Rick,
I would be happy to. First, it may seem like other non-moderator members are unable to post replies to this topic. Did I miss a setting when I posted?
Jim Wright is working hard on putting together a user guide for Olive. He has been playing around and asking questions and making suggestions (as have a number of other generous users). Soon, we'll have a definitive guide for all. I only wish that I could program as fast as everyone (including myself) can think of great ideas.
Olive Studio 101:
1) Launch Olive Studio. It currently starts with a new project.
a) Feel free to adjust the workspace by dragging the space between the panes. Saving workspaces is not currently supported but will be available soon.
2) Add Some Controllers
a) Click on the "Insert" tab at the top of the application and click on "Controller"
b) Provide a Name for your controller and choose the Controller Type
1. Light Controller - A controller that affects the intensity or brightness of a light element. A Lynx Express would be such a controller
2. RGB Controller - A controller that affects the color of a of a light element. Smart Strings are examples of this kind of light, though Smart String are not currently supported. Any other type of RGB controller will suffice.
c) Choose the Protocol this controller responds to. This is necessary if you expect actual light control output. However, it is not required and can be decided on at a later time.
1. If you choose the Enttec DMX Pro protocol, you can set your DMX Universe and Base Address in the Enttect DMX Pro Settings pane.
d) Select the number of channels this controller is responsible for
1. A Lynx Express v5 would have 16 channels (in the future, you will be able to create a LE with a single click, along with other common controller types)
2. If the controller is of type RGB, you treat the number of channels as if each RGB element is one channel. For a single RGB light, you would set the "# Channels" value to 1. If you are controlling something like a Smart String, you set the # Channels value to the number of nodes in your string (not to the number of nodes x 3)
e) Click on the "Channels" tab in the Controller Settings dialog to see the controller's channels.
1. For "Light" controller types, you can set the color for each individual light channel. This will be represented in the display visualization during playback (not yet implemented)
2. You can rename each individual channel as needed or use the "Regenerate Name" button to enumerate all channels at once. Very useful if you're using a Smart String type device.
f) Save your controller by clicking the "Ok" button.
3) Create more controllers as needed (repeat step 2)
4) Save your project.
a) Use the Save icon at the top of the window or go to the application menu and select Save. All New, Save, and Open functionality is implemented, but auto-saving and auto-backup while you're working is not.
5) Add a Lighting Track
a) Click on the Insert tab at the top of the application and click "Add Lighting Track" or the "Add Lighting Track" icon in the Track Editor pane in the workspace
1. Notice the timeline across the top of the Track Editor. You can zoom in to increase the granularity of the editor by clicking on the magnifying glass icons on the bottom of the Track Editor pane
b) Drag either the "On" or "Fade" effect from the Effects Palette pane and drop it onto the new track you created
1. On and Fade are the only implemented effects at this time
2. You can drag the effect in the track to position it as well as drag the start or end of the effect to adjust the start time and duration visually
3. Click on the effect's properties icon
i) The "Effect" tab shows the effects settings on the targeted light channels
ii) You can set what the effect will be for both dimmable lights as well as RGB lights in the Effects tab
iii) The "Event" tab allows you to fine tune the effect's start time, duration, and fade-in/out behaviors. Note that only Linear interpolation is currently supported.
iv) The "Targets" tab is used to specify which controllers/channels this effect will be applied to. You can select controllers/channels in the "Available" list and either drag and drop them into the "Assigned" list or use the buttons located between the two lists. Additional functionality will be added to this tab.
v) Save any changes you made by clicking the "Ok" button
4. At this time, audio events are not supported. Do not expect anything from an audio track or an audio event.
c) Add more effects as desired.
6) Configure Output Devices
For an existing guide on Output Device configuration, go to:
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Login ** I don't know if this seems like a lot of steps or not, but once you get a feel for how Olive works, this would take no time at all.
If you made it this far and are getting a sense for the direction Olive is heading, I hope you can imagine developing light animations at this level times a million. This is the vision for Olive plaguing my head at the moment.
And be sure to pay attention to the Olive News pane in Olive Studio to keep up-to-date on new information. Double-click a headline to open the story.
Thank you for taking a look at Olive. I will keep everyone informed of new developments.
--Matt
