Xlights LOR Migration Day - Saturday March 4 **** Check Post 1 for Updates

[kidcole]

This is the first of two meetings that we have planned for those who are going to run the Pi Players in 2017. This first meeting is only for those migrating their LOR files to Xlights.

To prepare for this meeting, please make sure that you have all your LOR controllers defined 100%. If you have spare channels that are not assigned, make sure you do that ahead of the meeting. And be sure to make this change for all your songs. The best way is export your channel configuration once you've made your changes. Then import that configuration for all of your songs. If you add all the spare channels at the bottom of the channel list, then you can more quickly import the channel config without having to insert the spares in between other channels. Be sure to post your questions if you don't understand this or you are looking for clarification.

Also please have a fairly recent version of Xlights loaded on your computer. I saw some LOR import fixes that were added within the last two updates. It would be best if we all installed the version 2017.5 that Sean just posted. The latest releases are found at xLights - Light Sequencer and Show Scheduler

The latest Xlights manual is http://xlights.org/xLights_User_Manual.pdf

We are planning to hijack Joe Tripp @Tripplett. Joe, I hope you are still planning to be there to help us. But if others who have this experience will join us to help @EricR> ? that would be great.

Please reply to this post if you plan to be join this meeting and please post your preference for lunch.

LOCATION: Cary Park Club 5353 Cary Glen Blvd, Cary, NC 27519
This is @scottmcl Scott McLellan's housing area Pool House. It's very comfortable, plenty of room, and it has a bar and kitchen.

HOURS: 9am to 4pm .. hopefully enough time.

LUNCH: We'll do a group buy pizza. Bring some cash. Also, bring your own beverages, snacks, etc. If you don't post a lunch preference we'll assume that you want others to decide.

ATTENDEES:
@kidcole - Denny Cole
@Tripplett - Joe Tripp
@scottmcl - Scott McLellan
@Bartek - Dariuz Bartkiewicz
@Christmascrazynana - Nancy Harris
@EricR - Eric Rogers
@Chris Gebhardt - Chris Gebhardt

[Tripplett]

I will be there but I hope we have a few people coming that have actually done this too. Maybe Eric? The last time I looked at this process was a year ago. I'll brush up on the process before the meeting. I'd be fine with pizza.

[Bartek]

I plan to attend

Dariusz

[Christmascrazynana]

Pizza, see you on Saturday.

[Chris Gebhardt]

I should be there! Pizza is fine...

[EricR]

I will be there. I don't care what food. I will not have time this week to prepare much. I did this myself 1 year ago and my setup was simple. I'm hoping it will go smoothly for people. I will update my Xlights to the new version.

Is there anything specific people want from me that I can look into before the meeting?

I replied to Dennys email with a document I made last year when I did my conversion. Let me know if you didn't get it. This document worked as of 7 months ago.

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[EricR]

Everyone needs to have a model setup in Xlights for every element that will be sequenced if your goal for the meeting is to have a fully functional sequence by the end of the day. This will take some time if you have a lot of elements. Please do this before you arrive. If you don't do this we can still help you create a few elements and import some effects for that element. The way it is performed you can import the sequence for 1 element if you wish.


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[scottmcl]

I'm in. Pizza or BYO is fine by me. Pizza Hut and Papa John's deliver out here.

[kidcole]

@EricR - In your tips you said to make sure we have the AC lights first in the sequence screen. But I could not tell if that was a tip for preparing the LOR files, or if it was for xLights. Please clarify.

I have a lot of DMX in my LOR channels. 7 or 8 universes, but each one is just small numbers of channels. And they don't use all the channels. For example; I have a DMX Universe 1 that uses channels 1-51, 100-108, 161-184 and 301-324. Then I jump to Universe 3 channels 1-12, universe 4 channels 1-12, universe 5 channels 1-30 and universe 6 channels 1-30. The small number of channels is because those are pixel models where the pixels are grouped. I'll move these to xLights, but I will only use them for occasional cut n paste. I'll build new models for them. Should I group them all into one universe ?

[EricR]

The AC lights first was in the Xlights network layout tab when you set them up as LOR protocol. I think this might have been fixed in the new versions of xlights so don't stress over this. If you are running the LOR controllers in DMX I don't think it matters even in the old versions of Xlights. You can always move them around later with just the click of a button.

I see no reason why you need to change those DMX universes. You can have as many blank channels as you want in between elements and it doesn't change anything.

[kidcole]

Another question. About 90 percent of what I am importing will only be used for reference channels. Mostly because the files are from the Cary house and the models will be different in Clayton. Can I simply import everything as individual channels and group them later ?

[EricR]

What do you mean group them later and will just be reference?


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[EricR]

@kidcole, I am not quite sure what you mean but I think I have the solution for you. In the layout tab of Xlights there is a dropdown box on the right that says "Preview" You can uses the one that is called "unassigned" or make your own and put the channels you will just use for reference there. If you do this you can keep only the models that will be on your house in the default view, so that when you go into the sequence tab and you look at the house preview you will only see what is on your house. To do this you just change the models properties on the bottom left corner from "default" to "unassigned". Doing this you will not see them in your sequencer or anytime else unless you select that preview. 1 tip to all this which could be useful for @scottmcl or anyone else that does more than 1 house is to create your own preview. By creating your own preview you can then select it in the sequencer tab under "view" so you could sequence 2 different houses and not have them both visible at the same time.

If you are asking what type of model to make your elements you don't want to see then you could pick anything as long as you pick the appropriate RGB or single color assignment. I would suggest making them what ever is most appropriate for them. However, some things will not have an obvious model so you pick something that will let you see them light up easiest. I like to make a string line with 1 node and 1 light/node with an appearance pixel size of 50. This will make a single light that looks like a spot light. This is also how you model flood lights.

[kidcole]

What do you mean group them later and will just be reference?


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Group them as in combine a bunch of single channels into a new model. A lot of copy and paste. These won't be used in the final sequence but copies of them will be used and various different groupings. In other cases, the channels are single light string and they will be converted to pixels. But there are effects and sequencing that I want the pixels to use in selected places. Even tho the pixels are many channels, I want to copy some portions of the sequencing from the old single string. Then all the rest of the sequencing will be new from xLights.

Another example is my CoroFlakes. They have 50 RGB pixels inside them (5 legs of 10 pixels each). But I used the Sandevices controller to reduce them to 10 pixels (two pixels per leg). This allowed my to manually program them. I will have a completely new model for these Coro flakes. But I still want to use some of the effects from the old channels. I'll copy those segments manually into the new model (using the old channels as references). Similar things with my pixel tree with the tubes and RGB ornaments at the end of each tube. Those are only one pixel per tube in the LOR sequences, but in xLights they will be 17 pixels per tube. So I'll want to copy some portions and program the rest in xLights. I hope this helps.

[EricR]

So you were mapping specific lights within a group of lights? In Xlights you can map LOR sequence to a single node of an element. You might be able to map to a row of nodes or arm of a snowflake im not sure. I think what you need is to make an element that would be equal to your LOR group and then bring the LOR stuff into Xlights onto the appropriate node or branch of that element. You can also import only 1 thing into Xlights so you could create a new sequence in Xlights and try to import that 1 prop your questioning. You might have to play around with the Xlights prop to find the right way to map it. When you find it take a picture or write down the string settings in the model properties. This will let you see all the options of importing.
For the single light strings that will become rgb. You can make the models as single color in Xlights and then after you bring in the LOR sequence just change the properties to RGB. If you do this and you had a string that was going blinky in LOR it will look the same in Xlights just be treated as rgb for future effects.


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