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Timing track question

April 8, 2015, 8:28 pm
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OK....I just created a new sequence following the Sean's video. When I went to the "Sequencer" tab I see that I have 2 timing tracks....one titled "Empty" and one titled "New Timing." When Sean did it he only ended up with 1 called "Empty"...

Did I do something wrong or is this a new change? I know you can have multiple timing tracks...I just want to make sure I'm not missing something basic.....I learned a long time ago that if you don't learn basic math correctly your misapplication of the basic will only be compounded the further you go.
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Modular Matrix Panels by Boscoyo Studio

April 8, 2015, 9:56 pm
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We've been at it again and I think we have a solution that will please many of our customers when it comes to making a Matrix panel and even more! When I upgraded my MegaSnowman http://doityourselfchristmas.com/for...tting-upgrades! from just cool white LED strips to full pixels I used our ABS material to make insert panels that hold the nodes. The ABS material is the commercial material compared to the HPDE material and coro. It is twice as thick and wants to lay much flatter. The HDPE and coro has it's place and we think the ABS is the best product for this application. We ran into a major issue that is out of our control while upgrading the snowman, the pixel nodes and RGB nodes we used varied so much between manufacturer in size, shape, and even the type of tabs that lock the nodes in place and where the coro and HDPE flexes and stretches, the ABS did not. This meant the hole had to be made specifically for that node that was being used.

We have made a new hole design that allows us to now offer the ABS material for the use as a 12mm pixel matrix panel. But wait there's more! When I designed the Modular Matrix panel it was based on being able to use it for several areas of the house. The Modular Matrix panels can be used as a Eave outline, column panels, and of course a matrix. Each panel is 4 nodes tall at 2" centers and 42 nodes wide at 2.25" center. Overall each panel is 8" x 94.5" with ziptie stitch holes every 6" to expand the matrix. The 4x42 grid layout was to max out the universe at 168 nodes per panel.

Eave/Gutter outline - You can hang one panel or put two together and make a matrix that can mimic Plasma Icicle by using the meteor effect. Now you can scroll text on the eave and many of the other nutcracker effects that will look awesome on your eave or gutter.

Column Panels - Take the panel and rotate it vertically and place it in front of the columns of your house and now you can easily add pixels. The ends have additional ziptie stitch holes on the ends to quickly extend the modular matrix panel from the ground to the roof line of the second floor. They can be placed on the corners of the house as well. I did this 2 years ago on my house with coro and 8 segments of RGB and last year I upgraded to pixels for the columns with the same coro panel. Now I will upgrade to the ABS panels.

Matrix Panels - So the challenge with making a matrix panel to sell is the shipping. Even rolling a 4'x8' sheet up to a 14" cylinder that is 4' long is still pricey to ship. We do plan on selling full panels but I wanted a cheaper solution to ship that still met the design and performance criteria. I think the Modular Matrix Panel fills that void. The 8" wide panels roll up nicely in our standard shipping boxes. You can make a 2x frame to support the panels and the sky is the limit on how big you can go!

Take a look at the panels and let me know what you think. We are going to do a HD Modular Matrix panel series that will be 1" centers made in both the modular 8" wide panel and the full sheet. The new hole design works with the 10 various 12mm nodes that we have here for testing including bullet and square styles. We will offer the Modular Matrix Panels in both Black and White ABS.




12x42 node matrix using 3 modular panels stitched together


Material comparison, HDPE is on top and the ABS is on the bottom


Thanks,
James
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Happy Birthday Capt'n Jack

April 9, 2015, 2:53 am
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Happy 59th Birthday Capt'n Jack !

Hope you have a wonderful day, and very best wishes from everyone here at Do It Yourself Christmas.
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Tutorial: PREVIEW calibration

April 9, 2015, 7:59 am
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A number of people have had an issue dragging objects in the PREVIEW screen

I have made a tutorial that covers how to calibrate the PREVIEW screen so drag and drop work correctly.

https://vimeo.com/124527425

I have also started posting xLights 4.0 tutorials on the releases page.

http://nutcracker123.com/nutcracker/releases/

in The summer I will delete the 100 or so video tutorials i have made for xLights 3.0.
I will first have to re-record tutorials for all the subject areas: importing from LOR,HLS,Vixen,LSP,
Papagayo, Descriptions of each effect .etc.

With over 100 videos, i think you should go to the releases page to find the current videos you really need.

thanks
sean
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Well...here I go again

April 9, 2015, 10:27 am
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Hi all,

I started playing with the sequencer and have run into some issues that I can't figure out.....so what else is new!

1. I created a text scroll.....placed it between 2 timing marks and played it.....It ran too long so I grabbed the effect and dragged it back to the left. Now when I play it...it gets to the end and goes off (as in it's finished)....there is a momentary blank display and suddenly the text picks up playing at the point it was when I first placed it....hope that makes sense. So it appears to have left some of the effect where it was originally....it doesn't show up on the grid...but it plays.

So....should I have moved the timing mark slider instead of the slider on the actual effect? What I basically did was move the rightmost slider of the effect back to the left to shorten the effect....is that a nono?

2. So, given the above I tried to delete the effect....couldn't figure out how to remove it.... I set it to "OFF" and it went blank but the effect 'marker' was still on the sequencer grid.... Where's the "Delete" button?

3. What is the word "Perspectives" referring to? It's located at the top left side when you're in the sequencer window?

Thanks....It looks like it will take a bit getting used to with the new 'flavor'.....Glad I got started learning....
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Light-O-Rama CTB16PC Controllers For Sale

April 9, 2015, 5:56 pm
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I have (9) CTB16PC controllers that I am looking to sell. They are version 2 controllers and were purchased fully assembled from wowlights. I painted them all black to better conceal them in my display. $190 each plus actual shipping charges. I will absorb the PayPal fees.
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C7 LEDs for sale

April 9, 2015, 7:28 pm
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I have some C7 LED's up for sale that I bought wanting to be able to use for those that asked me to decorate for them during the 2015 season, but I can't really have them sitting around collecting dust when the financial end of thing is screaming HELP.. Really don't like this but have to take some wise turns for now so selling these lights at the cost I was nearly able to get them for. Asking $.75 per bulb or $18.75 per case. Price includes shipping. Prefer to sell by the case.
I have:
4 Cases of Green (25 bulbs to case)
2 cases of Orange
4 Cases of Blue
1 Case of Purple
2 Cases of Warm White
13 Pure white bulbs
1 Case of Yellow
Let me know please if you would be interested in buying these.
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Render button

April 9, 2015, 9:20 pm
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Hey all,

I just ran across another term that I don't fully understand.....

There is a "Render All" button up on the upper row of icons.

What does render do and what "All" are we rendering if we click that icon?

Also....is there an "Effects Presets" ability....so we can save often used effects?

The learning curve continues....

Thanks,

SC
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Possible Enclosure

April 9, 2015, 11:11 pm
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Found these at Harbor Freight today. With the new Pixel controllers I am building and their power supplies, I think these should work to house them. They are a new item for the store and the cost was pretty cheap. Let me know what you think.

http://www.harborfreight.com/ammo-box-61451.html
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Happy Birthday SWood

April 10, 2015, 2:53 am
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Happy 41st Birthday SWood !

Hope you have a wonderful day, and very best wishes from everyone here at Do It Yourself Christmas.
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Happy Birthday dariansdad

April 10, 2015, 2:53 am
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Happy Birthday dariansdad !

Hope you have a wonderful day, and very best wishes from everyone here at Do It Yourself Christmas.
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change of timing

April 10, 2015, 4:53 am
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HI Joe would like to give Angus40;s idea of 25msec a try, however is there a way to convert an existing image file
set at 50ms back to 25ms. Or do I start from scratch and then use library layout to recall all channels/elements etc.
Or will that not work also and the only way is to start completely anew??
cheers Boof63
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PixNode Net™ - The Flexible Pixel Node Solution For Matrix, Columns, Trees and More!

April 10, 2015, 8:49 am
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Video Demo: https://youtu.be/OX3_SSMhdak

Product Link: http://www.holidaycoro.com/product-p/775.htm

* Versatile Uses - There are a huge number of uses for PixNode Net:
- Matrix Panels - Producing a matrix, be it square, rectangle or an odd shape is as simple as cutting the panels to fit your project
- Wrapping Columns and Tree Trunks - The flexible nature of the PixNode Net allows easy installation around non-flat surfaces
- Covering entire houses - Looking for something that really wows - cover the entire surface of your house or roof with a huge matrix

* Durable, Strong and Outdoor Rated - Manufactured from durable, outdoor rated and UV resistant plastics then manufactured on our in-house, computer controlled machines.

* No Screws, Bolts, Washers or Tools Required - Splicing or connecting PixNode strip to a mounting point is performed with simple, 4" zip ties - no need to worry about additional hardware, a simple $3 bag of zip ties is all you need. If hanging the PixNode Net to make a matrix, just use standard 3/4" or 1" PVC or other suitable pipe and wrap the top end around the pipe and secure with zip ties.

* Fast Installation - Installation takes only about 2-4 seconds per node making it the absolutely fastest method on the market today

* Black or Clear - We offer each product in either a highly flexible black plastic or a clear plastic that is 3 times stronger than the already strong black plastic. The clear is slightly less flexible but is a perfect solution where daytime visibility (covering a house, commercial displays, etc) is more important than cost.

* Works With All 12mm Nodes - No matter if your node is a "bullet", "square" or "flat" style, the PixNode strip works with all 12mm neck nodes on the market today. For ease of storage when rolled up, we recommend the "square" or "flat" style over the bullet style.

* Flexible - In nature, nearly everything is flexible and for good reason - it is better to bend than break and this is why our panels are made from flexible materials. This makes handling wind loads a snap, makes storage as simple as rolling them up like a rug and makes them weigh less for easy installation.

* Install Nodes in Splices - Even at splice points, nodes can be installed without worrying about splice hardware (zip ties) interfering - meaning that you don't have to worry about irregular spacing if you've customized the size of your panel.

* Product Specifications
- All panels
Unlimited numbers of panels can be connected vertically or horizontally
11.5mm Pixel Node Hole (slightly undersized from 12mm to ensure a good fit and proper alignment
~1/32" Thick material simulates the native steel that nodes were designed for use with

* 4.9" Center to Center spacing of nodes
200 total pixels supported per panel
20 pixels x 10 pixels
93.1" x 44.1" from center of pixels
95.6" x 47.6" overall maximum size

* 3" Center to Center spacing of nodes
512 total pixels supported per panel
32 pixels x 16 pixels
93" x 45" from center of pixels
95.6" x 47.6" overall maximum size

* 2" Center to Center spacing of nodes
1,152 total pixels supported per panel
48 pixels x 24 pixels
94" x 46" from center of pixels

http://www.holidaycoro.com/product-p/775.htm
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Spring Sale Time

April 10, 2015, 10:26 am
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It’s Spring and that means its sale time at Demented Elf Productions!…….Order now and check one more item from the to do list. Order now while on sale get them done later in the season, once you have your display finalized. The sale is on;

Package 6 Regular Price $55 - Sale Price $45

Your Radio Regular Price $125 - Sale Price $100

As always The Combo Package is always on sale at $80

Order now and avoid the November rush!
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RELEASE 4.0.18, Nice improvements to the PREVIEW window.

April 10, 2015, 1:46 pm
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RELEASE 4.0.18, Nice improvements to the PREVIEW window.

This release makes some major changes to the preview window.
Dan and Gil got discussing the whole issue of having to calibrate the PREVIEW, with this release that issue is now gone.
I have removed the vimeo link for how to calibrate your PREVIEW as it is no longer needed. Video still on vimeo, just the link
has been removed from teh releases page.
Further, your background images will autoscale and fit to the display window.
Additional bonus, you can now change the size of the display window and you do not need to redo the layout of your models.
They will adjust to whatever window you specify.

Second, artifacts are now fixed. Press the render all button and the artifacts are removed. Thanks Gil!

Third, Dan has added a box to the model editor that allows you to turn on various drawing features, like transparency. This really makes floods
draw nice.

Because there is so much content, i made a short video describing the changes. I also cover some helpful hints in drawing your PREVIEW.
https://vimeo.com/124659312




XLIGHTS/NUTCRACKER RELEASE NOTES:
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4.0.18 Apr 10, 2015
-- enh (gil) Provide 2 render modes. Erase mode clears canvas then renders. Canvas mode renders over old data. #141
-- bug (gil) Display sequence duration cutoff on Timeline and honor it during playback. Fixes #193.
-- bug (gil) Fix adding timing sections to open sequence. Fixes #195.
-- bug (dkulp) WholeHouseModel now records the node type and uses that info at rendering. #177
-- bug/enh (dkulp) Bunches of fixes in dialogues and rendering for Retina and HiDPI displays
-- change (dkulp) Background image is proportionally scaled to best fill the area
-- bug (dkulp/gil) fix problems on the Preview related to mouse positioning #124
-- bug (dkulp) Use floats for the model sizing to provide better control as well as problems converting to/from ints causing truncation and such.
-- enh (dkulp) add updates to Model dialog to allow controlling pixel rendering.
Includes transparency of pixels, size of pixels, and "type" of rendering (point, smooth point, circle, blended circle)
-- bug () Incoming file conversion not correct #80
4.0.17 Apr 8, 2015
-- enh (dkulp) Add changes to support older graphics cards. This code fixes white boxes seen in the sequencer grid.
-- bug (Gil) Delete model and effects from Sequencer when model is deleted from Preview page. #178
-- bug (Gil) Fix Vixen import issue.
-- bug (dkulp) You can't use a comma in text effect. :-) #188
-- bug () Drag and drop crash #161
-- bug () 4.0.14 Hot keys for O, D, U inconsistent #171
4.0.16 Apr 7, 2015
-- enh (sean) Added new icons (16,24,32,48 bit sizes) for pictures, text, spirograph, twinkle,wave,tree,snowflakes,snowstorm
-- enh (Gil) Add SuperStar import function (Morphs only).
-- enh (dkulp) ctl-1 thru ctl-4 and alt-1 thru alt-4 now select the icon sizes for sequencer area and tools area respectively
-- enh (dkulp) Bunches of size/position adjustments to try and get things to display better on HiDPI screens
-- bug (dkulp) Fix potential crash when change to Preview tab.
-- bug (gil) Models window Alphabetizing? #167
-- bug (dkulp) 4.0.14 Fade Up, Fade down have improper timing #172
-- enh (gil) Application allows multiple simultaneous instances to be launched #74. We will continue to allow multiple instances to be launched.
-- enh (dkulp) Enhancement request: Effect icon sizes #162
4.0.15 Apr 6, 2015
-- enh (dkulp) Add more key bindings. Save/Load them to xlights_keybindings.xml.
-- enh (dkulp) Add support for different icon sizes
-- enh (sean) create dozens of new icons in 16x16, 24x24, 32x32 and 48x48 to support dan's new icon size chooser
-- enh (dkulp) Add ability to reset the toolbar locations back to default
4.0.14 Apr 4, 2015
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Post about new preview option to get nicer flood effect

April 10, 2015, 2:12 pm
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This is a repost of Dan Kulps post on
http://nutcracker123.com/forum/index...45.0;topicseen


"I just made a bunch of changes to the rendering which results in a new way to render floods lights.

1) I've added the ability to specify the "size" of the lights. We've defaulted to pixel size 2, but for dense matrixes and such, you could drop it to 1. On Windows HiDPI displays, you could increase it to 3 or 4 to make them easier to see. For a flood light, you could use something like 100 to make a big round circle.

2) I added a "transparency" setting. For flood lights, you could slide that over to be 1/2 transparent or similar so you can see the background image through it.

3) Pixel "types" - we used to have a single pixel type which ended up rendering as a 2x2 rectangle (pixel size 2 above). That is now the default (as it's the fastest in OpenGL). I've added "Smooth" which turns on the OpenGL pixel smoothing which makes the pixels "round" with some anti-aliasing. Not all video cards will support this. "Solid Circle" - uses a bunch of triangles to render as a circle. Slower, but can at least get a circle on all the cards. "Blended Circle" - like solid circle, but sets the outside edge at full transparent. Middle of the circle is the transparency setting above.

Thus, you can create a Flood of "Blended Circle", size 100, transparency 50% or so and it looks like the flood is projecting onto your image. :-)"
Attached Images
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Effects presets

April 10, 2015, 5:29 pm
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Hey all....

I'm playing with 4.18 and it really makes placing effects a lot easier as you don't have to worry about residual data cluttering things up. Good on ya guys! Congratulations! :thup2:

Here's a question on another 'note'.. Is the "Effects Preset" button a thing of the past, or maybe scheduled for a future upgrade or am I just not seeing it?

I had a lot of cool effects saved from 3.x that I would love to be able to use again in 4.x.

Just curious before I start doing any serious sequencing.....That feature saves a lot of time.

I know that there are probably more important 'fish to fry' than some user convenience issues....so I'm not pushing....just curious after playing with 4.x for a couple of days..... I'm also making a list of other 'user convenience' type issues to ask about.....nothing pressing but some are time savers....
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Model construction

April 10, 2015, 6:53 pm
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OK....I'm up to my elbows in 4.18...... Maybe I've overloaded the processor in my mind.....but I'm struggling with how to combine layers...

On the left, under Layer/Timing you have what appears to be the old "Layering" button where you can do the combinations of the 2 layers. Then on the right under Timing you can add "Display Elements" ....Then under that you can add Layers.

I assume that's to accommodate the old 2 layers we used to have in 3.x?

I further assume that to combine effects I need to add each effect to it's own layer.

So if that's the case how do you apply the Layering choices (the reveals and masks and such)?

Knowing my logic when it comes to software I'm sure I'm going about this in reverse or from the side.....and that I am missing the patiently obvious yet again.

Can someone post a short how to so that I can understand how to begin approaching this? Right now I don't know what I don't know and suspect I'm making some false assumptions.....

Thanks.

SC
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The CoroCane by Boscoyo Studio

April 10, 2015, 7:51 pm
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So now we are here to satisfy your sweet tooth. Our version of the Candy Cane is the CoroCane. It is made from 10mm Coro. This is 2.5 times thicker than the 4mm at about 3/8" thick. They allow you to focus the LED to your audience without having to be diffused similar to our CoroArches. The CoroCane is almost 36" tall with 99 mounting holes for 12mm Pixels or RGB nodes in a 3 row by 33 column matrix. We designed them to be ziptied to a stake or our perferred method a segment of 1/2" EMT Conduit. The universal design allows the CoroCane to be either left hand or right hand. You can have a CoroCane ready to go in about 5 minutes, that's it. All you need to do is load your pixels or RGB nodes and hook it to your controller.

Each CoroCane is only $7.00

https://vimeo.com/124671708



Install nodes either in the back layer or all the way through to the top layer of material. By leaving it in the back layer it illuminates the coro a lot more than just reflecting off of it.


ZipTie holes allow the CoroCane to be attached to a stake or 1/2" EMT Conduit


4mm coro on the left (black) and 10mm coro on the right (white)


Enjoy!
James
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CoroTrim by BoscoyoStudio

April 10, 2015, 11:17 pm
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We have a strip that I have used for 3 years now in my personal display. We call it the CoroTrim. The CoroTrim is designed to make installing 12mm pixels or RGB nodes quickly and easily to eaves, gutters, window trim, door trim, sidewalks, fencing, or about anything else you can imagine. The 4mm coro provides an extremely cost effective solution to trim out your house. The CoroTrim strips have 12mm node mounting holes placed at 1" centers allowing the end user to choose any spacing they feel is appropriate. Each strip is 4' long and we slit the strip in the middle to allow it to fold in half to reduce shipping cost. Since the CoroTrim strip is designed to be mounted to a frame of rigid section of 1/2" EMT conduit the slit doesn't effect the integrity of the coro. They will be made in both Black and White Coro.

Each CoroTrim strip will cost $1.10 per 4' section











The 4' strip is slit so it can be folded


On my personal strips used for the last 3 years, I install my LED Icicle lights to the 1/2" EMT first, then install the CoroTrim strip and pixels. They stay mounted to the EMT and I take the entire conduit down and store the icicle and pixels completely installed and ready to go for next year. Makes decorating go that much faster. You could also hang FAST tubes and Plasma Icicles from the conduit for a quick install.

James
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