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Subject: Re: [LCtalk] Layers
From: Fokko van Duin
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 11:04:59 +0100

At 15:23 -0500 19-01-2004, Ian Cattell wrote:
The reason I wanted to use a single layer in this case was because I have portions of the show, or even entire shows which have no set cues and must be done on the fly. Hypercard is useful here because I can build an interface which gives me single click access to hundreds of scenes. The problem is, since there is no set sequence, playing scenes in multiple layers causes all sorts of problems. I'll have a button that plays 3 scenes, 1 for position, 2 for color, 3 for beam effects, all in different layers. Then I click another button for a different position and different colors, etc, and some or all of the parameters do not change because there is data in a higher layer.

If you have made a scene for e.g. position, be sure it contains -only- the pan/tilt channels, the same is valid for color and effects. If you use a separate layer for pos, color, and fx, they will never mask each other, as they have different channels.


I'm assuming that I can play any given scene in any layer.

Yes that's correct.


I repeat the main "if" statement to play multiple scenes as I stated before. I have tried using different engines for each scene as well as one engine for all. None of the scenes overlap, but using one engine just doesn't work. Using multiple engines creates conflicts.

Check your scenes for overlap, use only pan/tilt channels in the pos scenes, and run these scenes in a "pos" layer. So if you use a separate layer for each independent function, -and- you make your scenes for this function -only-, you can use them independently with the Hypercard "Go" commands.

Tip: Load your cuelist in the new list editor, and you will see instant which channels you have used for your scenes; Remove (backspace) the unused channels so your pos steps -only- contain pan/tilt channels.

Tip: The tutorial also has examples how to create/use independent cues (it's now cues not scenes anymore ;-)



I know this code is cumbersome because it is modified from the demo stack where it gets input from text fields. If you have an example of a simple "select engine - select scene" script, I'm all ears.

The basic command is (you may remove the spaces in the string):

    put "56 01 0001 01#" into s -- 56=go, 01=eng A, 0001=list# 1, 01=step# 1
    SendCmd s, ""  -- asynchronous (no check, but much faster ;-)


Another aspect to my on the fly show, is being able to change one aspect of the scene. LCedit+ is very well suited for this, but again the problem of not having a set order for playing scenes gets in the way. One solution I thought of would be to have a set order for playing scenes. Scene 1 in layer 8(position), scene 2 in 7(color), scene 3 in 6(gobo). If I want to override the color, I have a bank of buttons that trigger color information in layer 5. The key would be for each button to clear all layers above to avoid conflicts. What would be the proper way to clear an engine from Hypercard?

You don't need to do that, if your scenes are ok. But clearing a layer command is *57 01# for layer A. For All commands see the included LC+ reference manual (pdf file).


--
Fokko van Duin,                     Creators of the LanBox-LC
CDS advanced technology bv,         DMX lighting controller.
http://www.cds.nl/                  http://www.lanbox.com/

Member of MIDI Manufacturers Association, MMA
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