Using LOR files, converting with xLights to SEQ files

[JonB256]

Everything SHOULD have been working but no lights were coming on.

I had a 1 minute animation sequence that worked great in LOR, outputting to 120 pixelnet channels.

DMX Universe 1, channels 1 thru 120 (40 pixels). After doing the same thing at least 3 times and not having it work, I paused. Didn't have a beer but considered it.

Then it hit me. xLights DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING about DMX Universes, just LOR controllers. Nothing. Nada. Zip. My sequences were worthless for Conductor output.

But, (this time AFTER a beer), I tried creating a new, 120 channel blank sequence with 0.05 timings to match my Animation. LOR created all the LOR channels I needed and gave them the correct LOR Protocol names, sequentially.

I copied ALL the channels from the old animation, pasted into the new animation. Saved the file.
Opened xLights, converted to a SEQ file and:

It Worked!

Since I haven't been using xLights to actually run my show, they were NOT in the correct channel setup. At All.

Lesson Learned is:  If you are using LOR for your show, but not using xLights to Play your show, you have some work ahead of you.  If you are using xLights to play your LOR files, then you are good to go already.

Matt, if you get a few free hours, I'd really really like an xLights Converter that understands my current format. Just sayin.

[frankr]

Hi John,

I don't understand the first scenario.  You had your channels numbered 1-120 in LOR and setup to use DMX?  If so were you using the most recent version of xLights to do the conversion?  I know that in the 2012b version Matt added code to handle DMX 512 channel configuration LOR files correctly.

Frank

[JonB256]

You had your channels numbered 1-120 in LOR and setup to use DMX? 

Yes, I only had 120 channels in my animation sequence. I was running 40 pixels from a SS Hub. It was configured and playing from LOR S3 and using an E1.31 Etherdongle, so the RGB channels were:
DMX Universe 1 Channel 1
DMX Universe 1 Channel 2
...
DMX Universe 1 Channel 120

xLights could not convert that to a Conductor SEQ file. It expected it to be:
LOR Regular Unit 01 Circuit 1
LOR Regular Unit 01 Circuit 2
 down to
LOR Regular Unit 08 Circuit 8 (which works out to be 120 channels).

xLights had no trouble converting that to a working Conductor SEQ file.
It "converted" the original file, without error messages, but it just didn't work in the Conductor.

If version 2012b can play LOR files using DMX configuration, then I didn't know about it. But, the conversion program certainly doesn't know what to do with DMX controller types.

[frankr]

Are you set to multi network mode in the "LOR Sequence Channel Mapping" dialog?

Also,  Would you mind posting the sequence to the thread as a zip file? I would like to look at the actual data in the sequence.

Frank

[JonB256]

I was set for Multi-Network Mode (though I don't know why since I don't use xLights for my show).

I'm looking at options with a modified LCC file that could switch all my networks by doing an import configuration.

Not a high priority, though. I was not planning to use the conductor for my house show. More for special events when I don't want to pack a computer. (i.e., Relay for Life events)

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

only the poles would be Smart String flex strips on a matrix of square PVC tubes.