SMEIGHAN

I think one of the most important factors that gets skipped is how much investment users have made in their sequencer. i really dislike new developers (like me) who come out with a new program and say it has all these wonderful, cool things. There is a saying we have in the industry "You always introduce a defect when you solve one". xlights/nutcracker is cool. it scales to 60K channels, it makes rgb effects easy to create, it is free. Nutcracker uses less than 100 mbytes of memory and 25% of a single cpu even on 30K channel shows. Matt Brown has probably made the most efficient sequencer/player out there. It is this light weight approach that allows the pi player to run on a 700mhz cpu and 512mbyte raspberry pi and run 30K channels. These are the good things. Here are the bad things * you have to learn yet another software program. new screens, new terms. it takes users 3-6 months to get proficient with a software package. This cost is something the poor user has to bear to switch between software programs. * nutcracker is not integrated into LOR. So export your sequence, add stuff and then import back. This is inefficient, not user friendly. * nutcracker does not have a grid that makes it easy to set individual lights like LOR, Vixen, LSP or HLS. * I am not happy with the UI. My wish is that xlights would look like a video editor, one track for each model. drop a spiral and then drag it left and right. Have the waveform shown on the timeline .etc. I would also mention in sequencers Vixen 2.1 Vixen+. This is Macebobo's upgrade of Vixen 2.1. This has Nutcracker effects built into it. Vixen 3. Great UI, maybe one of the most intuitive. Has Nutcracker effects built into it. Needs a large machine (4-8 cpus and 4-8 gigs of RAM to get the most out of it. So, All sequencers have their strengths and weakness. I am happy to see LOR adding RGB support, they have a great sequencer and it will become better.

There were certain LOR lms files that could cause the conversion to crash xlights. Dan Kulp has fixed that condition. XLIGHTS/NUTCRACKER RELEASE NOTES: http://nutcracker123.com/nutcracker/releases/ 3.3.2 -Bug fix (dkulp): When importing LOR *.lms files, certain missing data would cause a crash. conversion now fills in any of those missing parameters and conversion completes.

New release of xlights/nutcracker version 3.3.1 XLIGHTS/NUTCRACKER RELEASE NOTES: http://nutcracker123.com/nutcracker/releases/ 3.3.1 -Enhancement (djulien): change "Overlay" to "Persistent" for clarity; -Bug fix(djulien): save/restore value within XML -Enhancement (sean): add "1 reveals 2", "2 reveals 1" as new layer methods -Endhancement (dkulp): Don't assume LOR units are 16 channels to try and convert CCR based sequences.

I have finished this new layer mode. Before i release it, what should i call it? Image effect 1 is butterfly, effect 2 is curtain. Here were the 4 existing combo's 1 is Mask. This layering will draw a black cell on effect 2 every time effect 1 is non black. In other words effect 1 is cast as a shadow on effect 2 2 is Mask. This layering will draw a black cell on effect 1 every time effect 2 is non black. In other words effect 2 is cast as a shadow on effect 1 1 is unmask. This layering will replace any cell in Effect 1 with the color from effect 2 every time effect 1 is non black. In other words effect 1 is a mask onto effect2 2 is unmask. This layering will replace any cell in Effect 2 with the color from effect 1 every time effect 2 is non black. In other words effect 2 is a mask onto effect 1 Two new choices I just added Mask 1 over 2 Any non Black cell on effect 1 will override whatever is in effect 2 This becomes Effect 1 put on top of effect 2 Mask 2 over 1 Any non Black cell on effect 2 will override whatever is in effect 1 This becomes Effect 1 put on top of effect 2 So are there better names? 1 is mask (these feel like a shadow is cast by 1) 2 is mask 1 is unmask (this feels like a true mask. effect 1 allows effect 2 to show) 2 is unmask mask 1 over 2 (1 sits on top of 2) mask 2 over 1 (2 sits on top of 1) here is what the last layer effect looks like. mask 2 over 1. effect 1 is text effect 2 is curtain thanks sean original thread on nutcracker forum http://nutcracker123.com/forum/index.php?topic=87.0

Is anyone using Pangolin QS software to create laser light shows? This software can create new effects (things like open an image file and it will find the edges of color), create animations with frames. It has more options that nutcracker and more options than madrix. $580 from ebay. http://www.amazon.com/Pangolin-Quickshow-version-software-package/dp/B006IUXJMW If you search for ILDA lasers (meaning they can read in these binary files to play a show and look for DMX controlled lasers), you can build your own show. There is a standard used by lasers called the ILDA (International Laser Display Association). The standard is listed here . http://www.laserist.org/StandardsDocs/IDTF05-finaldraft.pdf Someone has made some php libraries to read and create the binary file described in the standard. https://github.com/themainframe/php-ilda Arduino have done much with the ilda. So is anyone building ILDA laser shows? What laser and software are you using. If i get a laser, i will add the option of creating ILDA files from nutcracker. If i do this you would not need the QuickShow software from Pangolin (Although their software is always going to be way better than i could create) Just try searching for ILDA lasers one ebay that are around 25K scanrate. this indicates how many things can be drawn without getting the lag where you notice it. Laser price goes up with the higher scan rate and power. ANALOG inputs give more responsive laser $2350: ANALOG 40K scan rate, 1000mw RED, 500mw GREEN, 500mw BLUE lasers http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000mW-2W-RGB-DMX512-ILDA-Laser-W-40K-Pangolin-QuickShow2-0-software-/320809442015?pt=US_Stage_Lighting_Single_Units&hash=item4ab1bb9adf $1888: ANALOG 30K scan rate, 800mw RED< 200mw GREEN, 500mw BLUE. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1500mW-RGB-Analog-DMX-ILDA-stage-DJ-Laser-lights-and-PANGOLIN-QuickShow-2-0-30K-/170803846766?pt=US_Stage_Lighting_Single_Units&hash=item27c4b3de6e $355: 20K scan rate, 200mw RED< 60mw GREEN, 160mw BLUE. http://www.ebay.com/itm/410mW-RGB-Full-Color-ILDA-DMX512-Club-Party-Amimation-Laser-stage-lighting-/191038103522?pt=US_Stage_Lighting_Single_Units&hash=item2c7ac21fe2 anyone have any suggestions for a good ilda RGB laser? thanks

very cool! i actually dont get much feedback about people using xlights/nc in their shows. it is nice hearing that it worked for people

Someone asked where i post Nutcracker information. well .. these are the forums i post to first the ones that dont have a nutcracker section LOR: http://forums.lightorama.com/index.php?/forum/25-the-coffee-shop/ LSP: http://lightshowpro.com/tips-tricks/ PC: http://forums.planetchristmas.com/index.php?/forum/208-rgb-based-lights/ and then forums where i have a dedicated nutcracker space DLA: http://diylightanimation.com/index.php?board=48.0 DIYC.org: http://www.diychristmas.org/vb1/forumdisplay.php?57-Nutcracker DIYC: http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?102-Nutcracker ACL: http://auschristmaslighting.com/forums/index.php/board,61.0.html LSH: http://www.lone-star-holidays.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=174 HU: http://holidayuniversity.com/forums/index.php?board=118.0 ACL: http://www.christmascarolina.com/forums/nutcracker-rgb-effects-builder/ FC: http://falconchristmas.com/forum/index.php?board=26.0 and finally a new one XL/NC: http://nutcracker123.com/forum/ 12 forums and on facebook depending on the content i will post on these 7 groups https://www.facebook.com/groups/628061113896314/ "Official xLights/nutcracker" https://www.facebook.com/groups/8111378684/ "LOR Users" https://www.facebook.com/groups/577818958965269/ "Xlights/nutcracker support group" https://www.facebook.com/groups/311151275600107/ "Synchronized Christmas Lights" https://www.facebook.com/groups/190161527834956/ "LightShow Pro Users" https://www.facebook.com/groups/267415016664802/ "Extreme Pixels and LEDs" https://www.facebook.com/groups/theblinkylab/ "The Blinky Lab" i read these 19 forums/groups at least a few times per day. I am going to be spending more and more time on the xlights/nutcracker forum, http://nutcracker123.com/forum/index.php. i want to develop documentation that can be used to feed our wiki page. thanks sean

tapatalk has been installed so i am ready to announce we now have created a forum setup for just talking about xlights/nutcracker. http://nutcracker123.com/forum I will make sticky posts on this forum to keep information at the top of each thread. Things like how to fill in the STEUP,TEST, CONVERT tabs and such. http://nutcracker123.com/forum/ Why? I make lots of posts. I will be able to make even more on this new forum. I sometimes feel like my posts are spam in the non-specific forums i post to. LOR, Planet Christmas, LSP do not have Nutcracker specific areas. On those forums i generate alot of stuff. i will continue to read and post here. so instead of 11 forums, now it is 12. whee! enjoy

Tutorial for Jan 9th is posted. This was an introduction to xLights/Nutcracker thanks sean

i am editing the video now. i hopr to have it posted by this weekend

yes, i am editing the video now. will be posted this weekend

First; Tutorial this week is for brand new people! I will start from the very beginning for xlight/nutcracker newbies When: Thursday, Dec 9th. 7pm MST, 9pm EST We will be using teamviewer. Ill start session at 6:45pm MST Please join the meeting, by clicking on this link: http://go.teamviewer.com/v8/m93271823 Meeting ID: m93-271-823 If you have a headphone click on the "Voice over IP" on the Teamviewer menu and unmute your headphone to be able to ask questions. After my teamviewer fills up (We can have 25 viewers) we are setting up a second teamviewer for the overflow. Dave Pitts will be hosting this second teamview. If you cannot get into the first teamviewer then join this second session http://go.teamviewer.com/v8/m30917736 Meeting ID: m30-917-736 Second; Release 3.3.0 This is the release where we upgrade from the wxwidgets 2.9.5 library to wxwidgets 3.0.0. What does this mean? It means you may notice effects playing about a little faster, it gives us some abilities we didn't have before. Mostly, it is the plumbing and you wont notice anything. This release has many changes from Don Julien. Thanks Don for keeping the flame alive! some new meteor effects. some new movements on text try meteor with icicle with overlay clicked (checkbox below fit to time) with palette checked 3.3.0 -Enhancement (djulien): vixen 2.x routine as picture -Enhancement (djulien): add checkbox to Effects panel to inhibit canvas clear before effect (for layers across models) -Enhancement (djulien): allow cancelled schedule to re-run that same day -Enhancement (djulien): show serial outbuf overflow amount -Enhancement (djulien): add a couple of icicle options to Meteors -Enhancement (djulien): add wavey left-to-right up/down option for text -Enhancement (djulien): added additional format options for date count-down -Enhancement (djulien): pass controller responses to plug-in (in-coming or round-trip data); internal change only - should not affect standard usage, but listed here just in case -Enhancement (djulien): add /noauto command line option to prompt for auto-run (allows easier schedule override) -Bug fix/enhancement? (djulien): show channel# being tested during Chase test -Bug fix/enhancement? (djulien): continue execution after comm output overflow in case controller can catch up thanks sean matt brown frankr djulien dpitts dan kulp (Mac version guy)

Some users created a facebook group to focus on Xlights/Nutcracker. https://www.facebook.com/groups/577818958965269/ go there and join up if you would like... sean