Hello World ;-)

[Old Salt]

Many moons ago I made my first Christmas light display. It was simply pieces of hardboard with strings of the old blinking lights mounted on it, that I put in the windows. That was just about the limit of technology at the time. I thought I'd take another stab at it, and update them.

I could have bought some of the pre-made props, and called it done but no, I wanted something more. I went with a DIY matrix, and Kulp controller. Parts are on their way. My design is a 60 x 60 matrix made of with 60 LED/m strips (I should have just bitten the bullet and used P5 panels).

Why a matrix? It's a low-resolution display. What I've seen these used for are display of images, video, text, and effects. I think it's time for more. Here's a hint... We can map 2D, and some 3D props to the matrix. I've attached a partial model with the LLS 46" snowflake as a teaser.

I'm looking forward to playing with the hardware when it arrives. Perhaps others can use this technique to take their shows to the next level.

 

[AAH]

You've gotta be old if you get the reference "hello world".
I built my matrix originally as an alternative to a led singing face. It has now been used for different faces per song and has also been split in 4 for a few songs.
Modelling it to other style props is something I haven't thought of. Have grabbed your xmodel to have a look,

 

[Old Salt]

At least most folks will understand 'Hello World.' Not very many would understand 'IPL,' or Initial Program Load, a term which was used prior to 'Bootstrap.'

I mapped out the x-y coordinates of one arm (nodes ) on a 2000 x 2000 grid using an image editor, Corel Photo Draw.
The coordinates were entered into a spreadsheet, MS Excel.
Next I scaled the x-y coordinates, x= x * (60/2000) y= y * (60/2000)
Following that, I had to scratch my head (Google it) to remember the formula for matrix rotations.
This was applied in 60° increments x′=xcos(θ)−ysin(θ) y′=xsin(θ)+ycos(θ) and mapped to the correct LLS nodes.
These coordinates were mapped to the strings, then manually added to the xmodel as the sub-model M6060_LLS46SF.

I copied the sub-models from the downloaded model of the Boscoyo LLS 46. I replaced the nodes in the sub-models with the matching nodes in the matrix, keeping the sub-model names.

Notes:

• The result is somewhat distorted as the resolution I used is low (60 x 60). A higher resolution will result in less distortion.
• The result can be mapped anywhere on the matrix, if the matrix is large enough.
• Multiple props can be mapped onto different areas of a large matrix, and used simultaneously.
• This is a tedious process. I should be able to automate generation of the prop's sub-models.
• untested - an image should be able to be inserted behind the sub-model on the matrix. Using a low-intensity image of the prop should better mimic the prop.

I can put together a more detailed set of instructions if there is sufficient interest.