Creating chases

create scenes with shape generator

Creating chases

Postby Robin_D » 19 December 2017, 03:44

Introduction to give a little background. Please ignore this paragraph if not relevant. I've just bought XPress512, the Akai APC Mini and downloaded ShowXpress all in a hurry after my first choice solution was unavailable until after Christmas and New Year holiday in the UK. My 20 year-old lighting desk decided to pack up and I need to light an event for New Years Eve so am getting desperate. I leave home on the 22nd and may not have a data service until I get to the venue on the 28th. I imagined this solution would do everything I wanted but can't at the moment get the basics to work. I've been doing lighting for 40+ years and IT for 35, and frankly expected the software to do certain things out of the box, but it appears not. I've watched several hours of the Youtube video's and seem to have found a gap in the functionality of the software.

The set up. For this event I'm using 4 LEDJ 9Hex10 LED Intense SlimPar http://www.prolight.co.uk/ftp-in/LEDJ254A_Manual.pdfthat are RGBWAUV Par's, plus a couple of DJ specific lights. The letter are not the issue and I've got those working reasonably well. I also need to link to the house dimmer based rig so have those set up on DMX 1 thro 24. I've put the LEDJ's on 51 - 60, 61- 70, 71- 80 and 81- 90, with the other devices above that.

The issue. I want to be able to chase the SlimPar's but I can't find anything to allow me to do this. Ideally I want two, three and four colour chase, and overall speed, slope and dimmer controls. So to give an example. Yellow and Cyan on opposite pair's so that each PAR is either Yellow or Cyan. or the all Yellow with a single Cyan chasing through. From the training video I can see how you would do that in Pan/Tilt for a group of movers. but I just want it for colours. Eg; Magenta and Blue, Red and Green etc. I'd also want to go to three and four colour chases, but I don't seem able to do this without hours of programming time in Steps. Hours I don't have. If I try to do it in generator, there appears to be no way of off-setting the four PAR's in the same way as you can in PAN-tilt, and to get the colours I need three DMX channels selected [channel 1 (master dimmer), channel 8 (between 001 and 041), and then pick the colour from Channel 9].

I just can't get this to work.

I've yet to connect the Midi desk because I can't get the basic's to work, but Ideally want to throw some static colour states onto buttons, and the chases onto others. It would appear from the video's that it would be easy once the buttons are defined, and I'm really hoping this is true. However, without the chases, at the moment the button's I've defined in Live are just controlling the colour of all 4 units together. (All red, all Cyan etc.). I have set up steps for unit's 1 & 3; 2 & 4 etc under each colour, and can see how I could use a macro to turn on 1 & 3 as Yellow and 2 and 4 as Cyan at the same button push, but it seems horribly complicated when this functionality was all inbuilt in my old desk originally designed back in the 1980's!

It's likely that I'm being stupid, or I've bought the wrong thing, but I've used product's like M-PC and MagicQ that do this so easily,. I expected this to do the same as it's aimed more at the disco end of the market.

Unfortunately I have some IT consultancy work I must do this week so can't spend hours on end trying to programme or get my head around this, so watching hours more of video is not really an option. Can anyone help with some easy pointers please?

Many thanks .... Robin
Robin_D
 
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Re: Creating chases

Postby SeekLighting » 19 December 2017, 23:27

Hi Robin,

I believe what you're asking for is actually quite simple. I'll create a little tutorial video explaining how to do it (if I understand what you are asking correctly) and upload in a sec.

Regards,

Tim H
SeekLighting
 
Posts: 364
Joined: 03 April 2017, 02:28

Re: Creating chases

Postby SeekLighting » 19 December 2017, 23:29

Hi Robin,

https://youtu.be/4a0Yq0C9010

Check this out. Hopefully this is what you are looking for. If I am wrong please correct me.

Regards,

Tim H
SeekLighting
 
Posts: 364
Joined: 03 April 2017, 02:28

Re: Creating chases

Postby Robin_D » 20 December 2017, 20:48

Hi Tim.

Many thanks for that, and yes that is exactly what I would like to do and your video is most helpful.

However, when I select the Group RGB/CMY I do not get the colorwheel appear! :-( I still just get the grey screen with the single line across. The left hand frame does change to have RGB as the second channel (Dimmer on 1), but try as I might I can't get the colorwheel to appear. I've tried staring a brand new project but it simply brings in the current patching.

I'm going to try a reinstall and will post back.
Robin_D
 
Posts: 41
Joined: 13 December 2017, 17:42

Re: Creating chases

Postby Robin_D » 20 December 2017, 21:12

Hi Again.

Complete uninstall, fresh download and reinstall doesn't help. I still can't get to the colorwheel in generator although I can see it in steps! I've been through all the settings and can't find anything that might cause this issue.

I'm using Window 10 [Version 10.0.16299.125].

Reboot seems to have fixed it.... :D

I'll post back with further progress
Robin_D
 
Posts: 41
Joined: 13 December 2017, 17:42

Re: Creating chases

Postby SeekLighting » 20 December 2017, 22:51

Robin_D wrote:However, when I select the Group RGB/CMY I do not get the colorwheel appear! :-( I still just get the grey screen with the single line across. The left hand frame does change to have RGB as the second channel (Dimmer on 1),


Not sure exactly what this problem is, I've never experienced it. Just a couple of little things to check. They're probably all stuff you know already but just in case:
- When you're in Generator mode, ensure that the fixtures you want to work with are selected in the 2D view.
- Ensure you select the "RGB" channel in the left panel and have the checkbox ticked
- Ensure your dimmer channel is on 100% and the checkbox is ticked.

Robin_D wrote:Reboot seems to have fixed it.... :D


So, did a simple restart of your computer fix the problem? Seems very odd. I haven't ever experienced that kind of instability with the software... Are you running the latest version? 8.2.28?

Robin_D wrote:I've tried staring a brand new project but it simply brings in the current patching.


This isn't an error, it's just a little idiosyncrasy of the software. When you click on File > New Show and create a new show, it doesn't open that new show. It just creates the folder directory and showfile. You then have to open the show you have just created by going to File > Open.
SeekLighting
 
Posts: 364
Joined: 03 April 2017, 02:28

Re: Creating chases

Postby Robin_D » 23 December 2017, 19:07

Many thanks again Tim.

I found the idiosyncrasy in the 'New Show option!

Yes I was running the latest version. It all seems stable now so hopefully all will be well when I arrive at the venue. I can't do much more now as away on the North Norfolk coast (UK) for Christmas in our motorhome so all the gear is in the locker as going straight from here to the venue on the other side of England.

Great help from this forum.

Have a great Christmas. Image
Robin
Robin_D
 
Posts: 41
Joined: 13 December 2017, 17:42


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