Help with spacing out a model with multiple uprights

[~~Mike_Jones~~]

I am getting ready to buy my first controller and pixel lights. I am trying to get my display set up so I know what and how much to buy. I am trying to put roughly 600 nodes per string and I am running into an issue. I have multiple (12 I think) uprights on my house that are spaced about 10' apart with 150 nodes on each one. I am wanting to combine 4 uprights to lower the number of outputs from the controller (3 vs 12). I am pretty sure that physically, all I need to do is run the data lines from upright to upright and add power on each one. The issue I have is modeling this in xLights. I can make 4 uprights with 150 nodes in each one, but stretching them to match my house spreads out everything and makes a grid. What I want is to have 3 strands of 50 nodes, then a space, then repeat that for the four uprights on the string. How do I go about adding in the blank space into the model while keeping the three strands per up right be close together. Hopefully that explains things, but I have added pictures to help. The one with the good uprights has individual strings of 150 nodes. The one with the matrix has 4 sub models of 150 nodes each. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[keithsw1111]

So you are not modelling each upright as it’s own string?

 

[~~Mike_Jones~~]

So you are not modelling each upright as it’s own string?

Initially I did. I also modeled each peak and each section fo my gutters.....then I ran out of ports on the controller and only have ~6k nodes. I was hopping that I could some how build a model that included 4 uprights (3 strands each) and place them in the display. The issue I am having is that the whole model expands when I try to get the uprights to hit the correct position on the house. I would like to hav ea way to lock 3 strands together and keep them close while expanding the model. I know that this is probably confusing and not worth doing....but I was just trying to figure out if this was possible. When I actually build everything, my plan is to connect 4 uprights to a string and power inject each one. I was just trying to get xlights to match exactly how they are going to be wired and not have to keep track of which models are going to be physically connected different than what I am seeing in the software.

The basic set up I have envisioned is three strands ~ 4 inches apart, then 10 feet of nothing except connecting wire and then another set of three...repeating. The uprights 1 picture has each upright as a separate model. I was hoping to be able to make 1 model with 4 uprights on it.

Thanks

 

[keithsw1111]

Initially I did. I also modeled each peak and each section fo my gutters.....then I ran out of ports on the controller and only have ~6k nodes. I was hopping that I could some how build a model that included 4 uprights (3 strands each) and place them in the display. The issue I am having is that the whole model expands when I try to get the uprights to hit the correct position on the house. I would like to hav ea way to lock 3 strands together and keep them close while expanding the model. I know that this is probably confusing and not worth doing....but I was just trying to figure out if this was possible. When I actually build everything, my plan is to connect 4 uprights to a string and power inject each one. I was just trying to get xlights to match exactly how they are going to be wired and not have to keep track of which models are going to be physically connected different than what I am seeing in the software.

The basic set up I have envisioned is three strands ~ 4 inches apart, then 10 feet of nothing except connecting wire and then another set of three...repeating. The uprights 1 picture has each upright as a separate model. I was hoping to be able to make 1 model with 4 uprights on it.

Thanks

You can have more than one model on a port.

 

[Cranzy]

You model your uprights individually, and on the 2nd upright, you set the start channel to be end of 1st upright. Then for sequencing you will place all the uprights into a group

 

[~~Mike_Jones~~]

You can have more than one model on a port.

I believe that this was the answer I was looking for. Interestingly enough, xLights just released a video showing the Visualizer. I hadn't see that before and it is helping me connect my models as I was wanting them to be. Thanks.