How do i create my own effect?

[OldMarty]

Hi all,

I want to create some of my own custom FX for X-lights, but any FX tutorial that i find on youtube only tells me how in insert FX into sequences/shows and that's not what i'm looking for.

I'd like to know how & where i get down to the raw nuts'n'bolts of writing the channel patterns information etc.

I hope this makes sense? ;-)

Thanks in advance.

 

[darylc]

Have you considered creating shaders?

 

[Skymaster]

Ultimately the effects are baked into the code of the application.
The CPP files are here : https://github.com/smeighan/xLights/tree/master/xLights/effects

That said, if you want to get down to channel/pixel level you can certainly do that by breaking props down to their individual nodes.
Or, use shader definitions as Daryl has mentioned above.

 

[OldMarty]

Thanks guys,

I'm very new to X-lights and already don't agree with may of the effect styles lol, hence my desire to create my own or at least edit/cut the existing ones to pieces.

I know nothing about shaders, but that's something for me to read up on.

 

[Skymaster]

Be sure to twiddle all the knobs available to you for effects. Simple things like the 'Single Line' effect have great potential when applied to things like sub model groups, rotating the render buffer, and using value curves.
Don't underestimate the power of what's available with the built-in effects.

 

[CargoLights]

Creating effects in xLights is more art than science. If you want to learn, one of the best ways would be to find a sequence with an effect you find interesting and look at how it was done, then see if you can replicate it. Once you've got a good understanding of how other people use the tools available, you can start to find creative ways to use them yourself.

 

[Adsy]

Shaders generally work well with large props or as a whole house effect. As mentioned on the surface it seems limiting, but there are lots of
options with rendering outputs and layering. That said if you want create new effects i'd be interested to see what's cooking

 

[brando]

I'm not a techy and I'm not creative, but as Skymaster mentions above, the adjustments available can make more difference than you'd expect. I've tried doing my own sequences and think they look garbage only to find an import sequence using the same effect looks amazing and it's all down to the different rendering styles and layering etc.
Have a look at what someone like Ron Howard can create with the tools that are already there

 

[merryoncherry]

Yes to all of the above.

Shaders, (or a simple video / image effect exported from somewhere else), can produce stuff that's truly new, and sure you can go to the C++ and add more. The best resource I found for learning about shaders and so on is:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7OjgquPYbA


But people get a lot of mileage out of the built-ins given there is:
1. Layering & Layer blending and masking
2. Roto-zoom tab, buffer style and blur
3. Color gradients and colors that change in time if you right click
4. in/out transitions
5. Canvas mode, and effects like warp that use it well
6. Value curves to make the effect interesting through time
7. Sparkles, color adjustments, various stuff I didn't mention

If you had any specific effect in mind that you were trying to get but couldn't get, maybe that'd help others give suggestions on how to achieve it.

IMO, certain props like single-strand arches just don't do very much, and chase effects, value curves, etc., are all you need.
At the far end, whole house and matrix, you are in territory where you can't do everything, but shaders and videos can stand in. The "sketch effect" is the most recent addition here, so probably room for more in the code also... but if you wanted to add one look at the commits for that.

The one big open area is true 3-D effects for cubes etc. xLights doesn't offer as much there as it could because of how the render styles always build 2D buffers.