Vixen 3.0

[drlucas]

I'll try to configure like Caretaker has recommended. I assume I can test right now with the DSC I have.  I'll put that on channel 513/4/5 and see if I can get it to light up. 

I'll feel silly if this has been my problem all along. Oh and in vixen + when I click on the nutcracker nothing happens. When I double click on it it tells me something about patience. LOL. I need a week off of work to spend on the lights!

[rrowan]

Just curious why you are modding the pvc pipe?

I just put two rebars in the ground (6 feet apart for a 10 foot length of pvc) and slide one end of the pvc over the first rebar. Bend the other end of the pvc on the second rebar and make a slight adjustment and walk away from the arch. What type of pvc are you using? I use the grey "electric" pvc.

Rick R.

[drlucas]

I am using the schedule 40 PVC - 3/4". It is white and relatively flexible. I have done what you said about the rebar and that looks like it will work...here are my two concerns. 

1- when it gets really cold (never gets below 20 in December - but below freezing at least) and there is tension in the pipe - will it snap on me due to stress ?
2- if someone is walking their dog across the sidewalk and the arch is 2' in from the walk and the dog gets snagged in an arch and the arch comes out on one end will it cause and physical harm to the people within a 10' radius of the arch ??

When I drop some hot water in the arch then let it cool all the tension escapes and then it also generally easier to work with in workshop in the basement. I don't have any way to put rebar in the floor down in the basement to actually work on the arch standing up. I've put some t connectors and that is holding the arch in shape but it's popped out of the t a few times on me.

I'm starting to think I'm going about this design the wrong way. Maybe I just take a flex strip and tie wrap it to the PVC vs trying to take the time to drill out 40 different holes in the arch. I was thinking though that with the white PVC there would also be some nice light reflecting off it from the node and might look good.

I'm open to other ideas. The front of the house is about 21' of workable space as the driveway takes up the rest of the 45' lot. So I was thinking three arches in total.

[drlucas]

Just set the DSC to 513(14, 15) and yeah, it works a lot better with the settings as Caretaker described. I did my testing first in xlights, then vixen+...now i'm going to go back and reinstall vixen 3 and set the channels up properly and see if life is better for me or if I still break it. Progress one baby step at a time...

cheers!

Somebody correct me if I am wrong but is not the set up for Vixen 3 supposed to look more like this:

Universe    Start    Channels
      1            1           512
      2           513        512
      3          1025       512
      4          1537       512
Etc...       

[jnealand]

If you want to talk about arches you should start another thread and not hijack this one.  I will also be playing with new arch construction starting soon, but I plan on putting 90 flexstrip pixels inside something and I would like to see a separate discussion started.

[ghethco]

OK, after changing out my 10BaseT hub for a 10/100 and successfully testing the LE with xlights, I got Vixen3 working!  The neighborhood isn't safe anymore :-)

Many thanks to all of you guys who helped me.  I promise to pay it forward.

Gary

[ghethco]

OK, I have one of my SSCs working with a 128 node string attached.  I have Vixen3 "talking" to it, but I'm not quite seeing the behavior I would expect.  This is probably because I'm expecting the wrong thing or my noobosity is otherwise getting in the way :-)

One of the Vixen3 videos (the one about the pixel firestick) says that you should enter RGB nodes as a single elements, not three (one each for red, green, blue).  When I do this, and do a simple chase, it starts at the first node and chases, each node glowing white.  But, it stops 1/3 of the way down the string.  OK, I thought, maybe the video is wrong, so I select "RGB items" in the "Add Multiple" dialog in "Configure Elements and Groups".  This produces more what I expected, 384 elements (3 x 128).  I map each of those 384 elements to one channel of the controller.  Now when I do a 'chase' it behaves like I expected, with each node flashing red, green, then blue and it continues to the end of the string.

So, was the video wrong?  Or is there some other way to skin the cat?  I tried some nutcracker effects with the string configured this way (384 elements, gathered into one "group", but didn't get anything reasonable.  The whole string just lit up white.  Do I need to create 128 "groups", each with the 3 RGB elements in them, then group those?

What it shows in the video works great in the preview, but I so far can't make it work with my "real, live" string.

Gary

[rrowan]

As a basic rule. Different hardware will work differently and needs to be configured differently.

Also how you configure the SSC it will behave differently also. Like you can configure it for String, Pixel, Hybrid modes
String mode basically makes it a dumb 3 channel controller.
Pixel mode - each node requires 3 channels to function
Hybrid mode - combines the above two

Sounds like you are getting the general idea. Not a lot of work/testing has been done with Vixen 3 and RJ's Smart Strings so its a new ball game for everyone.

Rick R.

[gizmohd]

OK, I have one of my SSCs working with a 128 node string attached.  I have Vixen3 "talking" to it, but I'm not quite seeing the behavior I would expect.  This is probably because I'm expecting the wrong thing or my noobosity is otherwise getting in the way :-)

One of the Vixen3 videos (the one about the pixel firestick) says that you should enter RGB nodes as a single elements, not three (one each for red, green, blue).  When I do this, and do a simple chase, it starts at the first node and chases, each node glowing white.  But, it stops 1/3 of the way down the string.  OK, I thought, maybe the video is wrong, so I select "RGB items" in the "Add Multiple" dialog in "Configure Elements and Groups".  This produces more what I expected, 384 elements (3 x 128).  I map each of those 384 elements to one channel of the controller.  Now when I do a 'chase' it behaves like I expected, with each node flashing red, green, then blue and it continues to the end of the string.

So, was the video wrong?  Or is there some other way to skin the cat?  I tried some nutcracker effects with the string configured this way (384 elements, gathered into one "group", but didn't get anything reasonable.  The whole string just lit up white.  Do I need to create 128 "groups", each with the 3 RGB elements in them, then group those?

What it shows in the video works great in the preview, but I so far can't make it work with my "real, live" string.

Gary

In vixen 3 RGB works a little differently than in V2x... Before you had to create an individual channel for each color.. Not anymore... With Vixen 3, create your elemens... (1 channel per pixel).   Then in the patching and filtering, you will need to add an RGB filter for each of your pixels... This RGB filter maps the individual pixel to the corresponding RGB(W) channels on your controller...  It basically turns one element (pixel) into 3+ channels that then link to your controller....

ONe of the strengths with Vixen 3 is that alone.  You no longer need to worry about individual RGB channels... Just create your element (pixel) and the software takes care of splitting the correct color mix out for you.  ALl you need to do is to map the filter in place... This interface is a little dodgy right now and a rewrite of it is in the works, but it does do the job (not as fast as some would like of course) but its there.   We have a great team that is continuously improving the interface and usability and welcome the feedback.    I havent been on here much, but will make an effort to monitor this site more in efforts to answer more of your questions as thhey come up.

[smeighan]

For those who might not know, gizmo had is one of the primary developers of vixen 3.0

It is nice getting the answer directly from the developers!

Thanks gizmodh

[drlucas]

I appreciate that explanation!! thank you!!

Looking forward to doing some serious testing over the next couple of weeks....and will provide some feedback of course  I have 3.08 build6 just blow up on me tonight, so i'm going to start my sequencing from the start again... I think for each new build I should uninstall old vixen, install new vixen, blow away data directory and then start it up. I'm hopeful that by late October I'll be good to go with vixen 3 for this season.

[drlucas]

Sean - not sure if you are the one who might be able to add some thoughts on this...but if I use an alternating sequence of red/white with a single horiztonal string of pixels..the preview in vixen 3 shows up fine. If I then add a nutcracker sequence with a horizontal line type, effect bars, in the nutcracker edit effect screen I see the display preview fine, but if I then say OK to this and move over to the preview screen, the pixels don't dance at all. Thoughts on if this is a preview issue, or something overall with the way vixen 3 deals with the different display types (aka a bug)?

[smeighan]

Sean - not sure if you are the one who might be able to add some thoughts on this...but if I use an alternating sequence of red/white with a single horiztonal string of pixels..the preview in vixen 3 shows up fine. If I then add a nutcracker sequence with a horizontal line type, effect bars, in the nutcracker edit effect screen I see the display preview fine, but if I then say OK to this and move over to the preview screen, the pixels don't dance at all. Thoughts on if this is a preview issue, or something overall with the way vixen 3 deals with the different display types (aka a bug)?

i tahe it you are exporting your nutcracker sequence as vixen 2.1 *.vix? Vixen 3 does not have a file format where we can set each byte in the display.
HLS, LOR, LSP, VIXEN 2.1, 2.5 all have ability to read in a file where every byte of your show is set.

Vixen 3 keeps the sequence in high level form (The same as xlights *.xml files). So we have no output where you can pick Vixen 3.0, only Vixen 2.1

You might try your nutcracker sequence in vixxen 2.1 and then try the same thing imported into vixen 3

not sure why it doesnt match

[loveroflife96]

Let me just post a big thank you to Gary (Gizmohd), Sean (Smeighan), and the entire development team for Vixen 3.0.  Just finished sequencing a 4:30 minute show in under 3 hours.  14 arches, Windows, Garage, Bushes, Rooflines, all in RBG.  Amazing capabilities guys!  Just simply amazing!  So excited for Halloween this year.  Now to do the tedious job of sequencing my pumpkin to the voice of the song and this sequence is ready to go!!  Vixen 3.08.26 is just a HUGE win for me!

Duane

[barbotte]

yep i like v3 too and the new version is out today ,, 3.08 ... its pretty good ..not as many effect as the real nutcraker but i can live with that ... thanks again