Modeling Large Layout

[oxytousc]

So, we’re moving to a house with a large backyard. I’m planning to run several sections of the show. A small show in the front for passerby’s (it’ll also act as a welcome for folks attending the backyard show.)

In the backyard, I’m envisioning having the show broken into a few areas:

Whoville (all my grinch props)

Christmas in Lights (megatree, Santa props, selfie station & 20’ matrix s-shaped wall)

The Grand Tree (we’ve got this massive pine in the back—probably 6’ around and 200 years old. I want to make it kind of plain looking until the show starts and then it lights up into the focal point of the show. My plan is to put 4 hanging bulb talking props off branches and then string RGB C9s around the tree and wrap the trunk in pebble lights. Ill also have a series of RGBW Festoon/Cafe lights coming down from it)

And I’m going to do icicles on the eves of our pool house and primary house.

My question is what’s going to be the most effective way to model and lay it out in xlights? It’s about 1/3 of an acre, so I can’t capture it well in a single photo. I already plan to model front and back as separate shows running off separate Pi Players—any reason I need to but them on different subnets? I’m thinking not, just need to be judicious in FPP uploading and output selection for each Pi.

Would love thoughts and suggestions. I know it’s a lot. Merry Xmas!

 

[Skymaster]

I already plan to model front and back as separate shows running off separate Pi Players—any reason I need to but them on different subnets?

This depends on your controllers. If you're going to use FPP based controllers and multisync, it will require careful setup to end that all multicast is disabled and only unicast used. Otherwise one shows player might control the other shows remotes.
Now keep in mind too that this is not just "separate subnets" - it would need to be separated broadcast domains, so different vlans or isolated switches.

However if you're going to use controllers and just stream DDP/E1.31 to them then you're all good running it on a single subnet for the lot.

 

[merryoncherry]

Generically the choices are:
Completely separate shows, it does not matter if on the same subnet, separate subnets, or airgapped at that point
One show w/ 3D
2D show with multiple previews

If you want different playlists and such do the first one.
If you want coherence across the whole thing, 3D is the best.
2D with multiple previews is good if you just want to line things up on a few flat photos and make different views of the same show. This is commonly done by people who have commercial displays with different places for viewers, but the same music throughout.

You can also do 1 preview in 2D and just spread it all out in a pleasing arrangement, that doesn't work too badly if all the things are in relative positions as people would usually see them from common vantage points.

 

[oxytousc]

Generically the choices are:
Completely separate shows, it does not matter if on the same subnet, separate subnets, or airgapped at that point
One show w/ 3D
2D show with multiple previews

If you want different playlists and such do the first one.
If you want coherence across the whole thing, 3D is the best.
2D with multiple previews is good if you just want to line things up on a few flat photos and make different views of the same show. This is commonly done by people who have commercial displays with different places for viewers, but the same music throughout.

You can also do 1 preview in 2D and just spread it all out in a pleasing arrangement, that doesn't work too badly if all the things are in relative positions as people would usually see them from common vantage points.

Yea. 3d was my plan. There isn’t a way to put in a 3d image of the house is there?

 

[Skymaster]

You need to model it up using some 3D software and export the obj and material files for xLights to read it

 

[oxytousc]

Yea. That's going to be a nightmare. I think I'm going to have to play with it.

 

[Gilrock]

You have a 3D image of your house? What does that look like most images are flat. You can surely insert an image into the 3D space in xLights buts its going to be flat. A lot of folks use some Hover app where you take photos and send it to the website and it creates a 3D model and you have to email them to ask for the SketchUp file or OBJ file they can provide.

 

[oxytousc]

Yea. Thats more what I was thinking. I’ve got a 3d scanner and I probably could’ve figured out if I could’ve done a CAD from that. But what you’re suggesting is easier

 

[oxytousc]

I hired a 3d cad designer from Fivrr

 

[Shane G]

Use the grid lines make them mean something to like 1-foot spacings or 1yard spacings whatever you like then make the grid just a bit bigger than your hole property like if your yard is 100 feet long make maybe enough lines so that you have 102 feet. I then used that grid to place the line model or polyline to draw out your boundaries. On this grid you will put all your horizontal prop's like gutter lines and ridges the run horizontal you then select everything that will be at the same hight like your gutters and move them to the correct hight I did my whole house every gutter every ridge with no pictures or cad apps you just have to know you measurements and all the props you made just for a reference you can delete when finished I think the grid lines and ruler in xlights are the most used tools I use. hope that makes sense to you.