24, start channel 4, with 80 pixels. ending in universe 24, channel 243.  This config is because I had 1 pixel not lighting at the end of the first universe, when it was configure as 170 pixels. Both universes are at 60% and look fine as a "pumpkin", or using motion effects considering the programming effort stated above.

To enable the channel-based pumpkin look, but do motion effect eyeballs or mouths, i created a new view, and juggled channels into eyes, nose, mouth, etc.  Strangely, LOR thinks its all Universe 23, pixels 1 thru 250!  so, to program the 70th pixel in universe 24, i have to add 170+70 to get to pixel 240....weird that it skips pixel 171, i assume because it isnt defined because it spans 2 universes(??), but THIS SETUP WORKS.

The question is (finally!):  How do i do this on a larger prop?  I have a Halloween tree with 650+ pixels split over 7 Universes and 7 String ports, because i cannot figure out how to adequately power so many pixels on 1 port.  Do i really need power injection in the middle and at the end of one gigantic string of pixels? Is that even possible? I cannot re-group them into a view because there are the identical channel names (c001,c002...and so on) in each universe, and even if i rename them, LOR wont let me move the channels from one universe to another. I seem to be at some kind of limitation of DMX, E131, and LOR.  The workaround is ugly and tedious! I have a paper list of what channels and universes are what part of the prop!  Mind you, the pixel string spacing sometimes limits you where the next bulb is punched in, so they are not always in order!

Attached are my String config, e131 config, and a sequencer shot showing channels above 170...171 is the next universe, actually u024, pixel 1.....

 

[Frankieswi]

OK, I figured it out.  Basically, my brain over-thought this.  The giant prop IS defined to Falcon as 7 separate string ports, 9 thru 15, as strands of 100, therefore 300 channels.  Each strand is actually (2) 50-pixel strings connected together... which matters only if you are worried about it!  The E131 configuration on the Falcon has 6 universes (u009-u014) of 300 channels, on one (u015) as 150 channels.  The difference is HOW LOR IS CONFIGURED IN THE PREVIEW!  I had defined 7 separate universes, but reconfigured it as follows:

(Obviously as RGB) with 2 motion effect rows, per my needs.

Since I dont want to draw a pretty picture of this prop, I simply defined it as 1 segment of 675 nodes.

DMX settings:

Start Universe: 9

Start Channel: 1

End Universe: 15

End Channel: 225 (for the 75-pixel string, 75x3 channels=225)

Now, when I enable channel level on the prop, I get (yikes) 675 channels to program!

This allows me to define the prop as A tree with an owl, two ghosts, pumpkins, and tombstones with appropriate colors, which i can do ONCE!

Then i will create group views with individual elements of the prop (tree, ghosts, etc) and further subdivide them into eyes, mouths....whatever.

I still have to clear the channel level for those parts I want to apply motion effects, so I can have a ghost's eyes moving for example.

Does anyone know if or how I can get LOR to prefer motion effects OVER channel level sequencing?  Then I could just add motion effects where i need them, without having to delete channel effects.