RGB effects in LSP on large mega trees and matrices

[ghethco]

I'm committed to using LSP for this years show.  I don't have time to learn another sequencer.  I did a 16x16 matrix in LSP for Halloween, but I'm now coming to understand that LSP is fairly limited when it comes to a larger RGB matrix or mega tree.  As far as I can see, LSP is limited to the following:

• massive RGB blends and transitions
• matrix animations

The matrix animation interface in LSP is fairly primitive.  You have to assign a color to each pixel one click at a time.  There isn't even a copy and paste function.  For a 16x16 (256 node) matrix, this was laborious but doable.  For a 512 or 1024 node mega tree or matrix, it quickly becomes next to impossible to do one pixel at a time.

One answer is to use xlights/nutcracker, but this involves exporting the sequence from LSP, importing to xlights, generating nutcracker effects and then playing in xlights.  I haven't tried this yet, but it is a one-way process, meaning even a small change in the LSP sequence means going through the whole process again, right?

Here is a link describing this process: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login.  The thread implies that the UserPatterns.xml approach doesn't work too well.  Maybe I'm misinterpreting that.

Seems like there must be a better way, but I have not found anything like nutcracker native in LSP.

Help?  :-)

Gary

[twooly]

I put a couple nutcracker effects on my mega tree and I'm a LSP user.  The key is you can't go nutcracker to LSP (well you can but its very hard), but LSP to nutcracker.  So do all the work you want in LSP and then export to conductor, convert in xlights and do your work just on the elements (channels) you want effects for.

[smeighan]

I put a couple nutcracker effects on my mega tree and I'm a LSP user.  The key is you can't go nutcracker to LSP (well you can but its very hard), but LSP to nutcracker.  So do all the work you want in LSP and then export to conductor, convert in xlights and do your work just on the elements (channels) you want effects for.

yep LSP does not have an easy way to import our effects.
LOR has lcb (LOR Clip Board files)
Vixen has vir (Vixen Routine files)
HLS has hlsnc

all of these are simple files that define the data nutcracker produces.

LSP has UserPatterns.xml, but each byte of data gets wrapped with 100 bytes of overhead. This is why a vixen vir file could be 65mbytes and a LSP UserPatterns file would be 800mbytes.

I talked to david a year ago about supporting a simple import file (like vixen vir or hls hlsnc), he said he would try but didnt see a high priority since you can create rgb effects directly in LSP.

Maybe next year they might make an easier method to import in effects from 3rd party software.

most lsp users have found it easier to create their non rgb stuff in lsp and then import that into xlights. finally , most play their show from xlights.

sorry,

[arw01]

You need to go watch the videos in the virtual class room on the LSP site.  What you want to find are macro's and transitions.  in my estimation from videos, and from doing a couple of their training seminars, you can do amazing things in there ala nutcracker like effects.  During the class he did a much larger matrix with 3 directional texts, spirals, meteors, crossing lines, shimmers, etc in 30 seconds each.  It took LSP longer to render it onto the grid than it did to make it and see it.

PM RonD over there and see if you can do a quick team viewer sessions, he will shorten your learning curve to a few minutes.

Alan

[sielbear]

Sorry for the late reply, but transitions are the way to go. I use only transitions to sequence for to the complexity of the shows with rgb. In 2012 / 2013 I ran 12,166 channels. In 2014, I'll probably be pushing 32k.

Here's a presentation I gave at the academy in 2012. I explain how and why.

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